MIT MS in Poli Sci

[makingtheleap.back]

Anyone have insight beyond what the website says? I've been working for the few years since graduating undergrad, and would ideally like to do a PhD in Poli Sci, but I have zero published research under my name, so I feel like a Master's might be necessary before making the deep plunge. 

[Determinedandnervous]

You don't need a publication to get into a PhD program. People who are on the market sometimes don't have publications. If you would rather apply to Masters programs for another reason, then by all means do it. However, I would recommend applying to PhD programs since they are funded (masters programs are not), and I would specifically not recommend applying to MIT's masters program. It seems that nobody actually gets in to the program.

[makingtheleap.back]

Appreciate the feedback!

The only other reasons I was considering a master's first were: 1) It has been a few years since I've been in school, and I thought it might help confirm whether I want to spend 5 years of my life working toward a PhD 2) I studied IR in college and wanted to transition to domestic politics (but even then it's not a huge transition). 3) Alot of the polisci phds I know don't have any real experience working with policy/policy evaluation, which feels like a big gap when working to understand the American political system.

Side question: Do you know how large the PhD cohorts are at most universities?

[Determinedandnervous]

Regarding your first reason, then maybe a master's is better. However, just to offer a counterpoint, you could still take courses in the PhD program and if you find it's not for you, you're not locked into the program. For your second reason, it's not as difficult to make the jump as you think. None of my courses in my undergrad years were at all related to my current research interests. Just read some of the literature and use your substantive knowledge to fill in certain gaps. For the third point, that would really depend on what part of American politics one is studying. If it's public policy, then sure, a master's in that may be quite beneficial. However, if one is studying the behavior of legislators or voter behavior, it may not be.

PhD cohorts vary widely. Some programs only want 5-6 people (i.e. WUSTL). My program (Penn State) targets 9-12. Others, like Harvard, have cohorts of 25-30.

[makingtheleap.back]

Thanks helping me think through this. At first glance academia can feel a little labarythine, but you and a few folks on this board and irl are helping me internalize the internal logic. Still finalizing the next steps, but either way I'll be making a much more informed decision -- which is all any of us can ask for.