MA or PhD

[Gotya64]

Hello, I've received admissions to two history programs. Both offer full funding with generous stipends. One is a PhD program (five years of funding) and the other is an MA program (two years of funding), from which I would likely apply to PhD programs. My question is this: is it recommended to get an MA before a PhD? I worry about not being able to adjust to the sudden heavy coursework of a PhD program without the training of an MA. Any advice you could give would be greatly appreciated. 

[nevermind]

1 hour ago, Gotya64 said:

Hello, I've received admissions to two history programs. Both offer full funding with generous stipends. One is a PhD program (five years of funding) and the other is an MA program (two years of funding), from which I would likely apply to PhD programs. My question is this: is it recommended to get an MA before a PhD? I worry about not being able to adjust to the sudden heavy coursework of a PhD program without the training of an MA. Any advice you could give would be greatly appreciated. 

 

It really depends. There's not many details for us to assess the decision (program fit, ranking, etc.) As much as I hate to say it, ranking matters. If you received both offers from a top 10 school (and all things else being equal, like housing costs, etc.), I don't think either choice would hurt you--it really depends on your career goals. But if you received a fully funded offer from a top M.A. program versus a 100+ ranked PhD, then take the M.A. and apply in a couple years.Honestly, if you don't feel prepared, a Ph.D. isn't something you should go into lightly. However, if you're worried about "heavy coursework", the first year of the Ph.D. is essentially stuff like theory/seminars (in my experience) that you'd pretty much take during your Masters anyway. Nobody expects you to know everything as you step on campus, so as long as you're open, try hard, and produce good work, I think you should consider the Ph.D. if you're remotely interested in academia as a profession. 

[Gotya64]

I appreciate your response - neither are ranked particularly high. My thinking ran somewhere along the lines of accepting the offer of admission to the MA program, doing great work there, and leveraging it into a higher ranked PhD program. That might just be too risky though. 

[OpettaGregoria]

An MA is largely just a stepping stone to a PhD for people coming out of undergrad who aren't strong enough applicants to go straight into a PhD program. Since you've been accepted to a PhD program with funding, there isn't much use for an MA. I'd skip it. 

[AP]

In addition to @nevermind's response, I would also say that it depends on your undergrad preparation. If you are ready to learn to read a book per week per seminar and produce research papers (this means manage research time, writing times, etc), then go for the PhD. I've seen people coming with an MA to our program and struggling because they do know how to take feedback. I also saw straight-from-undergrad people succeeding because they have had excellent training. I'm saying this because I think that if you got into a PhD program, it seems to me you are more prepared than you think (otherwise your LoRs wouldn't have been strong enough to get you in). 

When I finished my first degree, I was in the same position as you, trying to figure out whether to for a Master's or a PhD. My career goals require a PhD so, like you, I was eventually going to do it. I didn't even apply for MA programs because: 1) I didn't want to write a thesis and a couple of years later, a dissertation. I just wanted one thing. 2) I didn't want to waste time with a Master's if I was going to do the PhD 3) Though it would have been a good transition, I was (still am) more eager about working with the PhD than being an eternal student.

It seems to me, though, that you could very well use your MA strategically. You can begin to think about research project, your comps, and your career goals before you even have to and prepare better. You can also begin to have training on grant-writing and produce a good thesis that sets the way for your dissertation. 

If funding, fit, and ranking are the same, I would look into your programs' support for research, the courses offered, and graduation timelines. 

Oh, one last thing: Congrats!!! 

 

[Gotya64]

13 minutes ago, OpettaGregoria said:

An MA is largely just a stepping stone to a PhD for people coming out of undergrad who aren't strong enough applicants to go straight into a PhD program. Since you've been accepted to a PhD program with funding, there isn't much use for an MA. I'd skip it. 

I think my concern is the rankings of both; I don't want to be locked into a PhD if I can go from a middling MA program to a top 20 PhD program. 

 

13 minutes ago, AP said:

In addition to @nevermind's response, I would also say that it depends on your undergrad preparation. If you are ready to learn to read a book per week per seminar and produce research papers (this means manage research time, writing times, etc), then go for the PhD. I've seen people coming with an MA to our program and struggling because they do know how to take feedback. I also saw straight-from-undergrad people succeeding because they have had excellent training. I'm saying this because I think that if you got into a PhD program, it seems to me you are more prepared than you think (otherwise your LoRs wouldn't have been strong enough to get you in). 

When I finished my first degree, I was in the same position as you, trying to figure out whether to for a Master's or a PhD. My career goals require a PhD so, like you, I was eventually going to do it. I didn't even apply for MA programs because: 1) I didn't want to write a thesis and a couple of years later, a dissertation. I just wanted one thing. 2) I didn't want to waste time with a Master's if I was going to do the PhD 3) Though it would have been a good transition, I was (still am) more eager about working with the PhD than being an eternal student.

It seems to me, though, that you could very well use your MA strategically. You can begin to think about research project, your comps, and your career goals before you even have to and prepare better. You can also begin to have training on grant-writing and produce a good thesis that sets the way for your dissertation. 

If funding, fit, and ranking are the same, I would look into your programs' support for research, the courses offered, and graduation timelines. 

