Doing PhD same place I did Masters and Bachelors?

[drpepper711]

The bachelors was somewhat different than the masters. I see that people tend to do their masters at a different place than undergrad, but it is common for people to do their masters and PhD at the same place. I can see the benefit from this, especially with course exemptions and stuff. Would I be at a disadvantage from doing this?

[rustledjimmies]

It's a blurry line, but I believe that in general you want diversity in your c.v. 

 

Going to the same school for your bachelors, masters AND PhD may give many people some sort of impression that you simply didn't know what else to do, or where else to go.

 

To show true conviction in your field and in research it helps to have as many different (well-known) universities on your c.v.

 

That is my opinion, best of luck to you!

[selecttext]

it's a terrible idea

[queenleblanc]

My personal opinion is that diversity can be good in your educational background, but is not necessarily the only rule to follow.  I did my bachelor's and 1st master's degree at UNC Chapel Hill - B. Music Performance, and MAT.  The master's program I'm applying for now -- speech-language pathology, is actually ranked very highly at UNC, so I did end up applying there again for this second master's, and will eventually apply there for the PhD program, regardless of whether I attend UNC for this master's degree. In my case, I'm switching fields, which may be different than people coming from in-field.  

 

I also chose to apply elsewhere because the new experience, new campus, and different school, will give my CV some variety for when I do apply for PhD programs... not to mention the competitive nature of the admissions process and "no guarantees" even if it is your alma mater. Perhaps this is something to consider in your case.  

 

So... I guess it just depends on the circumstances.  If your grad institution specializes in your area of research and is the right fit for your PhD research, I don't see anything wrong with doing the PhD at the same institution.  There are several MA-to-PhD programs that people pursue simply because they WANT to have all of their research run concurrently, giving them an enriched experience (musicology at UNC is one program I know about, as well as the SLP program at Boston).  The diversity can be beneficial, so I would at least consider other universities to check for those same things - fit, area of research, etc.  

Edited February 24, 2013 by kcald716

[Guest |||]

If you can, go somewhere else.

 

If you can't, make sure by the time you finish your C.V. is strong.

 

 

Where you go matters, but more than anything in the early part of your career.  If you are productive and show good worth, you will be fine.

[ANDS!]

Somebody better tell that to the schmucks doing their academic careers at Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Chicago, etc. - 

[Grev]

I did my BA and MA at the same school, but will be going elsewhere for my PhD.  As I understand it, unless your doctoral field is super specific and your university is the ONLY school in the country that has a strong program it's a very bad idea to do all three degrees at one school. 

 

Besides showing a lack of diversity on your CV, it can cause trouble with taking actual courses.  I nearly wound up having to re-take a class at the graduate level that I'd take as an undergraduate in order to fulfill a requirement (thankfully I got a teacher to sponsor an independent project for me instead).  Over the course of an MA/PhD, you're going to run the risk of exhausting your department's course offerings.

[jmu]

This is my opinion after reading a lot on the subject very recently and talking to a few professors about it. I was nominated for a fellowship to stay at my UG for grad school and this particular offer, if I get it, would make it difficult to say no to them. As a result, I'm in a position where I really need to consider this.

 

First, it is going to look bad on your CV but it's not going to kill it. If you are applying for jobs/post-docs and sending along a CV with 6-7 publications in high impact journals, are presenting at conferences regularly and turning those presentations into papers, and, most importantly, are bringing money into the department by way of external grants, you're probably going to be alright. You might not get the top positions but you will be able to do something. Getting a good post-doc somewhere else will also go a long way for improving that particular part of your CV.

 

Second, there is validity to the idea that leaving makes it look like you have not had access to a number of other opinions. If you stay on at your program it might be a good idea to consider having outside faculty to read your thesis/dissertation or sit on your committee. You can then note this in statements with the hopes that it will help alleviate that a bit. The kicker is, it will only alleviate that a bit. The vast majority of your time is spent developing the same ideas you were exposed to in your UG studies. This is where conference presentations (and turning them into papers) is helpful.

 

The idea that staying means you are only familiar with one schools departmental politics is a bit contrived. Few undergrads have any idea about departmental politics so most people graduate only knowing how one department operates anyway.

 

Finally, the advice given to me was, consider your current program like you would any other but always keep it one spot lower than any other program on your list. That is, if you are a good fit, they offer you good funding, etc. then you should strongly consider them but any similar offers, even if they are slightly worse, should be given more weight. A difference of $5000 a year or whatever it is might seem like a big deal right now, but in the long run the position that $5000/yr gives you will be hard to make up.

[Tuck]

I'm surprised that no one has brought up the term "academic incest" yet.  :-)

 

Everything jmu says is consistent with what I've heard before. It's frowned upon in most fields, but it's not the end of the world. At the very least, you'll want to do a postdoc elsewhere to diversify your CV. One thing I wanted to add is that it's unlikely you'll be able to get a tenure-track job at your home institution if you have done all your academic work there. This is strongly frowned upon in most fields.

 

I think if you're doing a bachelor's, master's, and PhD, it'd be wise to do no more than 2/3 at the same place, all other things being equal. But you have to evaluate it on a case-by-case basis.