Getting an MA as prep for PHD at a school whose research interests don't align with mine?

[Nicholas B]

Here's my quandry: (I'm pursuing an MA as a stepping-stone to a PHD, btw)

-The MA programs that really appeal to me are all out of state.

-I already have a decent amount of student loans. 

- THe MA programs that really appeal to me would require me to take out a lot more loans.

-There are some good religion MA programs in my state (IL) that I would be able to afford, yet the Professor's at these schools don't align with my research interests.

So my question is: how much does it matter for me to complete my MA at an institution with similar research interests?

My thinking is that I could grab an MA here in state, acquire the necessary language skills and foundational knowledge needed for PHD work, and then apply to PHD programs.

Wondering if this is a good route?

Hope my question is clear. Thanks in advance for your help. 

[knp]

Well, the whole question is how much they don't align with your interests. If you want to study Hinduism and the in-state MA doesn't have a single faculty member of South Asian religion...that is probably a problem. But if you focus on ideas of gender in the Greek Fathers and their only early Christianity faculty member works on ideas of the will in the Latin fathers, that's fine. You say you could get the languages you need, so if there's even a couple courses that are tangentially related to your interests or there are faculty members who could give you extra reading, it sounds like a good idea to me.

[Nicholas B]

I'll try to be more clear:

I want to study Buddhism and the in-state school does several faculty members in this area, with whom (based on my look at the course catalog) I would be able to acquire the necessary language skills and foundational course work pertaining to Buddhism.

However, it's just that the in-state school lacks people doing research in the areas of Buddhism I wish to study (Theravada and Contemplative Science). 

Sounds like you think that this would be acceptable, as I was hoping. I'll be sure to grab some other opinions too. 

Thanks for your reply!

 

 

[menge]

On 8/18/2016 at 6:12 PM, Nicholas B said:

Here's my quandry: (I'm pursuing an MA as a stepping-stone to a PHD, btw)

-The MA programs that really appeal to me are all out of state.

-I already have a decent amount of student loans. 

- THe MA programs that really appeal to me would require me to take out a lot more loans.

-There are some good religion MA programs in my state (IL) that I would be able to afford, yet the Professor's at these schools don't align with my research interests.

So my question is: how much does it matter for me to complete my MA at an institution with similar research interests?

My thinking is that I could grab an MA here in state, acquire the necessary language skills and foundational knowledge needed for PHD work, and then apply to PHD programs.

Wondering if this is a good route?

Hope my question is clear. Thanks in advance for your help. 

What about going to a school that offers funding? WMU offers funding via TAships, and has a couple faculty working in Buddhism, and the dept. chair is well known in the field.

FWIW I would always recommend minimizing debt for the degree, whether going somewhere that offers funding, or going to a state school where tuition is lower. And to your original question, I don't think there would be any real issues with not having faculty specialty match yours at the MA level. My experience has been that the MA is more about achieving competencies (such as theory and method, etc.) and that faculty are willing to let you explore your interests as far as they fit within the coursework. 

[sacklunch]

It really depends on 1) how long these 'bad fit' MA programs are, 2) how many courses they will require you to take outside of your interests, and 3) perhaps most importantly, how much language training you (think you) need. If you mostly need the latter (languages) and said programs allow you to spend most of your time studying languages, then, yeah, I don't think it will make much of a difference that you are studying at a place without any faculty member of particular interest. It is very important you are clear on each program's requirements. Some are rather flexible and will allow you take basically any course, language or otherwise, as long as it relates to your interests within religion; others will demand you take a slew of introductory courses (e.g. theory), which may not offer enough of you what you need (e.g. language training). Give us more information and we can help you work through this.