MA then PhD, or just PhD?

EtCeterisParibus
Sun, 17 Sep 2017 03:45:32 +0000

Juillet: I have considered long and hard about why I want a PhD, specifically in political science. I have spent the past 6 months not only doing a lot of personal introspection and self-reflection, but I have read numerous blogs, forum posts, podcasts, and books on why someone should get a PhD, how to determine if getting a PhD is right for you, etc. I have also spoken to current political science PhD students as well as counselors and past professors. I have been fairly thorough in my research and have looked at alternative careers that would allow me to explore ideas and do research, such as think tanks. I am fully aware of all the pitfalls and peril involved in getting your PhD (terrible job market, high attrition rate, opportunity cost, terrible pay while in grad school, stress and anxiety from dissertation, etc) However, after doing my research and speaking to numerous people about this, I feel doing the type of research that I want to do, and answering the kinds of questions I want to answer, would be best done through a PhD program.

The kinds of topics that I’m interested in are specific to political science and are more theory oriented. Think tanks and foundations care about the practical application of those theories, and consequently have a more applied focus. I’ve spoken to numerous people who work at think tanks, and they all told me that the type of research and questions I’m looking to answer are too theoretical and niche for what think tanks do, and that pursuing a PhD would be much better suited for me. The political science grad students also said that they felt I should pursue a PhD and that I would thrive in that environment. So, I really don’t want to do applied policy work. Nor do I want to just teach at a community college, where my JD and MBA might be sufficient.

With all that being said, I appreciate the helpful input. I will definitely need to do some more thinking about going the MA route first. Also, the UCLA student told me not to get an MA because he felt it was a waste of money, it would further delay getting my PhD, and that there could be other things I could do to bolster my application without having to get an MA, such as doing research work at a think tank, trying to publish articles online or in scholarly journals, and doing really well on the GRE and writing an exceptionally well written statement of purpose.