This year is witnessing fierce competition for PhD programs in the United States. As an undergraduate I am getting more and more inconfident about my PhD application. Suppose I apply for a Master’s program (with thesis) in the US, and then apply for a PhD program after like 18 months into the Master’s program (from top-tier universities like MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, etc.), will it enhance my chances for a competitive PhD program (from same universities)? And does applying for a PhD program from the same university where I am doing my Master’s program give me any advantage?
P.S.: I am worried that 18 months might be too short for papers done in the Master’s program to be published, leaving me with the same publication record as I have now (as an undergraduate).
There’s a major flaw in your plan. It’s not the school that matters in your PhD quest, it’s the person. You need to figure out who is doing the research that interests you and try to get into their lab. Depending on what you’re looking for, the institution might be one that isn’t a hyper selective undergrad. For example, if you’re interested in aerodynamics, Texas A&M might be better than any school on your list. Reframe your thinking.
Also consider what your post-PhD plans are. It looks like you’re an international student? Are you looking to stay on in the US?
If yes and you plan to enter academia, know that it is extremely competitive.
If yes and looking to enter industry, it really matters what industry.
I mean, it’s fine to do a Masters and then apply to PhD programs. I essentially did this (although I took a work break in between, didn’t go straight through, and went to different universities for these). However, I do not believe it makes sense to apply for a Masters program then reapply at the same university - the reason for this is that when you do a PhD program, it often includes the masters as an intermediary step. Sometimes that’s even the point where they reevaluate the student to ensure they are truly up for the PhD part of the program (some students are indeed asked to leave following the masters). So this is already built into the process. And you will likely pay out of pocket for a masters program, whereas the PhD program should be funded - if finances are a concern. Another reason it doesn’t make sense if your plan is just to stay at the same university.
Many masters students do NOT publish a single thing. I suppose that depends on the field and the student’s ambition, but publication is generally not a masters requirement. It is something built more into PhD programs.
For a PhD it is not the school, it’s the person…as noted above. And a highly ranked school for undergrad does not mean it is highly ranked for a masters. Some lower ranked schools may rank higher. And as noted phd programs usually include the masters.
Without knowing what field you are considering, this will be a general response, but in line with the other suggestions. You can apply to both terminal masters and PhD programs in your field. But if you pursue a terminal masters there may not be a reason to then expect to apply to the doctoral program, especially in the same school (and as other said most doctoral programs include the masters). And as you know you will need the necessary visas to do all this, so keep that in mind as well.
There are so many variables here – your discipline, your potential mentors, your prospective graduate departments. A few thoughts:
• A few highly elite programs will not take a student with an MA in the discipline of study (as opposed to an entirely different MA, but that’s a different story - you’d have to start over with a new MA anyway). Most universities will consider Ph.D. students coming in with an MA, who will then have to fulfill residency requirements at the Ph.D. granting institution. But if you’re shooting for top-tier universities, you’ll want to check if an MA somewhere else will disqualify you.
• As others have said, what scholars would you seek out as mentors, and where do they teach? Look into those programs. I think it’s a little more complicated than looking for a person, not a program – different programs have different strengths, some universities have resources and opportunities that others don’t, some departments have track records that aren’t just about specific mentors. So you should be considering individual mentors along with programs and departments, university resources and facilities, etc.
• Where are you doing your undergrad? I am a professor at a regional university that is not well-known out of state. My students, even the best ones, have a very tough time getting admitted to top-tier grad schools because those programs just don’t know what they’re getting when they get applications from students at my university. So for these outstanding students who want to go for the Ph.D., I do advise them to earn an MA in a reputable program and then apply for doctoral programs at higher-tier universities. This gradual stepping-up approach has worked for many of them.
• Depending on your discipline, I don’t think you should worry about your publication record. If you’re in STEM, then maybe you can get on a mentor’s paper as a co-author. But if you’re in humanities, no reputable journal will consider your work, anyway. If your college has an undergraduate peer- (or faculty-)reviewed scholarly journal, you might try getting published in that, or you might try presenting at a conference. But very few undergraduates are capable of writing publishable scholarly research. Again, though - it really depends on discipline. The point of doing an MA would not be to allow time to publish research, but rather to establish yourself in the discipline and producing original research like a thesis.
I am trying to get into academia (Computer Science). I am well aware of its competitiveness. My worry is that if my PhD is not done in the U.S. will it affect my chances of getting a postdoc/assistant professor position there? Or is the school location & ranking less important than the quality of the research and publication count?
The people who can give you the best advice are your current CS professors. An international degree shouldn’t prevent you from getting a job in the US as long as it’s from a reputable university and you have a good record of research, but it’s more complicated than that. Someone within the discipline will have the most insight.
Within CS there are a number of different sub-disciplines, and faculty in each tend to look for different things in their graduate school candidates. Go to csrankings.org and you can sort universities by various specific aspects (AI, theory, languages, etc.). I wouldn’t get too hung up on the exact rankings, but it does tell you which schools are active in which aspects of CS. Better yet, it shows you the faculty at the university in each sub-discipline and you can follow a link to their websites. Many of the faculty have a section called “perspective students” where they talk pretty explicitly about what they are looking for in a candidate. There is a lot you can learn by following those links.