Thinking About Pursuing a M.A. or Ph.D Degree? Some Things to Consider

Going to school is what most of us have been doing every September since kindergarten, and continuing into a M.A./Ph.D. program may seem the natural thing to do come the Fall after you graduate from college. For those of you interested in furthering your education with a master or doctoral degree, it is important that you consider the following before applying to a particular program:

1. Consider the job market and acquaint yourself with its persistently abysmal contours. This need not dissuade you from applying, but I think it's wise to know what you're getting into before devoting several years of your life to more schooling (if you are applying for M.A. programs it is 2 years, for Ph.D. degrees it is 7 to 9 years–the national average. Keep in mind that completing a Ph.D. may not land you a job in the area for which you trained. Ph.D. programs generally prepare you for a career in research and teaching, but jobs in your chosen field may fluctuate from year to year and may force you to use your skills in other ways. M.A./M.S. programs, particularly those in the professions, prepare you for getting a job immediately after graduation from those programs. These programs (usually in business, medical-related areas, computer science, language, public administration, education, etc.) generally are geared toward individuals who intend to apply their skills and not conduct research. Given your goals, it is very important that you carefully research programs and determine which degree is best for you.
2. Research M.A./Ph.D. programs and find the ones that are best for you. Ask yourself…
   • Is location important? (Be honest, you're going to be spending a good bit of time at that place.)
   • How important is faculty mentorship? Is school status significant?
   • Is a particular research cluster of faculty and institutions such as library collections vital for the research you wish to pursue? Is there a joint program in an adjacent field at a particular place that you feel crucial for your intellectual development?
   • Are you not sure what you're after and, therefore, do you think a program with few formal requirements and structure is the one for you?
   • Try to find the programs that give you the combination of things most important for you. Research the size of the M.A./Ph.D. program and its entering class, faculty specialization and publications, the job placement record of the institution for recent graduates in your area of study, the average time for completion of an M.A. or Ph.D., the attrition rate, and graduate student funding. These vary considerably from institution to institution, so the more informed you are ahead of time, the better. This research can help you to avoid schools that will simply not work for the person you are and direct you to apply to those that do.
   • Compare potential programs. After your undergraduate professors; who are your best resources for information on these matters, other good sources are the web (most departments have extensive sites listing their faculty, research strengths, and resources); Barron's and other publications put out information on graduate programs that make comparisons relatively easy; ditto for such “ranking” publications such as US News and World Report. The College library on campus has many guides to graduate programs you may find useful in determining which programs better suit your interests and long-term professional goals.
3. Investigate admissions requirements.
   These usually include:
   • taking the GREs (either General or Subject test, sometimes both) or another exam.
   • anguage skills (most Ph.D. programs require reading skill in least one foreign language demonstrable upon admission; many require two).
   • math or science or economics coursework (some programs in public policy or business, for instance, require that students have some previous work in statistics or calculus. Nursing or some other science-based M.A./Ph.D. programs require that students have had extensive coursework in chemistry, physics, biology, and calculus).
   • a respectable GPA (most commonly above a 3.0; much higher for top national programs).
   
   If you decide that a M.A. or Ph..D. program is for you, you're ready to start:
   • Come up with a short-list of schools. Opinion on how many should be in a reasonable short-list is divided. You want to apply to the schools that are good matches with your interests and possibly a few "safety net" schools that might be your fallback choices. Some see 5 as a reasonable number; others go to 10 or more. Keep in mind that applications are expensive, with fees running to $60 to $75 for many programs.
   • Request applications (most deadlines are in mid-December or early January each year).
   • Take the GRE (Graduate Record Examination).
   • Contact professors from whom you will be requesting letters; give them at least a month to write you letters (see our handout on obtaining letters of recommendation from faculty).
   • Draft a statement of purpose and get feedback on it from a few trusted people. Leave yourself plenty of time to revise it at least a dozen times.
   • Put together a curriculum vitae (or CV), which is an academic resumé.
   • Choose a 15-20 page writing sample if you are applying to Ph.D. programs. This is a must! We suggest spending some time polishing an old research paper you are particularly proud of.
   • Locate a typewriter (yes, that ancient machine!) to type your application materials (hand-written applications just don't look polished).
   • Complete your portion of the applications to arrive by the stated deadlines.
   • Wait for application decisions to be mailed out in March or April.

Have Additional Questions? Please see your professor-mentors in your major field of study or contact Miguel Rosales, Coordinator and Student Advisor. He can be reached via email at mrosales@lssaa.wisc.edu.