Another question about comp/rhet programs

[stumbleine]

(copied from original posting on chronicle)

Hey everybody,

I've gotten a lot of great feedback from my last topic, which has been very helpful.

In expanding my search for comp/rhet MA programs, I've come across many programs that are not exactly comp/rhet, but have at least one of the two fields, or are somehow related. For example, George Mason U's "MA in English with Professional Writing and Rhetoric Concentration" (http://writingandrhetoric.gmu.edu/programs/la-ma-engl-pwr) has the rhetorical element I seek, but it's missing the key compositional pedagogy aspect (which is important to me as somebody who's interested in working in a writing center), and emphasizes instead "workplace writing." On one hand, because I am open-minded about careers outside academia (such as writing coaching jobs in the private sector), this does seem like an appealing way to broaden my credentials in that regard. However, because my main goal still is staying in academia and therefore getting into a great comp/rhet doctoral program, I don't want an MA program that's going to severely limit me in that regard, and many programs like these don't have that distinct comp/rhet feel or focus. I've been using this list heavily, which has many of these types of writing-related but not necessarily comp/rhet fields: http://www.mdcwss.com/directory/

So, I guess my broader question is: just how particular are comp/rhet doctoral programs about the types of MAs they will generally accept? I know that some people make it in with things like linguistics MAs and other indirectly related fields, but I just don't know if I should be limiting my search to strictly comp/rhet (or programs that are clearly steeped in comp/rhet philosophy, regardless of whether they're called "writing studies" or whatever it may be). Relatedly, would an MA that focuses on classical rhetoric (such as Carnegie Mellon's) and doesn't focus much on composition limit me? Because there are so many related but highly differing options, it's hard to know just what I want to go for, and what would be most prudent...

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Edited August 9, 2016 by stumbleine
Odd formatting when copied over from another forum -- fixing for visual purposes

[bhr]

Most programs will share with you their placement rates and schools, and may be a good way to start looking. I'm always going to lean toward telling you to apply to a program that has a PhD program that you would want to be in, since you'll often have a leg up on applying for PhDs, but that's not required.

That said, CompRhet is a big tent field, and some schools are more diverse than others in the type of students they bring in. Programs like Maryland and Michigan are both English/Ed based with R/C tracks, but still place people in good PhD programs and jobs. I'm currently at a top program that has people who came from linguistics, english, C/R, education, and classics.

If you want to do Comp Rhet work at the phD level, it's fine to wind up in associated MA programs, as long as your work still applies. Studying language acquisition in an education program will probably be fine, or working with classical rhetoric at a place like CMU or Penn State, as long as you are able to articulate to the PhD program you want to go how it prepared you for your future work.

 

I'll also caution you to ask the "what if this doesn't work out" question. Good programs (like Purdue and PSU) took their smallest cohorts in years this season, and this wound up being a rough job season even for top candidates (though it seems to be still shaking out as people are being hired to replace people who moved on/up), and, until the smaller cohorts catch up with the market that is unlikely to change. Because of that, you are going to want to consider what that MA will prepare you to do if you don't get into a funded PhD program right away/at all. A digital rhetoric MA may have much better job placement opportunities outside of the academy than a classic rhetoric one.

 

(I'm saying this to be kind, and, I think everyone here will attest, I'm the last one to be negative about the market for C/R folks, but I saw highly qualified people wind up with 5/5 fixed term jobs this year)

[stumbleine]

On 8/10/2016 at 2:53 AM, bhr said:

Most programs will share with you their placement rates and schools, and may be a good way to start looking. I'm always going to lean toward telling you to apply to a program that has a PhD program that you would want to be in, since you'll often have a leg up on applying for PhDs, but that's not required.

That said, CompRhet is a big tent field, and some schools are more diverse than others in the type of students they bring in. Programs like Maryland and Michigan are both English/Ed based with R/C tracks, but still place people in good PhD programs and jobs. I'm currently at a top program that has people who came from linguistics, english, C/R, education, and classics.

If you want to do Comp Rhet work at the phD level, it's fine to wind up in associated MA programs, as long as your work still applies. Studying language acquisition in an education program will probably be fine, or working with classical rhetoric at a place like CMU or Penn State, as long as you are able to articulate to the PhD program you want to go how it prepared you for your future work.

 

I'll also caution you to ask the "what if this doesn't work out" question. Good programs (like Purdue and PSU) took their smallest cohorts in years this season, and this wound up being a rough job season even for top candidates (though it seems to be still shaking out as people are being hired to replace people who moved on/up), and, until the smaller cohorts catch up with the market that is unlikely to change. Because of that, you are going to want to consider what that MA will prepare you to do if you don't get into a funded PhD program right away/at all. A digital rhetoric MA may have much better job placement opportunities outside of the academy than a classic rhetoric one.

 

(I'm saying this to be kind, and, I think everyone here will attest, I'm the last one to be negative about the market for C/R folks, but I saw highly qualified people wind up with 5/5 fixed term jobs this year)

So sorry for the delayed response! I haven't been on these forums in a little while.

 

I'm certainly considering what will happen if I decide not to pursue the PhD/academic path, for whatever reason that may be. Thanks for your sound advice!