What to do with an MTS degree?

[Coolidge]

What are some things that I could (realistically) work with after completing an MTS degree? Or, more to the point, what are some career paths of recent MTS graduates? I am thinking specifically about MTS graduates from HDS as that is the program I am interested in. How far will the "it's Harvard" hype get you?

 

What do those who don't get PhDs or continue in academia end up doing? Are they required to get a second masters degree in something slightly more "tangible" such as law or journalism? The reason I am asking is that I want to think long and hard before getting a degree in religion and ending up taking out a loan to pay for it. Especially in this economy. Ideally, I would want to focus on Islamic studies and then work with counter-terrorism after graduation. Is this realistic?

 

I want to study religion and I am trying to justify it to myself (and to my parents), but I worry about employment prospects. Can anyone shed light on whether or not it is a terrible idea for me to pursue an MTS degree if I don't want to get a PhD or get a second masters. Thanks!

 

 

[sacklunch]

Outside of some sort of pastoral work/church setting I don't think it will get you very far. The exception, perhaps, is the counter-terrorism field/Islamic studies. Though I imagine if you went this route you would really have to focus on language work (what good are you without Arabic, right?). 

 

A good friend from undergrad went to HDS for his MTS. He graduated two years ago, and has been struggling to find work back where he is from (Kansas....where hardly anyone has a degree from Harvard). Long story short he ended up taking a part time gig at Home Depot because he was having a hard time getting a job. Though now he is teaching part time at a smaller college (two intro courses on Xianity). Still, he has complained to me a lot about finding a job outside of a church setting with an MTS. 

 

In short, I would think long and hard about going into debt for the degree. If you think an MTS will actually help you get into some sort of government job, then go for it. Otherwise the degree may be only useful for bragging rights at the local Starbucks.

 

best

[Coolidge]

Outside of some sort of pastoral work/church setting I don't think it will get you very far. The exception, perhaps, is the counter-terrorism field/Islamic studies. Though I imagine if you went this route you would really have to focus on language work (what good are you without Arabic, right?). 

 

A good friend from undergrad went to HDS for his MTS. He graduated two years ago, and has been struggling to find work back where he is from (Kansas....where hardly anyone has a degree from Harvard). Long story short he ended up taking a part time gig at Home Depot because he was having a hard time getting a job. Though now he is teaching part time at a smaller college (two intro courses on Xianity). Still, he has complained to me a lot about finding a job outside of a church setting with an MTS. 

 

In short, I would think long and hard about going into debt for the degree. If you think an MTS will actually help you get into some sort of government job, then go for it. Otherwise the degree may be only useful for bragging rights at the local Starbucks.

 

best

 

 

Well that was the answer I expected but not the answer I wanted, lol. I do have three years of Arabic already and that would certainly come in handy if I wanted to do counter-terrorism. Does anyone know anyone who has ended up working for a government agency upon completing their MTS degree?

[Body Politics]

I don't think a master of theological studies is typically a first step toward a career in government.

[Yetanotherdegree]

I know quite a few people with MTS degrees. A significant number work in church settings, but not in ordained ministry, think educators, administrators, regional or national positions within their denomination. Another group work for Christian schools, as teachers or administrators, and a third group do something utterly unrelated to the degree. It is not a typical route into government or counter-terrorism. If that's what you really want to do, look into a degree in middle eastern studies or international relations or similar. Not an MTS.

[bondsdw]

If you don't plan on working in a church or as a professor, it's probably not a good idea to get an MTS.  I'd imagine it's technically possible to end up doing other things with it, but there have to be degrees better suited for those purposes.

[Josh J.]

If you want to work in counter terrorism, why an MTS to study Islam? It might prepare you for an intelligence analyst job with an alphabet soup agency, the military, or State....maybe. Is that what you are thinking?

