Applied for PhD, should I accept an offer for an MA?

[Yellow#5]

Is there anyone out there who was in the position last year of getting no Phd admits, but where offered a spot in the Master's program?

Is there anyone who did the MA and is glad or regrets it?

I've heard that having an MA may help your application for a PhD (in English Lit.) but can also hurt your chances at some programs.

Thoughts?

[dherres]

I'd be very interested in hearing people's experiences as well. I'm sorely tempted to take the MA offer I've received, then reapply to the PhD after; the program's a much better fit than most of the other schools I'm still waiting to hear from.

[miratrix]

I think it depends on funding - if you'd have to go $80,000 into debt, no MA, but if there's tuition relief at least, it could be a good bet. I know English students who've done this and successfully gone to PhD programs afterwards.

[Rutabaga]

I was this person last year. Applied for a PhD and was offered one unfunded, one waitlist, and one masters admit instead. I opted for the masters and I'm really glad I did. My interests changed a great deal over that time, and I'm much more competitive for PhD programs now (in at one of my top choices with funding). I didn't get any money for the masters either since I decided to go part time and keep working (done in 2 years a semester, not so bad). I would recommend it over an unfunded PhD for sure!

[expatbayern]

I applied to just a few PhD programs in Poli Sci out of undergrad at a second-tier LAC and didn't get in anywhere, but was offered half-tuition for a one-year MA at a top program, did well there, and am now having a lot more success in my second round of PhD applications. I did accrue $20,000 in debt in that one year, but figure it was worth it for the boost it gave to my file (and as I was debt-free from undergrad). I can't speak to your field, but if you can identify the major flaws in your file now (for me, it was the relatively unknown undergrad school and recommenders) and they're things that would be fixed by the MA, I say go for it.

[mrfuga0]

It depends on the conditions of the MA. If it is unfunded, then I don't suggest it. Going into debt for an MA is a bad proposition -- it's just not a good idea, especially when there is so much money out there for MA programs. I say that having gotten (and taken) a funded MA offer in 2007 for a PhD program I applied to. I have a suspicion you got the same offer I did, based on some previous posts you have made, Yellow #5. If it was at a certain Catholic school in the northeast that is well known for their English program, then feel free to PM me. That school's MA director will tell you straight up not to accept an unfunded MA offer. Of course, he'll say that only after you've matriculated there.

That said, I feel that my MA (which I finished in a year, so that may have influenced things for better or worse) allowed me to get into a PhD program eventually. I came from a background where I didn't have an undergrad English degree and I had an MFA, so I really needed the extra help to show committees that I was getting the info that I needed and that I was serious about getting a PhD in English. However, some places like Yale, for instance, want you virginal and pure from undergrad. It's a toss up and one I'd suggest you discuss with the MA director at the school that offered you the position -- be brutally honest with him/her about your background/aspirations/shortcomings/strengths/etc. But be aware that even a funded offer only pays your tuition -- I still worked 40 hours a week on top of classes and ended up taking out a loan for summer classes. It was worth it in the end, but it's still a burden that I'm going to have to pay back.

[lotf629]

Agree with all of the above: I got an MA (mostly funded) and was a far, far more competitive Eng applicant as a result, but it's not worth the bazillions of dollars to do it unfunded. If your MA is unfunded, you can always apply to funded MAs next year or do other, less expensive things to make your app stand out in a year or two. If your MA is funded, I'd think about going for it.