MA questions...

[Forsaken in LA]

Hello all, I was hoping that someone with some experience can answer a question for me.

 

My area of interest is in the field of religious studies, particularly syncretistic religions of Latin America and the Caribbean. I have done some undergrad work with local botanicas and santeros, but nothing in the way of publications, or any real academic work of substance. 

 

My question is, would it be beneficial to apply to Latin America and Caribbean MA programs or comparative religion MA programs if my end goal is a PhD in anthropology? I have applied to 2 so far, but there were possibly 2 more I was thinking of applying for as well. I know I have read several debates on these forums regarding the necessity of an MA before applying to doctoral programs. I believe there is a camp that says an MA can only help, and others who think it to be a waste of time and money. 

 

Thoughts? 

 

Thanks ahead of time!  

 

 

 

 

[strudelle]

I don't have any experience with this, but I would like to say I am also interested in knowing more about the benefits and drawbacks of an MA degree.  I was under the impression that an MA was funded just like a PhD, but I am learning that this is actually not the case.  I don't have a lot of research experience or perfect academic stats, so I was thinking that some additional research in the form of an MA program would only help me get into a PhD program.  But now I'm not so sure. 

 

I've applied to two PhD programs and an MA program for fall 2014.  It's looking like I have a better chance of getting into the MA program and I'm really wondering if it's worth it or not.

[NOWAYNOHOW]

I think this is a very worthwhile conversation, though I also think many of us applying right now with the MA won't be able to sufficiently answer until after decisions are out.  My second degree certainly gave me an opportunity to improve what would have been an otherwise lackluster application with research, teaching experience, relationships with renowned scholars and conference presentations, but it's hard to say whether the investment will pay off just yet. 

 

It is, without a doubt, expensive as an option.  I came in with a departmental 1/3 tuition scholarship, but at the end of the day I've been fully funded (with some $$$ to spare) by acquiring RA and TA appointments on my own.  There are generally very few of these opportunities available to MA students, but if you are doggedly pursuing them and are lucky enough to be appointed, the money makes a massive difference.  All programs are different, but I came in with a cohort of 50+ and only a few people ended up distinguishing themselves from the larger group by connecting with faculty and securing scarce teaching and research opportunities.  I guess what I'm saying is, if you are doing an MA and want to make it count, you have to hustle from the minute you start and never let up. 

 

As for benefits and drawbacks related to applying for the PhD, I suppose I'll give an update after all the dust clears.  SOON, I hope.

[Forsaken in LA]

NOWAYNOHOW,

 

Thanks for the response. I think I began the application season with delusions of grandeur and right out of gate applied to some very competitive programs in which I don't have much of a chance. I decided to apply to several MA programs, and was very selective of fit and TA assistantship, funding opportunities, etc. When the inevitable does occur, and no PhD programs are offered, hopefully I can attend an MA program to enhance my research abilities. I'm thinking it can only help.  

[NOWAYNOHOW]

Forsaken, you are right.  I do think it can only help.  I hear sometimes that certain programs don't "like" students coming in with the MA in hand, but I think it is more nuanced than that.  It all comes down to the fact that programs want to train the best students possible.  So on one hand, it is about potential: are you so set in your ways that you can't be trained? Or are you open to new ideas, methods and research topics?  On the other hand, if you do have the MA, committees should expect more from you than students coming out of undergrad, because you've had more opportunities.  I know plenty of MA students get shut out of the PhD process, but I have a suspicion that has more to do with their profiles than the degree.  The MA alone isn't enough, especially because MA GPAs are usually quite high.  It's not the degree, it's what you do with it.  Did you use every available opportunity to improve your CV?  Did you research collaboratively and independently?  Did you spend your time wisely?  etc etc 

[strudelle]

You make a lot of good points, NOWAY.  Additionally, (this is anecdotal) the graduate seminar I'm in right now consists entirely of students who entered the PhD program at my university with an MA in hand from another school.  They also had extensive research, collaborative project experience, teaching experience, conference presentations, and publications from their time in the MA.  So I know it's possible to continue on with the PhD if the fit is right and you've put the work into padding your resume with additional experiences.  I guess it's really what you make of it.   

 

The lack of funding is what really has me the most concerned.  Though the program that I applied to the MA for doesn't offer a PhD program, and I have a little teaching experience, so maybe a TA position would be feasible.

Edited January 30, 2014 by strudelle

[Jump]

My 2cents- getting an MA first in large part seems to help. I received many more encouraging email responses from POI's this round. Most of the PhD students at my current university either came in with a MA or are getting an MA first through the department (even though they are called PhD students). 