[sacklunch]

I suppose the perk of getting an MTS is you get to study at Harvard. As far as I know there are not a ton of graduate (masters) degrees that would allow you to 1) take courses relevant to Islam (which would in turn help you get a job in gov) and 2) allow you to take the relevant language work (since you have already had three years of Arabic, many uni's will not likely have a ton to offer you). I have heard of someone who did an AM at Chicago for something similar, but as I said, where else would you go? There may in fact be other master's programs more relevant to said field, but I'm skeptical of 1) their admissions rates (let's be honest: HDS takes a lot of students and their acceptance rate is much higher than many fields; but this goes for a lot of divinity schools), 2) funding (Harvard has a lot of money and many students get quite a bit), 3) the resources Harvard has (specifically related to Islamic studies, which as far as I know, is one of the top places in America to study). Your question may be better placed in another section of the forum??

 

/rant

Edited March 18, 2013 by jdmhotness

[coffeekid]

I'll add to the above: chaplaincy.

I know this seems obvious, but you can do a CPE program very reasonably out of an MTS program, get certified, and make a pretty decent living. I know quite a few people who have done this.

[Neem217]

Coolidge: There has been a MTS in Islamic Studies who works for the State Department as  Presidential Management Fellow (PMF). The PMF is a pretty prestigious program and great way to establish a career in various federal agencies. Once you do your two year fellowship, you're automatically hired in some managerial position by a federal agency, and the pay is actually very good. It's also highly competitive. The format of the program has changed this past year. Previously, your school had to nominate you. Now, anyone can apply, but there are more rounds/tests.

 

http://www.pmf.gov/about/index.aspx

 

Now, I think this isn't something to "bank" on as you will be competing against people who have degrees in public policy, international policy, foreign affairs, law, public health, etc. These are the more common PMF degrees.  I couldn't find the website that tells you about alumni, but there is one HDS alumn who did Islamic Studies who completed the PMF. Yes, one. But, the program does like a diversity of applicants. Also, I think that the number may be more reflective of the fact that very few MTS's apply overall, and less representative of "chances" you'll have. 

 

In terms of HDS MTS's who do not pursue doctoral work, there are a number that work at Harvard after they graduate. I know one person who is working at the library doing special collections stuff, and another who is working in an administrative position. I know another who teaches at a Catholic High School. There's another who is selling international immersion tours to school groups. There are a few who work for non-profits and such. The joke around Cambridge is all the barristas here have PhD's. AS others have mentioned, overall, the degree does not make you desirable as an employees (obviously, as how can studying Foucault's reading of Augustine OR your knowledge of the Zen Buddhism's implications for phenomonology prove that you're really good at, say, filing paper or doing data entry...employers could care less).

 

If you specifically want to work on counter-terrorism, perhaps there's a more suitable degree such as public policy, international relations, or international security studies? I don't think these programs are necessarily well-funded either, but perhaps they will be better avenues to a job that deals with your interest.

[Coolidge]

Thank you guys for all your answers! As you might be able to tell, I'm trying to justify getting a degree in religion to myself. I actually got accepted to the MTS program at HDS and I have been dead set on going all along, but ever since I got my acceptance letter a couple of days ago I've started to second guess myself. I'm like, what if I don't end up getting a job afterwards? 

 

That being said I would be open to the idea of getting a law degree after getting my MTS. Does anyone know if having a master's is going to affect admissions to law school? Is it generally seen as meritorious or will the admissions people think that this applicant lacks focus?

[Neem217]

There's a dual degree b/w the MTS and the JD at Harvard. Note, it's a dual degree, and not a joint degree. You may want to look into that. Students apply to the other program during their first year - and with the registrar, you work out your course work. However, I think this will just drastically increase your debt levels. There have been a number of MTS students at HDS who have gone on to law school. So, it has been done... As someone who has worked for a few years in a large and leading corporate law firm, and a legal non-profit, I do suggest you get your feet wet by working as a paralegal of sorts first before attending law school. Law schools don't provide much financial aid, so I think it's good to be certain you want to attend law school before you take on 100k+ in debt.

[Theologian11]

You could also do a dual degree with HDS and the Kennedy School of Government (though I will warn you that HKS does not give as good of financial aid packages as HDS does) With three years of Arabic, it sounds like you would have a good chance at getting a job in government after graduation.