Concessions of coursework for MAs entering PhD programs

[datini]

This fall I will apply to PhD in history programs.  I have a very solid MA in history.  Do PhD programs offer any adjustments in the amount of coursework required of admitted applicants holding the MA?  As more and more history MAs apply, more and more must be getting in since they can be more attractive candidates than history BAs; and if that is the case the PhD programs will have more and more students who have already taken common requirements at a grad leve, such as a theory & methods course.  Also if concessions are granted these MA-to-PhD students can move more quickly into research, which helps the faculty teach at a higher level and helps them have better research assistants, and it helps get students more quickly to completion of their degree.

But I sense that PhD program do not see it this way.  Also, I have heard that some will lessen the amount of required coursework but strictly on an ad hoc basis.  And I sense, further, that if they are willing to do this they most certainly do not like to ta;lk about it openly.

 

Does anyone have or know of experiences in this matter?

[mvlchicago]

This largely depends on the peer context of your PhD programs and your MA. For example; if your MA is solid from a large state school and you're moving into Harvard's PhD, I doubt you could expect much in regards to adjustment  of your course requirements.

But aside from that, I think PhD programs tend to not waive such requirements because the coursework is a large part of the "collegiality" that the school wants to develop within cohorts. So if you're only spending one year taking classes with them, that sort of ruins the model for everyone else they've accepted. Further, I think as has been iterated on these threads a number of times that the concept of "MA" as strengthening a Ph.D application is incredibly new and that traditionally most PhD programs have not really been built around accommodating such students. As such, it is possible in the future that you may be able to "skip" theory & methods course but a large part of what you're learning in those programs is how to network and interact with a wide range of scholars within your home institution. I think if you did your MA with a sense of wanting to "skip" elements of the PhD program, you did the MA for the wrong reason. 

[ashiepoo72]

Some programs will allow you to transfer maybe one or two MA courses--usually this is listed in the grad handbook or department website, so you should be reading these with a fine-tooth comb as you research (actually, you should do this anyway). But the impression I got was that programs want to leave their particular stamp on you, and part of doing that is going through coursework, including methodology and historiography. Honestly, having taken a few MA courses doesn't mean you won't get anything out of PhD coursework. There is always more methodology and historiography to learn. You may want to research PhDs in the UK, they jump straight into the dissertation, but keep in mind unless you do like Oxford or Cambridge you will have trouble getting a job in the U.S.--because UK PhDs forgo the coursework part, programs here view them as (generally) less rigorous.

[datini]

I did not choose, plan, or execute my MA program with any thought whatsoever of skipping OhD program requurements.  And I too think that building a cohort is one of the great benefits---and pleasures---of a PhD program. I would not want to miss that.  My concern relates to how quickly one can get to doing a research program, esp. if as a result of MA work one enters with a good idea of a project one wants to undertake.

 

The second reply traises another questions: do US hiring cte.s view dissertation-only EU PhDs, even from the best universities, as a lesser credential?

[ashiepoo72]

Like I said, you'll wanna go somewhere like Oxford or Cambridge. Keep in mind the job market is ridiculously flooded with American PhDs, so unless you go to a tippy top UK PhD you're going to have an even harder time.

It's not a "lesser" credential. American universities take things like training in pedagogy, teaching, etc very seriously. These are things not as systematized at UK PhDs that jump straight to the dissertation.

[Katzenmusik]

Some PhD programs will let MA's skip classes; others won't.  But in my opinion it's best not to rush through the early stage of the program if you can help it. Coursework gives you more chances to connect with professors and get to know your fellow students.  Also, if you already have some idea of what your dissertation will be about, you can use seminar papers to start chipping away at the topic.

[TMP]

1) I came in with an interdisciplinary MA.  I did have to start from scratch.  My PhD program did--however-- accept my MA credits but not the courses.  What I did have to help fast-track things a bit was a very solid MA thesis, which led to my dissertation topic . I was able to begin my research in my first year.  The sooner you can get a sense of  your dissertation topic, the sooner you can start planning for your research.

 

2) US universities are concerned about teaching experiences.  It's find if you have PhD from Cambridge but how do they know that you're prepared to teach in a classroom full of undergrads who have no idea what's the difference between Louis XIV and Louis Napoleon?

[Eigen]

Not in the humanities, but at my school the official process is to petition the graduate faculty in the department. 

 

I had to write a petition, and give comparisons of the courses I wanted to transfer credit for, and show that they covered equivalent material in a similar fashion. IE, that the courses were comparable to what the new institution offered. 

 

Then the graduate faculty reviewed the petition, and decided whether they would accept the previous coursework or not.

[Chiqui74]

All of the PhD programs I've researched requires that you take Methods with them, and you can only transfer up to 6 credit hours, sometimes fewer.