[MPollywog]

I guess what I'm saying is, if you are doing an MA and want to make it count, you have to hustle from the minute you start and never let up.

 

THIS.

 

I had to bug multiple people repeatedly for the first semester of my MA before I got a TA position. Even with the TA position and a couple of grants it has still been a serious monetary investment. I think it was worth it. I've learned a ton, I've gotten to travel to South Africa and Botswana, I got to lead an excavation of a Later Stone Age campsite in South Africa, and I've met a lot of people who will be good contacts to have in the future. Also, if I don't end up getting into a PhD program and have to fall back on doing CRM, I'll be able to get a higher paying, more stable job. The experience is definitely what you make it. If you don't try you won't succeed. If you work hard and seek out opportunities I think it can be very beneficial. Also, my advisor is awesome so that REALLY helps. I wouldn't have applied to PhD programs if he hadn't encouraged me to. If possible I would recommend trying to work with someone that you feel very comfortable and relaxed with.

[pears]

I'm a student in a terminal MA program, and I'm also a bit of an oddball fence-sitter as far as interests go: I'm interested in mortuary archaeology, especially of periods of contact, social turmoil, violence, and so on. I entered not knowing what I wanted to do as a thesis topic and with no specific region beyond "the American West, NW, SW, or California."

 

To begin with, there aren't too many programs that (a) offer at least one mortuary archaeology class, ( allow you to take that class in a non-forensic track, and © offer a terminal MA. Basically, the program I'm in now was my top choice because we have a "general" track, which effectively lets you cherry-pick your seminars and electives, rather than having more constraints placed upon you by entering, say, a forensic anthro track. By the time I graduate, I should have roughly 1/3 archaeology courses, 1/3 cultural heritage (CRM and federal work, legal hooplah, in-field management, so on) courses, and 1/3 forensic and mortuary courses.

 

Some thoughts:

  - Apply to schools with one or both of your desired concentrations. Get to know the faculty and their course offerings. Eventually, you'll get a gut feeling about which place is going to allow you to do exactly what you want and pigeonhole you the least, if at all.

  - I agree that you have to hustle from square one. I have worked my butt off since before I even got here; it's paid off. I've quickly improved my writing skills, got the ball rolling on a few conference papers, gotten a summer job with a professor, had a TAship, etc.. but I also had no social life. 

  - Funding sucks. Seriously. I took out loans since I knew this program was the right move for me... but I also escaped undergrad debt-free with a small cushion of savings to sit on.

  - Funding really sucks. Although I don't have to compete with PhD students in my own department, we have limited funding; I just turned in another "self assessment" thing that's a catch all application to decide who gets fellowships, scholarships, and funded TAships. Although we don't compete directly, there's only so much cash to go around. Also, it is really hard to feel up-to-snuff when applying for school-wide fellowships and scholarships when you know you're up against ABDs with way more experience and funding than you.

- For me, this MA is not a waste of money or time, although I've had people try to tell me otherwise. I knew what kind of work I wanted to do, but I had moderate experience, big gaps in relevant coursework (all things theory and skeletal), a barely acceptable regional "focus," and no particular thesis topic in mind when applying to places. I'm smart and hardworking, but.. well, good luck convincing any PhD programs a year ago that I could commit to being there or was worth the investment. Now I have a thesis topic and data set (conveniently from the school of my top choice PhD program), a five-year work and PhD app plan, and lots of connections and opportunities that go well beyond coursework.

 

In sum, you remind me of where I was at mentally and experience-wise this time last year. Doing the MA first has already helped me tremendously, and opened up many doors that I would've never been able to even find the knob for last year or on my own, so to speak. Don't make the mistake I did: now is the time to be handing in applications for funding.. even if you're not accepted by a program yet, go ahead and apply for all the funding sources you can.

 

Best of luck with it all! Give me a shout if nothing I said made sense or if you have more questions!

[Forsaken in LA]

I'm a student in a terminal MA program, and I'm also a bit of an oddball fence-sitter as far as interests go: I'm interested in mortuary archaeology, especially of periods of contact, social turmoil, violence, and so on. I entered not knowing what I wanted to do as a thesis topic and with no specific region beyond "the American West, NW, SW, or California."

