pros and cons of applying to a program's PhD or MA/MS program?

[Guest Gnome Chomsky]

If you're coming straight from your undergrad and the schools of your interest offer both PhDs and MA/MSs, what would you say are the pros and cons for each. Originally I wanted to apply to MA programs, but when I top school of choice did away with their MA and only offered PhD, I began to go back and reevaluate all the schools whose MA programs I originally wanted to apply to and consider applying to their PhD instead. What are the general pros and cons of each?

[fuzzylogician]

In some fields MAs are good for professionalization reasons. In research fields, you do an MA if you're not sure yet that you want to do a PhD, using it as kind of an entry point into academia and research, or you do one if you need to improve your application in some ways - e.g., gaining research experience or publications or getting better LORs. If you already know you want to do a PhD and you can get accepted into the program of your dreams without improving your application, it seems to me that going directly for the PhD is the more straightforward way to go.

[Guest Gnome Chomsky]

In some fields MAs are good for professionalization reasons. In research fields, you do an MA if you're not sure yet that you want to do a PhD, using it as kind of an entry point into academia and research, or you do one if you need to improve your application in some ways - e.g., gaining research experience or publications or getting better LORs. If you already know you want to do a PhD and you can get accepted into the program of your dreams without improving your application, it seems to me that going directly for the PhD is the more straightforward way to go.

And I would imagine better chance of getting funding? If a school accepts MA and PhD students, I assume the PhD students would be more likely to get better funding?

[fuzzylogician]

At the very least, I think that it's safe to assume that there is an entailment pattern such that, if a school provides support for its MA students then it also supports its PhD students. I'm not sure if the support for PhD students is necessarily better, but in most places it's much more likely to be guaranteed.

[kyjin]

If a school offers both a PhD and a separate MA program and you're really not sure, I'd go for the PhD. If the admissions committee decides you're not quite ready for the PhD, they may drop your application down to the MA level. This happened for a couple programs I applied to in the past, and I was accepted for the MA instead of the PhD. The major hurdle comes down to funding. If a school has both programs, generally the MA is how the department makes money, and will give out little, if any, funding, since they have PhDs to support. Programs with only an MA offering are more likely to have funding at that level, but it depends university to university.

[Guest Gnome Chomsky]

If a school offers both a PhD and a separate MA program and you're really not sure, I'd go for the PhD. If the admissions committee decides you're not quite ready for the PhD, they may drop your application down to the MA level. This happened for a couple programs I applied to in the past, and I was accepted for the MA instead of the PhD. The major hurdle comes down to funding. If a school has both programs, generally the MA is how the department makes money, and will give out little, if any, funding, since they have PhDs to support. Programs with only an MA offering are more likely to have funding at that level, but it depends university to university.

I didn't know they actually did this (rejecting an applicant for their PhD but accepting him for their MA). That makes the decision much easier. But I don't know if it would be appropriate to email the department and ask them if they would do that. It makes it sound like you're not confident that you'll get in.

[juilletmercredi]

Not necessarily. It also shows that you recognize the vagaries of the application process. If you send an email to the departmental coordinator asking if that's an option, I don't think it will affect your chances - if you are a really strong candidate, you'll get in regardless of whether you asked that or not.