Getting a second masters vs PhD

[ladeeda6]

Hi!

 

So I graduated with an M. Ed in community health promotion back in May. My interests then and now are to work in some capacity to address (in a gov't capacity)/study/what have you how things like urban development and gentrification impact the health of the (largely) minority residents that previously lived in those areas. My masters program was not research intensive at all but I learned a great deal in identifying and working with the target populations I am most interested in. And because I am interested in urban areas and how they develop, I decided to enroll in a second master's program in urban studies with an emphasis either on policy and development or economics. This program transitions rather seamlessly into a PhD offered at the same university.

I am getting feedback from family/coworkers (usually older individuals) that question going back for a second masters vs getting a PhD. At this point in my life, I don't see myself wanting to be a professor - even adjunct. My dream job (prior to the Trump era that's made me realize how fragile systems can be with crazies in office) would be to work for the CDC, HUD, etc., some type of governmental agency and I don't know how much having a PhD would help me get to that point vs a second masters in the same field so I'm just looking for opinions and additional insight.

 

Thanks!

[MaxwellAlum]

What do you want to do for the CDC/HUD/etc?  Do you want to do policy analysis?  Manage programs?  Be a budget analyst?  Have you thought about applying to jobs in state or local government health departments?  Doing so might give you a better sense of what you want to do with your career, and you might find you don't need another degree to get to where you want to be.  

[ladeeda6]

On 8/30/2017 at 1:44 PM, MaxwellAlum said:

What do you want to do for the CDC/HUD/etc?  Do you want to do policy analysis?  Manage programs?  Be a budget analyst?  Have you thought about applying to jobs in state or local government health departments?  Doing so might give you a better sense of what you want to do with your career, and you might find you don't need another degree to get to where you want to be.  

I'd want to be a public health analyst/advisor initially for the CDC. 

I was just mostly concerned by not having a research degree or a degree that allowed me to focus on the population's im most interested in.

[_kita]

On ‎8‎/‎28‎/‎2017 at 5:07 PM, ladeeda6 said:

I am getting feedback from family/coworkers (usually older individuals) that question going back for a second masters vs getting a PhD. At this point in my life, I don't see myself wanting to be a professor - even adjunct.

I got the same thing once I accepted a second masters degree in Public Health verses going straight into a PhD. I tried to explain that the counseling program and a public health degree focused on very different skill sets that I needed in my chosen field (mental health implementation science), but I'm speaking another language to them. Don't worry about it. It sounds like you have a better idea of what you want to do going forward, and you have a clearer picture of how to get there.