 

To begin with, there aren't too many programs that (a) offer at least one mortuary archaeology class, ( allow you to take that class in a non-forensic track, and © offer a terminal MA. Basically, the program I'm in now was my top choice because we have a "general" track, which effectively lets you cherry-pick your seminars and electives, rather than having more constraints placed upon you by entering, say, a forensic anthro track. By the time I graduate, I should have roughly 1/3 archaeology courses, 1/3 cultural heritage (CRM and federal work, legal hooplah, in-field management, so on) courses, and 1/3 forensic and mortuary courses.

 

Some thoughts:

  - Apply to schools with one or both of your desired concentrations. Get to know the faculty and their course offerings. Eventually, you'll get a gut feeling about which place is going to allow you to do exactly what you want and pigeonhole you the least, if at all.

  - I agree that you have to hustle from square one. I have worked my butt off since before I even got here; it's paid off. I've quickly improved my writing skills, got the ball rolling on a few conference papers, gotten a summer job with a professor, had a TAship, etc.. but I also had no social life. 

  - Funding sucks. Seriously. I took out loans since I knew this program was the right move for me... but I also escaped undergrad debt-free with a small cushion of savings to sit on.

  - Funding really sucks. Although I don't have to compete with PhD students in my own department, we have limited funding; I just turned in another "self assessment" thing that's a catch all application to decide who gets fellowships, scholarships, and funded TAships. Although we don't compete directly, there's only so much cash to go around. Also, it is really hard to feel up-to-snuff when applying for school-wide fellowships and scholarships when you know you're up against ABDs with way more experience and funding than you.

- For me, this MA is not a waste of money or time, although I've had people try to tell me otherwise. I knew what kind of work I wanted to do, but I had moderate experience, big gaps in relevant coursework (all things theory and skeletal), a barely acceptable regional "focus," and no particular thesis topic in mind when applying to places. I'm smart and hardworking, but.. well, good luck convincing any PhD programs a year ago that I could commit to being there or was worth the investment. Now I have a thesis topic and data set (conveniently from the school of my top choice PhD program), a five-year work and PhD app plan, and lots of connections and opportunities that go well beyond coursework.

 

In sum, you remind me of where I was at mentally and experience-wise this time last year. Doing the MA first has already helped me tremendously, and opened up many doors that I would've never been able to even find the knob for last year or on my own, so to speak. Don't make the mistake I did: now is the time to be handing in applications for funding.. even if you're not accepted by a program yet, go ahead and apply for all the funding sources you can.

 

Best of luck with it all! Give me a shout if nothing I said made sense or if you have more questions!

Pears-

 

Thank you for this response, it was very helpful! I have handed in several applications for funding for the MA programs, mostly because Washington's program sent me the application. 

Hoping I can PM you if I have any questions?

[strudelle]

I am confused about how to apply for funding before you are even accepted. Would you even be considered for funding prior to acceptance? And before you've met with your advisor and outlined your project?

I was under the impression that you are given info on funding once accepted. I didn't know I was supposed to be doing it all on my own.

[Forsaken in LA]

strudelle-

 

the specific MA programs that I have applied to have assistantships and fellowships that are due prior to the application due date. In order to be considered for this funding, you must apply before accepted.  

Edited January 30, 2014 by Forsaken in LA

[pears]

Pears-

 

Thank you for this response, it was very helpful! I have handed in several applications for funding for the MA programs, mostly because Washington's program sent me the application. 

Hoping I can PM you if I have any questions?

 

Certainly!

 

I am confused about how to apply for funding before you are even accepted. Would you even be considered for funding prior to acceptance? And before you've met with your advisor and outlined your project?

I was under the impression that you are given info on funding once accepted. I didn't know I was supposed to be doing it all on my own.

 

You are given funding information after acceptance, typically, but you may want to contact POIs or peruse program & departmental websites sooner rather than later to seek applications for internal funding, be it within-department fellowships & TAships/RAships, or university-wide opportunities that tend to come with mo' moolah & "prestige." If nothing else, it may impress your admissions committees for being proactive, and, wherever you end up, you can't get extra funding if you don't apply for it.. better to have a safety net everywhere, because you never know where you'll end up and what kind of $ package you'll get.

[Canis]

To return to the original MA and religion question. I would be really careful about doing religion study as prep for anthropology. There are many anthropology programs that are quite hostile toward religion as a field.

 

I've experienced this. The way an MA program can benefit your application is by showing the committee that you are capable of graduate study in that field. In some cases, the fields have extremely different approaches to research, methods, writing, etc.  In other situations they overlap. So, if you're going for an MA to be strategic, be sure to be strategic.

[Forsaken in LA]

Thanks Canis, I'll be sure to look into this should I be accepted.