Chances of getting US PhD with UK MA

[natnathay]

I'm originally from the US but attending a UK university for my MA in British Literature. I'll be graduating in the fall, but don't plan on applying for a PhD program until 2018 or 2019. Does anyone know if having a foreign MA degree will hurt or help my chances in being accepted into a US PhD program?

[AP]

At first glance, I don't see why you'd think that. Many people -international and American- are admitted into US programs every year. That said, it could also depend on your current and future programs. If the one you are at now is not very good and you want to apply to a top 10, it might be harder. But if you are in a very good program, then it becomes an asset. The bottom line, however, is that you chose to go there for a reason, so you should make your case in your SoP if you feel it 'hurts' your profile. 

[Elchorro]

@natnathay Yes, It is definitely possible. I am international student about to graduate with 4 years MA from a Scottish Uni and I got multiple offers for PhD in Top 10 US schools. 

But as AP said, it probably depends on the quality of the course you are doing now, rank of the university, and all other usual stuff such as SoP, RLs, standarised tests (if any), etc.

Good luck with your admissions season!

[steve3020]

I can understand why OP would ask this because not many British unis are well represented in the US. I went to a Russell group uni which is well known in the UK but I doubt that many people know about it across the Atlantic. It seems Oxbridge, Edinburgh and maybe St. Andrews and UCL are the few unis people are familiar with over there. Having said that having a BA from a UK university didn't hurt my chances too much. In general, they don't look at the reputation of your BA or MA university that much.   

[melvina]

There's no reason for it to hurt your chances any more than having an MA from a non-top-10 US school.  If you want to get into a Top 10 school, I would say that the rest of your application would have to be stellar (excellent research fit, GREs, LORs, and SOP), but otherwise, your UK school is not something I would worry about.  (I am an international student with two foreign master degrees who got accepted into 2 PhD programs).  Also, studying British lit in Britain is actually a great thing that you should definitely spin for all its worth in your SOP (assuming your PhD will be literature or Britain related). 

While there are no "safe schools" when it comes to PhD programs, I would still recommend applying to a variety of different schools.

[englitter]

On ‎31‎/‎03‎/‎2017 at 5:37 PM, Elchorro said:

@natnathay Yes, It is definitely possible. I am international student about to graduate with 4 years MA from a Scottish Uni and I got multiple offers for PhD in Top 10 US schools. 

But as AP said, it probably depends on the quality of the course you are doing now, rank of the university, and all other usual stuff such as SoP, RLs, standarised tests (if any), etc.

Good luck with your admissions season!

Are you at Edinburgh by any chance? I graduated from Edinburgh in 2016 with a First, and I was wondering if they look on that favourably. I know that Edinburgh for English is ranked something like 10 in the world right now, just behind Oxbridge and some of the Ivies but no clue about how well respected it is when applying for US PhD programs. If you don't mind me asking where did you get accepted?