Oh, one last thing: Congrats!!! 

 

Thank you, I really appreciate your advice. For me as well, getting a PhD is a requirement. I've just got to decide whether or not to do it with/without an MA. 

[TMP]

Also consider how long you wish to stay in graduate school for.... remember, the MA (usually 2 years) is followed by the PhD (5-8 years, depending), for a total of 7-10 years.  I took the MA route because I needed more language training and course prep in my chosen field that my undergrad didn't offer much of.  It was the best decision at the end (although I did have some regrets when I was paying off loans).

[Gotya64]

10 minutes ago, TMP said:

Also consider how long you wish to stay in graduate school for.... remember, the MA (usually 2 years) is followed by the PhD (5-8 years, depending), for a total of 7-10 years.  I took the MA route because I needed more language training and course prep in my chosen field that my undergrad didn't offer much of.  It was the best decision at the end (although I did have some regrets when I was paying off loans).

Thank you so much for the reply. Would it hurt my future PhD prospects if the program I'd be working on the MA for was not highly ranked (but actually has a scholar with the exact same research interests as me)?

[Calgacus]

16 minutes ago, Gotya64 said:

Thank you so much for the reply. Would it hurt my future PhD prospects if the program I'd be working on the MA for was not highly ranked (but actually has a scholar with the exact same research interests as me)?

If the PhD school is not top 20-30 and the MA is fully funded, my advice would be to do the MA and use it to leverage higher ranked options in two years. Most top 30 PhD programs will not care where you got your MA, they'll look at your writing sample (which will be much better with two years of MA work), statement, and letters.

[Gotya64]

5 minutes ago, Calgacus said:

If the PhD school is not top 20-30 and the MA is fully funded, my advice would be to do the MA and use it to leverage higher ranked options in two years. Most top 30 PhD programs will not care where you got your MA, they'll look at your writing sample (which will be much better with two years of MA work), statement, and letters.

Thanks so much for the advice. The PhD program isn't even close to top 30, and the MA is indeed funded. I think it's looking like the MA is the way to go, though I still have to make campus visits. 

[remenis]

Definitely do the MA in this case because it is funded, the PhD is not well ranked and you yourself mention worrying about adjusting to the workload. You'll improve as an MA student and then can apply to better PhD programs that will be more likely to eventually get you a job. Top PhD programs generally don't care where you did your MA - but the quality of your PhD institution will have a huge impact on your ability to get a job in academia later. TMP is right that you might end up in school for 7-10 years with the MA, but if you go to a poorly regarded PhD program you might spend 5 years in grad school for nothing.

[Gotya64]

19 minutes ago, remenis said:

Definitely do the MA in this case because it is funded, the PhD is not well ranked and you yourself mention worrying about adjusting to the workload. You'll improve as an MA student and then can apply to better PhD programs that will be more likely to eventually get you a job. Top PhD programs generally don't care where you did your MA - but the quality of your PhD institution will have a huge impact on your ability to get a job in academia later. TMP is right that you might end up in school for 7-10 years with the MA, but if you go to a poorly regarded PhD program you might spend 5 years in grad school for nothing.

Thank you - I very much appreciate the advice. It looks like that is definitely the way to go. 

[Sigaba]

While the skills you acquire earning a MA at School A will be valuable, most, if not all, of the course work you complete won't matter at School B. School B will want to make sure that you meet its standards even if School A's department is more highly regarded than School B's.

[OHSP]

On 3/10/2017 at 8:05 AM, OpettaGregoria said:

An MA is largely just a stepping stone to a PhD for people coming out of undergrad who aren't strong enough applicants to go straight into a PhD program. Since you've been accepted to a PhD program with funding, there isn't much use for an MA. I'd skip it. 

I strongly disagree--the MA isn't necessarily "just a stepping stone". If you're coming straight from undergrad then (a) you are young and have time and (b) the MA is going to give you an opportunity to spend two years properly locating yourself within your field, attending conferences, perhaps even publishing. I chose to do the MA not because I wasn't a "strong enough applicant" (I got into PhD programs as well) but because I wanted to spend two focused years producing a more succinct body of work and making sure that I definitely wanted to pursue history. I am so happy that I did my MA and I'm now entering a PhD program with strong contacts, an even clearer sense of my interests, teaching experience, good publications and conference presentations etc. You don't need an MA but I have absolutely no regrets about getting one. 

Edited March 14, 2017 by OHSP

[Gotya64]

34 minutes ago, OHSP said:

I strongly disagree--the MA isn't necessarily "just a stepping stone". If you're coming straight from undergrad then (a) you are young and have time and (b) the MA is going to give you an opportunity to spend two years properly locating yourself within your field, attending conferences, perhaps even publishing. I chose to do the MA not because I wasn't a "strong enough applicant" (I got into PhD programs as well) but because I wanted to spend two focused years producing a more succinct body of work and making sure that I definitely wanted to pursue history. I am so happy that I did my MA and I'm now entering a PhD program with strong contacts, an even clearer sense of my interests, teaching experience, good publications and conference presentations etc. You don't need an MA but I have absolutely no regrets about getting one. 

Thank you! Barring a complete turnaround in thought from my visits to the two programs, it looks like I'll be going the MA route.