<p>I am a fourth year student interested in pursuing a PhD in Islamic studies. I am planning on taking a year off to solidify my knowledge of Arabic before continuing on. Recently I have been looking at the current graduate students in the departments of near eastern studies that I would like to enter. Many of them seem to have masters degrees, which is worrying me because I would prefer going straight into the PhD track.</p>
<p>My question is whether I would still be competitive as a non-masters holding student in the application process. I will be applying to harvard, the university of chicago, princeton, and georgetown. I have a 4.0 and will have the requisite language skills by the time I enter. I’m currently studying for the GRE and hope to do well. </p>
<p>Please give me an honest depiction of my competitiveness if all is well other than the fact that I do not have a masters.</p>
<p>You don’t need the master’s degree. With a 4.0 and the requisite language skills, you should be a competitive applicant, provided that the other parts of your application fall into place. Are you using your year off to do some research in the field?</p>
<p>Yes I will be continuing the research that I began this year. Thank you for your reply!</p>
<p>PhD programs often grant a masters degree to candidates once they have fulfilled those requirements while pursuing the PhD- nice if for some reason you don’t complete the PhD. Some fields at some schools do not offer masters degrees- incoming students will typically have a bachelors degree and will plan on the PhD. Check the departments at the schools you are interested in, the most competitive candidates probably come straight from a BA/BS degree without going elsewhere for a masters. Your extra time for research in your field sounds like a plus.</p>