A somewhat unintentionally amusing statement as, with my Berkeley PhD, I actually currently work at a nonprofit 
2 Likes
This is only true if youâre looking for employment at top-tier, and maybe second and third tier R1 institutions (including LACs). If you look at the faculty rosters of more local or regional colleges and universities (especially departments that donât have graduate programs and are not at well-known LACs), itâs very much a different story, for a number of reasons: graduates of super-elite programs get snapped up by other programs, hiring departments assume that someone with a Harvard degree wouldnât want to work for them or wouldnât understand the schoolâs mission (yes, this really happens), or grads with elite degrees decide not to apply or opt for post-docs instead. If you look at a department like mine (regional-local MA-level university, but my department doesnât offer a graduate degree, commuter school, most students from this metro area, high teaching load for faculty), my departmentâs roster over the years has included a few people from big-time programs, but lots more from less elite flagships and second-tier publics and privates that are strong in the faculty membersâ areas of expertise but not necessarily highly ranked beyond that. But these are people who demonstrated very clearly in the hiring process that they understand our students and our mission, and they often had experiences in their own backgrounds that could help them relate. In the hiring process, we have passed over people with elite degrees but less on-the-ground experience with students like ours. And there are a lot more jobs out there like the ones at my institution than there are at R1s.
So yes, itâs preferable to have an elite degree in a highly regarded program. But youâre not doomed if you donât, as long as youâre open to jobs at schools you might not have heard of.
1 Like
Well, sort of. As you know, there are three times as many new PhD a year as there are new TT positions. However, graduates of the most prestigious programs very often donât apply to TT positions in very low ranking schools, and when they do, their applications are often treated with suspicion. Community Colleges also hire from a wide range of programs, and there are many advantages to teaching at a CC (including a simpler tenure system, hardworking students, and no research requirements).
That being said, these lesser known colleges are also the ones which are cutting history programs, and replacing TT lines with contingent positions. For example, Northern Illinois University does not have a single assistant professor.
1 Like
Wow. Not long ago, Northern Illinois had one of those programs that might not have been highly ranked overall but had real strengths in a few fields (including mine: early American history), with distinguished faculty. NIU Ph.D.s in those fields got hired. Itâs sad to see that the program is in decline.
2 Likes
my thesis advisor and i have discussed grad school extensively and he encouraged me to check out yale, umich, and ucla! one of the profs i did research for for two years has also strongly encouraged me to get a phd. this is why i am considering it in the first place.
thank you for the advice, but i would appreciate if this discussion revolved specifically around the questions i asked and not assumptions/projections about my placement in the department 
iâm glad business school was the right fit for you!
They are encouraging you but are you interested?
i really appreciate your insight; part of the reason iâm on the fence about a PhD is that iâm not sure if i want to be a professor or do more nonprofit/museum research work. do you have opinions on whether or not a PhD is worth it if my goal is not to end up in academia?
the main reason iâm thinking about a PhD is that i feel i am just not done doing academic research/writing, and a doctoral program provides space for/legitimizes academic writing. i donât particularly dream of teaching! but i have a few large projects re womenâs prison history that i really want to continue in an academic setting. i would love to hear your thoughts on this as a professor 
1 Like
yep, i am not particularly interested in big law but would much rather do public defense/tenantsâ rights/immigration/repro justice law⊠which is of course not really a way to make a killing as an attorney, but i am annoyingly committed to my ideals. i sometimes flirt with the idea of doing antitrust.
also i think if i got into/survived an ivy undergrad w/ ADHD i could make it work in law school⊠but again, iâm taking a year or two off to get proper treatment so my life is more livable lol
There are pathways to non-academic jobs through Ph.D. programs. Some people in my grad school cohort ended up in museum work, digital humanities projects, academic editing, archival work, and freelance work for employers who needed historical research. If you look at the senior staffs of most historical museums, youâll find people with Ph.D.s. So it can be done, and it would be good to look for programs that support alternative career pathways along with the traditional academic route.
Here are some links to articles that can help you think about what this might look like:
HOWEVER â even if your grad program is fully funded, youâre still talking about the opportunity cost of delaying the start of your career for several years by going into a doctoral program rather than an MA program in public history. That might be a valid choice to make, but you should be very clear about the consequences. If youâre undecided about whether to pursue a Ph.D. or what you might want to do with it, I recommend taking a few years off of school to work in the field: look for work in museums, libraries, historical societies, historic preservation, or something along those lines. Or anything, really (because you can do historical work in lots of jobs). Think about next steps. Then you can apply to grad school with much clearer focus. (I took several years off to teach high school, and I was able to start my grad program with more maturity and focus â and more savings! â than I otherwise would have.)
Bottom line: if youâre going to get a Ph.D., you have to know you really want to do it. If you donât absolutely know â donât do it (yet).
4 Likes
This topic was automatically closed 90 days after the last reply. If youâd like to reply, please flag the thread for moderator attention.