British Master Programs = U.S. PhD funding?

[dardemile]

Hello, all, 

 

I am starting to look into masters programs with emphases in New Testament and early Christianity. I will be applying for fall 2016, so I have some time to make my application decisions (obviously). My main question concerns the credibility of British masters programs. I have some family connections in the Aberdeen, Scotland area that (if I am admitted) would make the masters programs at the U of Aberdeen quite affordable. They are willing to cover my living expenses, and even throw some money at my tuition. 

 

My main purpose for applying would be to give myself a good, affordable option to continue my studies if I don't receive a good funding offer here in the U.S. For those of you who are already out in the world of top grad programs, do you think that a MPhil or MSt from the U of Aberdeen be a good step toward receiving funding from an American PhD program in NT/EC? I am willing to do a second M* something here in the U.S., but I am curious if any of you think that the Aberdeen degree would be a good thing, or just a fickle waste of my time. 

 

(I should add that I will have two years of Greek as an undergrad. So I will have some of my language work done, but obviously not all of it.)

[LotzaCoffee]

Aberdeen is a very respected institution among top faculty in the US, so I wouldn't think that it would be an issue getting your M* there and then applying for US PhD programs.  It will really depend on the specific PhD program you're looking at down the road, as well as the graduate school's specific requirements.  For example, many PhD programs will accept applicants straight out of their BA degree, while others (incl. some top tier schools) will require an M* degree before application.  You may wish to contact a couple potential PhD programs and float the question by them, even though your actual application season may be a few years away.

[marXian]

It will really depend on the specific PhD program you're looking at down the road, as well as the graduate school's specific requirements.  For example, many PhD programs will accept applicants straight out of their BA degree, while others (incl. some top tier schools) will require an M* degree before application.

 

For NT/Early Christianity, you need a M*, maybe two, depending on how many languages you have by the time of application, but it sounds like you (the OP) know that.

 

I don't think a UK degree will be a hindrance especially if you plan on coming to the US after to get another degree before a PhD. There are always places that will better either in reputation, fit, etc. when you're considering any school, but at the M* level, I think that's really splitting hairs, especially because you're talking about a school that's well known.

 

The only thing I would say is that UK degrees, at least at the PhD level, are a little dubious to US departments for two reasons: 1) They have a higher acceptance rate because US students have to pay A LOT to attend, and the schools want that income 2) They don't have any coursework or comp exams. The first reason might apply to M* programs over there, but I don't know for sure.

[sacklunch]

I would avoid the UK programs if possible. Unless there are some specific faculty in their program there is no reason why they would be better than any of the TT US M* programs, notwithstanding funding. There are exceptions to doctoral students in NT/EC in the US, but almost all of them come from the big US schools and the occasional student you see from abroad usually is 1) an EU citizen and many 2) come from Oxford/Cambridge (Oxbridge). 

 

Lotza, I do not know a single doctoral student who came from their BA into a PhD program in NT/EC (I'm in a TT program, for what it's worth). Further, almost every student I know in this area has 3-5 years of M* work (i.e. 2 masters) before beginning their PhD. Because the European M* are so much more research based, you would be better off pursuing something like an MTS and then going abroad for a more research focused degree before applying to PhD programs (then you would have your languages a bit more sorted, etc.).

[AbrasaxEos]

So as to be sure that nothing is too clear here (it's the gradcafe way, I think), I will push back against the multiple M* advice.  Some people do, and lots of people don't, even in NT/EC.  Contrary to sacklunch, I do know a few doctoral students, even in this field who are in TT, or pretty close to it programs straight out of undergrad.  It is in no way the norm, but it does happen.  If you'd like some names and places, PM me and I can provide.  Now, these are exceptional students, usually from top-tier undergraduate institutions who have had the great boon of heavy language coursework and a single-minded focus on what they want to do the minute that they walk in the door.  Also, you can get multiple M* degrees, and I don't doubt that it will help you out when you apply, but I also think that "almost every student I know" is a bit of an overstatement, unless you don't know that many people. 

 

In that you ask about getting one degree at Aberdeen and then another here in the U.S. - why?  You've got Greek started, which is great.  I would echo sacklunch in his former advice though and just say to go to a TT M* program at one of the big name div schools (i.e. the ones that you can immediately think of when you say 'div school'), do a bunch more Greek, add Hebrew, one modern research language, and apply.  Why waste money doing multiple M* degrees?  Even if Aberdeen is relatively inexpensive, I doubt it would be free.  Most folks need to go into a bit of debt to the get their M*; but at the risk of raising the ghost of another lurker on these forums, if you need two M* degrees (and the concommitant debt that this would entail) to get into a PhD program that might, but probably won't result in a job at the other end - you'd do better with your money to go learn to use a CAT scanner over the course of 18 months.

Edited June 16, 2014 by AbrasaxEos

[LotzaCoffee]

sacklunch,

 

Thanks for the insights and clarification.  I was going mainly off of my experience of applying to TT PhD programs this past Fall in Bibl Studies/OT, and had noticed that some of the programs did accept students straight from their undergraduate programs, with the understanding that they would obtain their MA or equivalent on the way to the terminal degree.  However, as you rightly mention, there is still the issue of obtaining the additional requirements, i.e. languages, which a student coming straight out of undergrad would not likely have attained.

[sacklunch]

Ab,

You're right to point out that my experience is limited. I am merely relating my own experience, which has, without exception, only accepted students with at least one M* (at my current school). You also rightly point out that if one comes from a TT UG school, s(he) may have an easier time getting into a good program. We all know the biggest factor keeping out applicants is (in any text focused subfield) language prep. If one majored in classics/biblical languages in college then I have no doubt that one M* (perhaps no?) would be enough to get into a TT program. I do know several folks with one M* at TT schools, but none in my current program. I also want to emphasize that it's not so much that one needs two+ M* to be a competent PhD student at a TT school, but that because the competition is increasingly more prepared many of us have sought several advanced degrees beforehand. Another reason is that many applicants having an MDiv must go for the ThM or another M* because their MDiv focused too much on fufilling other requirements (ministry, general courses, and so on....ad nauseam), they often must complete another degree to establish their competency in not only the requisite languages, but also advanced courses relevant to their proposed research. That said, if you know you want to go on to doctoral work do not pursue the MDiv. Either finish an MTS or (perhaps better) complete an MA at a more research oriented RS and/or Classics Dept.  

[Marcion]

As someone coming from an Australian background, with a Bachelors with Honours and soon as Masters of Theological Studies, my Australian degrees are a blessing and a curse. Coming from a more British system, US university professors I have spoken to or showed my work too, have been impressed at the amount, length, and detail in critical thesis writing I have done. I am not saying thesis and high critical research writing isn't in the US system, far from it, but we are expected to learn it and apply far earlier, for example, a 16,000 word thesis as a part of an Honours year with a Bachelor's. However, as others have said, the lack of exams always raise an eyebrow. I had considered Aberdeen myself, but I am rethinking that as well because I am not sure about US employment.