ADVICE NEEDED: What are the general employment opportunities for a Masters degree in Sociology versus a PhD?

[itchy_pickle]

What is the difference between masters and phd jobs in sociology? What does the job market look like?

 

Background: 

I am 35 years old; my undergraduate degree is in film; all the jobs that I have held have been in the food service industry; and I have student debt. I am about to graduate from the University of New Orleans with a masters in Sociology. (My thesis is on the dispensational premillennialist's reception of the movie Left Behind, but it is more generally a study of people who see their identity represented in a movie and what that interaction can exposed about that group's worldview; also I don't have a strong focus, except towards qualitative methods.) I have applied to various phd programs and so far the only response has been from the University of South Florida.

 

Is it worth it for me to get a phd in sociology? I am unclear about the job prospects for someone in my position in academia and/or elsewhere). I have absolutely no idea what the difference in career outlooks for someone with a masters degree in sociology verses a phd in sociology.

[brokenwindow]

If South Florida is funded, I would seriously consider taking it, because from what you wrote I don't think you sound competitive for a top tier program (although I could be wrong and in fact genuinely hope I'm wrong).

 

An MA in Sociology focusing on qualitative methods and film theory is not an obvious path to any paid jobs that I personally am aware of. Sometimes people use Soc Masters to get jobs in market research, performing surveys and that sort of stuff, but that doesn't sound like your kind of thing.

 

Whatever you do, don't take out any more loans! Only do a fully funded PhD program where you don't pay tuition and they give you a stipend in exchange for no more than 20 hours a week of work as a TA or RA.

 

Good luck!

Edited February 22, 2015 by brokenwindow

[high_hopes]

What are your career goals?

Look at jobs that you want to have and figure out what education requirements they have. Talk to the faculty in the program you are currently in about what graduates do. Ask University of South Florida (if you were accepted there) what their graduates do for work when/if they finish the program. Then pick the path that will get you to your goal. And, like "brokenwindow" said - don't go in debt anymore.

[ChocoLatte]

Hey!

 

So, I am not the most familiar with the job market, particularly for that area.  (Tough question too, since we don't know what your skills are or how you could market yourself.  I suggest going to job listings and entering keywords like 'social research' and other things your degree gave you experience in.)

 

However, I am pretty familiar with USF.

The PhD program is quite rigorous in it's own way: rather than comps, you do a portfolio.  This portfolio is put together during your coursework, and the dissertation cannot be started until said portfolio is defended.  It's a huge amount of work and a huge source of stress since it's done during your classes and teaching.  

While all graduate programs, particularly PhD programs, are intended to be difficult, you should consider the busy-work this different format has...and whether or not you think it sounds like a good match.

 

The ideal is for students to graduate in 4 years, but about half take a 5th and the others have varying/inconsistent success with the job market afterwards.  Funding is not guaranteed for the 5th year, but I will say the department does what they can to provide.  

 

You should know that USF's PhD program is only 5 years old.  (Something I'd want to know.)

 

Be aware that the stipend does not include fees.  You need to pay those, and for some students at the university, that is literally 15% of their pay.  Be sure to look at the budget before signing on to see if it's a feasible thing for you, financially.  OH!  And it may not be a 100% tuition waiver, too.  Make sure you read carefully.

 

The upside is that the department is very qualitative.  The downside is that, if you want to have mixed methods on your CV, you will need to plan ahead and take stats outside of the department to have any credibility.  

 

Bottom line, as far as I'm concerned:

If you're not all-in for this program, I wouldn't recommend doing it.

 

In the meantime, look through the faculty again and make sure there are people you relate to enough.  Contact their students and ask specific questions to get a much better picture than what I described.  

[julesevar]

Hello, I read your post and wanted to comment.  I have a bachelor's in Sociology and work for a state agency, specifically I deal with unemployment claims. While I am pursuing a Master's (in Public Affairs) to potentially get a management job in state or federal government, I have also thought about a Master's in Sociology. Let me tell you, my cube mate, who is a Debbie Downer admittedly suggested that a Master's in Sociology won't get you a "better" job than what a Bachelor's in Sociology can. A lot of jobs that you can do with a Bachelor's degree in Sociology in my state (Missouri), include Probation and Parole, Case worker for Social Services and similar. If you have two statistics classes with your bachelor's degree you can get a Research Analyst position with the state.

 

I have always enjoyed sociology and have a desire to pursue more education, but you might be doing yourself a disservice if you have to take on more debt and you haven't done anything more than food service. If you plan on getting a PhD for anything but teaching you more than likely are wasting your time and money. I currently have taken classes with PhD students in Sociology who plan on doing work in the non-profit world, which does NOT require more than a bachelors. And you would be surprised at how little non-profit managers make.....Unless you want to live, breathe and sleep Sociology I wouldn't pursue a PhD.

 

There are a lot of people who have a master's degree. That doesn't guarantee a job. And it would be a shame to do a PhD and not get a teaching job and be loaded with debt and have no real world skills.

 

There is no real job market for sociology Master's degrees as far as I know. Good luck in whatever decision you make!

[Roll Right]

I agree with most of what has been said in this thread. I know, based on ASA research on the employment of sociology graduates, that those with an MA usually do much better than those with a BA. Those with a PhD in sociology also do very well, although their employment may fall outside of the university. State agencies and corporate research groups usually hire the soc PhDs who aren't absorbed by the university.

However the odds of finding employment are conditioned by the skills you develop while working on your MA and PhD. If you're purely qualitative, the odds of finding employment are much lower in comparison to someone with mixed or quantitative expertise.

Frankly, if you go to USF, you should know that a PhD from a low tier school such as USF will put you at a comparative disadvantage in the academic job market. So, you probably won't have an easy time finding a professorship. You'll probably wind up working as an adjunct for very little pay.

I think it may be worth it to go to USF and building a mixed method or quantitative skill set. Those skills will allow you to be competitive in the corporate world, or in the government sector.

I know this because I am working on a PhD at an unranked program. To make up for that disadvantage I've studied historical comparative methods, ethnographic methods, quantitative methods, and geospatial methods, while also studying classical and contemporary theory very closely. These skills have allowed me to find employment with research organizations and institutes in my area, while also allowing me to coauthor comparative historical manuscripts and quantitative manuscripts which deal with the topics that interest me.

Adopting a similar strategy (yes, the work will take over your life) might help you find employment in the corporate or government sector, which typically pay more than academic positions anyway. The extra income will help you pay off all of that debt! And trust me, you'll probably accrue more debt while working on your PhD. I certainly did.

Edited March 7, 2015 by Roll Right