Funding dissapeared; thinking about leaving with an MS and doing my PhD elsewhere

[rift]

I'm 1.5 years through my PhD (started Jan 2014) at the same school where I got my BS. I mostly stayed because my undergrad research advisor is great and had a nice funding deal (3 years tuition + stipend and guaranteed TA/RAship for 2 more years after that). Passed my quals early, but got bogged down trying to wrap up a huge survey paper she's had in the works for too long (5ish years, maybe?).

Everything was pretty OK up until about two days before this semester started. I have three different stories of what actually happened, but the long and short of it is that that the money paying my tuition and stipend is gone. Fortunately I had a GTA position lined up already since I wanted to get some teaching experience in, so I'm not scrambling for money this semester.

I'm pretty unhappy with my department, too. I was on the fence when I started, and it's gone downhill since then (incompetent chair, good professors leaving, almost no 6000 level classes offered that are interesting/relevant to me). I don't feel very intellectually challenged here. Also, the general response I've gotten from people in it when discussing my funding situation is "shit happens", which isn't exactly what I was hoping to hear from them.

Another complication is that I'm married; my wife is an undergrad but recently started working full time at the university to pay for her education. While she likes being self-sufficient, she really regrets taking the job because it's a clusterfuck of mismanagement. Also, this university doesn't offer a degree in exactly what she wants to study.

All this to say: I'm considering leaving with an MS and continuing my PhD elsewhere. I could arrange to take a couple classes next semester, which would complete my MS coursework requirements and I'd be all lined up to start at a new school in the fall of 2016. I could also switch majors at this point.

Of course, if I leave, I effectively have to re-roll the dice on getting a good advisor and department. I also have a decent amount of stuff (small home shop, cars), so moving is a little pricey for me, but I have enough savings to afford it.

 

Questions:

1) Is one of these options clearly better than the other? Are there other options I'm not seeing?

2) How do universities tend to look on people who leave a PhD program with an MS to go elsewhere? How do I write that up in a personal statement?

3) How do I approach this topic with my advisor? I understand that she has a vested interest in keeping me here and can be quite persuasive.

[knp]

I'm so not an expert on this, but I can't imagine a more reasonable explanation for why you're applying to other PhD programs than "my funding ended and was not replaced with any more."

[dr. t]

Was the duration and level of your funding guaranteed by contract? Because it should have been. 

I don't feel like I'm qualified to answer 1 or 2, but for 3, you need to be pretty blunt - "You guaranteed funding, and I can't do this without it." This is not rocket surgery.

[TakeruK]

I agree that it is a good idea to take your MS and go elsewhere for your PhD. You will need a strong letter from your supervisor, but I think this should be okay to get.

When you say your funding disappeared, do you mean that the original source of funding disappeared and now you are receiving less money? Or just that the source of funding has now been switched from one source to TAing? Most schools in my field do not guarantee funding from a specific source, only that funding will exist in some manner (with some dollar value). 

However, with all the other reasons listed, I think moving to a new school for a PhD is a reasonable path to take. In addition to the funding thing, you have other good reasons (academic interest, wanting to diversify your experience, personal reason/better opportunities for your spouse) as good reasons for going elsewhere for a PhD. 

[rising_star]

I'm so not an expert on this, but I can't imagine a more reasonable explanation for why you're applying to other PhD programs than "my funding ended and was not replaced with any more."

Indeed it is a great reason. But I don't know that I'd be this honest about it because it could be interpreted that something is wrong with the applicant which is why the funding ended. 

That said, leaving with a MS as someone who did a 2 year degree program shouldn't look too bad. What you'll want to do in your SOP is point out how the new school can help you further your research, gain new perspectives on your field, etc.

[rift]

When you say your funding disappeared, do you mean that the original source of funding disappeared and now you are receiving less money? Or just that the source of funding has now been switched from one source to TAing? Most schools in my field do not guarantee funding from a specific source, only that funding will exist in some manner (with some dollar value).

I had arranged the TAship separately; the grant that was funding me has disappeared. I think my advisor is applying for more grants, and I've got some fellowships to apply for, but that's another thing added to what was already a full semester.

[rift]

Thanks! It is good to know that lack of funding is a decent reason to change things up. Also that I can turn complaints about my department into reasons to attend other schools!

Edited September 13, 2015 by rift
spleng

[TakeruK]

Thanks! It is good to know that lack of funding is a decent reason to change things up. Also that I can turn complaints about my department into reasons to attend other schools!

Just be sure to present your reasons in a positive way though--rarely it is a good idea to badmouth/complain about old programs/supervisors in an application

[Chiqui74]

When someone leaves with a masters, is it reflected anywhere that they were meant to get a PhD instead? If not, is there a need to disclose that when applying to other programs?

[rift]

When someone leaves with a masters, is it reflected anywhere that they were meant to get a PhD instead? If not, is there a need to disclose that when applying to other programs?

I don't think so, but I'm sure some things on my CV would be odd for a non-thesis MS student to have done (publications, research grants, undergrad research). If you read between the lines, you could probably guess at what happened.

[TakeruK]

When someone leaves with a masters, is it reflected anywhere that they were meant to get a PhD instead? If not, is there a need to disclose that when applying to other programs?

Some places (like my program) do not offer terminal Masters degrees. So, a quick google search of the student's previous institution's academic policies will quickly reveal this (most programs in my field do not offer terminal Masters).

In addition, my transcript indicate the date of matriculation with the name of the program I matriculated into. So, transcripts may also show a PhD program.

[juilletmercredi]

You may have to re-roll the dice, but from what you've said you are unhappy with your department anyway. So your choices are "department that I know to be a bad fit" and "department that could be a bad fit or could potentially be a much better fit than where I am".

You've listed a variety of really good reasons to leave and do the PhD elsewhere.

1) Unless there's some other way to get outside funding to continue, or your advisor can guarantee you another source, applying somewhere else is probably the best option.

2) It depends on the reason that you leave, but generally speaking a student who leaves because their interests/professional needs have changed would be looked upon favorably, or at least the same as other applicants. When you say you lost funding, make it clear that the loss was due to no fault of your own. Really the trick is to get a letter writer from your current department to address this in their letter, emphasizing that you are a fantastic student that the department would really, really want and that the loss of funding has nothing to do with you and your peformance.

3) What @knp said. Your advisor may have a vested interest in keeping you, but it doesn't sound like she has the money to.

When someone leaves with a masters, is it reflected anywhere that they were meant to get a PhD instead? If not, is there a need to disclose that when applying to other programs?

It depends on the school whether or not its reflected. On my university's transcript it does list the degree program I matriculated into, so if I had left with an MA it would be obvious that I did so from my transcripts. Others might not. You may want to request a copy of your transcript to see what it says.

However, this is pretty easy to figure out. It's not simply from the things you do - undergrad research and publications are not unusual for terminal master's students in many fields (some people get terminal master's degrees as preparation for a PhD program, after all). It's because 1) if your department doesn't have a terminal master's degree, a quick Google search will reveal that and 2) you're going to be expected to have a letter of recommendation from someone in your graduate department, and they're going to reveal the truth. So it's always better to be upfront about it.