change department across very different disciplines, competitive university

[openspacem7]

Dear All,

I find myself in a little fix and have seen that many students here get really good advice on what to do. I am about to start a graduate program at a very good school and, since applying and accepting my offer, many things have happened, including the notion that I want to cross over into another discipline altogether. The switch is about as dramatic as it can get: from a quantitative, natural science discipline to political science.

Now, I think of withdrawing from the program in advance to work in my newly desired field or possibly attend and request a change of department after building some relationship with professors in the new department. After all, the new discipline requires much more I graduate from a good school to attain a job in academia.

I would greatly appreciate any stories about this having happened before or any general advice from people with graduate school experience. Do these changes of department that involve a complete cross-over happen at very competitive schools? After all, many good students apply to the new department and why would they make a spot for a student from a different discipline? How do these somewhat unorthodox crossings work?

Thank you so much for your responses!

[Dal PhDer]

Hmm...I don't have experience with this, but I do have a few questions that might help you think about your situation.

I come from an interdisciplinary program, so I have a program of study that combines very different disciplines. The idea is that while my project may be able to rest within one area of study, but incorporating a different perspective, my project will gain more. I am thinking that perhaps - maybe - you could do something like this with your situation. Is it possible that you could frame your new topic of study to combine aspects of your current discipline into political science? I have heard some strange pairings (political science and theatre; nursing and political science; biology and history). I think that perhaps if you consider this route, you might find yourself - given the appropriate thought, direction and project - really wowing and coming up with a new and innovative perspective.

Also, are you thinking of changing directly without taking any time off? My understanding is this will probably require you to reapply to the department and wait to see if you get accepted. Even though it's the same school, it will be a different program with potentially different criteria for their PhD...and if it's completely different, you might have to do a whole other degree to be able to get in. Leading into that, even though you may have been a successful candidate for your current program, your vastly different background (I get that implication for above) may make you ineligible.

I might ask yourself why you want to go this new route, and if there is a way to achieve a happy spot without having to change programs.

In the end I always advocate on the decision that will make you the happiest- it might not be the easiest or shortest route- but in the long run, if it gets you to where you want to be in the future, it's probably the best choice.

[openspacem7]

Thank you so much for your thoughts on this - I have indeed thought about incorporating my social science ambitions into quantitative biology. However, I do not want to bend my academic interests into something to make it fit. I feel this is potentially dangerous. The right step for me would be to withdraw because I can no longer sincerely support the ambitions put forth in that doctoral program. However, life choice-wise, I realize it may be a bad thing to withdraw from such a prestigious university and I might not get a similar opportunity again and regret this decision. Starting there would be taking a significant risk - that I may not be able to switch disciplines and end up miserable in my program and have to leave eventually, something that I would find hard to negotiate. How is it looked upon if one leaves with a Master's and embarks on a different discipline afterwards?

[Eigen]

You mention a "change of department"- this isn't something I've ever heard about at the graduate level. With admissions being done completely on a department-by-department basis, the only way to get started in a new program is to apply completely fresh to that program. You can't just "switch over" from one program to another.

The only possibility (as mentioned) would be to try to do some kind of a dual-supervised interdisciplinary degree.

A Masters in the first field followed by a PhD in your new field might not be a bad idea- but if you are intending to start as a PhD student and leave with a Masters, you need to navigate carefully, so you don't burn bridges in the department. You might risk losing some funding, but you'll probably have better relationships and less ill will if you tell them going in that you've changed course and only want to do a Masters.

And based on your last post, since you don't want to bend your desires, spending 2-3 years for a Masters in something you're no longer interested in probably isn't the best shot either.

So you're probably stuck with withdrawing from the school, and applying again this fall in your new discipline.