Best masters programs to prepare for a PhD

[not@prof_yet]

So I'm looking at various masters programs to apply to concurrently with PhD applications as a backup plan to prepare for a second round of PhD application if I don't get into a good school (there's about 5 top 10-15 schools in really interested in). I'm looking for some input on what you think are the best types of masters programs to prepare for a PhD if it comes to that.

 

Right now I'm also looking at economics (LSE, PSE, Columbia, Chicago), mathematics, and statistics/applied math. I'm also thinking about public policy (especially Harris School at UChicago), political science (Chicago, CIR, Columbia), and maybe area studies (SE Asia; although I don't have any language experience).

 

In terms of academic interest and preference, I'd personally rate them:

 

1) Economics or Pure Math

2) Statistics/applied math, political science

3) Public policy, area studies.

 

What do you think?

[ExponentialDecay]

Why would you get a master's in pure math if you want to study political science? Why would you get a master's in pure math if you want to do anything but pure math (and some areas of finance or computer science)? 

Public policy is a professional degree without much of a research component, but I do know people who went from top policy programs to PhDs. 

In general the spread of your master's interests indicates a serious lack of research focus. I mean, going from pure math to SEA studies..? Like, how are those two similar at all?

Edited September 5, 2017 by ExponentialDecay

[deutsch1997bw]

Your research interests seem pretty scattered. However, if you're looking for a methodologically intense MA, I'd check out Duke's MA in Political Science. Duke has a reputation for being methodologically rigorous. 

[not@prof_yet]

@ExponentialDecay

 

I'm looking for a rigorous masters because I want it to add value to a future application and I figure a pure math masters is pretty rigorous and would send a good signal. I also am interested in formal theory, including applications of nonlinear systems and networks in political science as well as game theory. So I feel like I would benefit from taking graduate coursework on those topics before a PhD, as well as writing a thesis that could be broadly applied to political science. 

I also brought up a SE Asia area studies masters because I am interested in the region as a regional focus and could see myself benefiting from masters in the region.

I have a fairly clear idea of what I want to research moving towards a dissertation topic. And I feel that any of the types of masters listed above could help me gain more experience and send a good signal for future PhD applications (if this cycle didn't work out so well). 

But that's good to know about public policy masters. I was looking through CVs of current grad students and noticed a good number had a public policy masters before the PhD so I wanted more information about that. I listed Chicago Harris specifically because I saw that Robinson had moved there (to my surprise) and they had a good mix of well known political scientists and economists. So I figured some public policy  programs would be valuable with a thesis component.

 

I put political science in a second tier because I have heard they are less helpful than other types of masters.

 

@deutsch1997bw

 

Thank you, I will look into it.

[ExponentialDecay]

@not@prof_yet

rigor is nice, but these people fundamentally want to know that you can feasibly write a dissertation with your adviser that the department can accept. You can be the best mathematician, or be fluent in 12 languages, or a synchronized swimming champion - and they are all impressive things - but if it's not relevant to your research interests, it's not relevant. Likewise, who in a pure math department is going to write a credible letter of recommendation to a poli sci program? If this were econ PhDs, it'd be a different story - and even then, on a subfield to subfield basis.

 

[guest56436]

I think pure math is not going to really give you much utility going forward. You will be required to take things like analysis, measure theory, and modern algebra that will be much deeper than anything you will need to be able to do OLS or MLE or causal inference for social sciences. Furthermore, you need a strong background in math to get into these programs - at least differential, integral, and multivariate calculus + linear algebra + differential equations, ect., do you have this?

Stats is probably similar to the above but more transferable to a Ph.D. program skill wise.

Public policy will probably not be too helpful. It's too professional. People have taken that path before but usually its because they decide that type of work doesn't interest them. 

Area studies programs can be good but they can also be extremely 'critical theory' based and have little utility for more quantitative social sciences.

M.A. programs in political science are usually crappy. 

My advice: the type of program isn't too important. What you want to do is get into a program where you will be allowed to enter Ph.D. political science courses without problems at a good institution. Also flexible enough so that you can take math/stats courses. Also one with a thesis requirement. And preferably one that is funded.

 

[izmir]

I don't want to shift the focus of this conversation but since I find the topic very relevant to my question, I will write it in here. 

Are there any good M.A. programs in Political Science that would prepare me for a top Phd program and at the same time provide financial aid?

[luminalcoin8]

The MACRM program at Harris would probably be the best fit for you, @not@prof_yet. It is as mathematically rigorous as a phd in economics, but focuses on preparation into polisci and/or econ. It also offers an apprenticeship program that helps with PhD placement, meaning it's likely you could work with Robinson or someone similar

[dagnabbit]

Having never applied to/enrolled in a masters program, I can't speak from personal experience about this topic. However, my cohort-mates who had completed MAs prior to beginning the program mostly agree that the value-added of the MA was that it helped them to define a potential research agenda, which in turn helped them to decide which PhD programs would best accommodate their interests (as well as helping them to write convincing SOPs). If it's really the case that you already have a good idea of what your research interests are, and you don't need to compensate for a horrific undergrad GPA, I would advise you to seriously weigh the benefits of spending x amount of money on a masters program simply because you didn't get an offer this cycle. There are other options, such as applying for RA positions, that might add value to your future applications without putting you in debt.

[encyclopediabrown]

On 9/5/2017 at 1:45 PM, Comparativist said:

I think pure math is not going to really give you much utility going forward. You will be required to take things like analysis, measure theory, and modern algebra that will be much deeper than anything you will need to be able to do OLS or MLE or causal inference for social sciences. Furthermore, you need a strong background in math to get into these programs - at least differential, integral, and multivariate calculus + linear algebra + differential equations, ect., do you have this?

Stats is probably similar to the above but more transferable to a Ph.D. program skill wise.

Public policy will probably not be too helpful. It's too professional. People have taken that path before but usually its because they decide that type of work doesn't interest them. 

Area studies programs can be good but they can also be extremely 'critical theory' based and have little utility for more quantitative social sciences.

M.A. programs in political science are usually crappy. 

My advice: the type of program isn't too important. What you want to do is get into a program where you will be allowed to enter Ph.D. political science courses without problems at a good institution. Also flexible enough so that you can take math/stats courses. Also one with a thesis requirement. And preferably one that is funded.

 

I'm not sure I totally agree with Comparativist on some of the specifics, here, although I agree on her/his bottom line advice. (And in general Comparativist gives great advice!) Here's how I see the tradeoffs:

- I agree that stats/econ m.a. gives you the most transferrable set of skills. However, it doesn't necessarily give you a feel for the substantive aspects of political science. 

- Public policy is not be quite as helpful in terms of skill building, although most offer a sequence of stats and micro/macro. But PP programs are more likely than stats/econ to expose you to the substantive problems political scientists are interested in and the style of work. Of course, this will also vary a LOT by professor and program. 

- Area studies programs also vary (and in my experience U.S. programs are generally not "critical theory" focused). Importantly, some have good funding. Many will allow you to take many or mostly political science/econ courses if you want to but you are certainly less likely to get as teched up as a PP degree. 

So, no obvious answer. In my cohort in my Ph.D. program, I can think of people with each of these degrees who not only got admitted but have gone on to nice jobs. In my own M.A. program, however, only a couple of us stuck it out from M.A. -> Ph.D. -> academic job.