MAPSS at Chicago or MA at Duke

[ella_lst]

I am a student wishing to pursue Ph.D in political science. As I do not have a BA in political science, I decided first to apply to a master's degree. Now I have been admitted to MAPSS at Chicago, and M.A. in political science at Duke. Chicago ranks first in political theory while Duke ranks six. But MAPSS is just a one-year program in Social Sciences, so I'm afraid it cannot best help me prepare for graduate study. What do you think? I appreciate your advise very much!

[splitends]

There is a really thorough discussion of MAPPS some place else on this forum. I suggest you poke around for it.

[PvZ 2]

And there are quite few discussions on Duke's MA. It is seldom applied.

[al mo7tarem]

Check the Interdisciplinary Studies section for the MAPPS discussion

[rmo_3000]

The MAPSS Program, while offering highly flexible course choices, offers virtually zero guidance -- that is, until you elect a 'Reader' of your Masters Thesis (typically a Professor in a related field) and a 'Preceptor' (typically a PhD student in your field of interest). You will typically make these decisions in your second trimester (btw, there are three trimesters per year versus the traditional Fall and Spring). Until this time, you have only the Director of the Program to consult. If the position is still chaired by Dr. MaCaloon, I hope you bring patience and tolerance -- to go along with your smarts -- to the school. He can be difficult.

 

Having said this, the 'Perspectives' class, which Dr MaCaloon teaches, is a real eye-opener, in that is throws light upon the social sciences in a wholly unique way. By the end of the class, you'll view the (largely arbitrary) distinctions between the social sciences (Political science, Sociology, Econ, etc.) as highly interdisciplinary. As MacAloon puts it, you'll have a 'new lense' for viewing the world around you.

 

Unfortunately, I'm not familiar with Duke's program, so can't draw a comparison. Just thought I'd offer my experience.