HELP! Master's and PhD in History?

Question

I'm an Asian currently applying to pursue my Bachelor's degree in History in the United States. My question is, upon successful completion of my BA, how long would it take for me to obtain both Master's and PhD degrees in the United States? Besides that, can I skip the Master's degree and proceed directly to PhD or at least, can I do an "express" Master's and PhD in History of any sorts? I want to be a History professor, so please enlighten me with further information on how to obtain necessary qualifications to achieve my ambition. I would really appreciate as clear and much details as possible.

Thank you.

Peace and Love =)

Answer 1

I am currently working on my doctorate in history in the US--so I think I can answer your question! :)

I gather that you want to "fast track" your graduate work as much as possible. In part that will depend on you--most programs are flexible--you will realistically have to plan on 4-5 years of graduate work, though. Here's how things work in the US:

First, while there are rare exceptions, it is NOT considered a good idea to do your graduate work--at least your PhD work--at the same university you do your undergraduate work at. And your long term planning should be on that basis. But since you seem to be very clear about your goals, you can speed things up by doing some advance planning while your anundergraduate. I'll come back to that shortly.

Many history departments offer "PhD track" graduate programs. In most cases, you will find that good programs will incorporate the Master's work into the PhD program--you simply get your Masters as you go along, so it doesn't take you any extra time. If time is a concern, as in your case, what you want to avoid is taking a Masters seperately and then starting your PhD program--doing this isn't a negative (many peopledo just that--but it does take longer. So what you want is to enter a PhD program straight from your undergraduate work.

Your cheif concern as an undergraduate must be compiling a good academic record. That is the factor that will determine how good a school you will be able to be accepted at at the graduate level. In the US, this means more than just "good grades." Any history department will look at some other indicators as well. One is the "GRE" This is a standardized test that you can take--usually in your senior year. I recommend you plan on taking it on a "practice" basis at least a year earlier, however (if you have a lower score, this will not hurt you--only the highest score is considered).

One thing that many departments look for is whether you are involved in the community ( for you, thiswill be your university community mostly). There are allways numerousorganizations and opportunities to do this--simply choose what interests you. Since you'll be adjusting to a new environment, you might want to waait a while before tackling this--don't overload yourself. If you're unsure what's appropriate when the time comes, talk to some of your professors; they'll be glad to help.

One thing you absolutely should do as an undergraduate is get to know your professors professionally--and let them know of your long-term goals--they will have suggestions for you. Please note--I said "suggestions." Often, because asian students come from cultures where respect for authority is stressed, students have trouble recognizing that American professors not only expect, they value independant thought and decision-making. Forexample, a professor might suggest you revise and expand a term paper and submit it for an undergraduate conference--but you already have a similar project in the works and won't have time to do both properly. Saying no won't be viewed negatively--in fact, you'll be respected for showing good sense.

The most important thing, however, over and above anything else except your grades, is WRITING. Your ability to write well--that will get you furtherthan anything else. It is so important I'm tempted to say its even more important than your grades--and some ways it is.

But "writing" does not mean just putting words down on paper in accordance with what a professor requires--that is simply the start. A well written history paper has a number of features--and all are equally important--so don't take the order I list them in as a priority list--all are essential:
>Solid research appropriate to the paper. For research papers, this means the use of "primary sources" as well as supporting literature (if you don't know the difference now, don't worry--you will find out as you go along). But thorough research is critical.
>Presentation--this means your writing--all of it--should be clear and well-organized. You'll be taught what's needed--but don not underestimate the importance. Many students do in the midst of trying to get all the other things university work requires done.
>Logical reasoning and originality. The key to good scholarship--in any field--is right here. As an example, in an excellant work by Thomas Dublin ("Women at Work") the authhor argues that women textile workers in the 19th century were far more independant in their attitude and actions than had been thought. His research was meticulous, he thought through his arguement carefully--it was very well-reasoned and logical, and in challlenging what earlier historians had believed, showed the ability to think independantly and with originality (It was also his PhD dissertation bu t was published and became a classic in labor history).

I mentioned that you could begin preparing for your PhD program even as an undergraduate. The first way to do this is to take every opportunity you can to develop your writing skills. In my case, I made an effort as an undergraduate to talk to my professors about my writing projects, asking for and getting additional advice and critiques (which were not always fun to listen to--but I learned, which was the point--and I am still grateful to professors who would be blunt in their critique of papers--telling me how they fell short by professional stantards, even though they were good--for an undergraduate).

The second way you can prepare is by starting to figure out what you want to focus on. This may require you to do a good bit of readingon your own, or select course options in order to find out what's in a given area and whether it interests you. For example, I have an interest in history of labor, among other things. It was not an area I thought much about early on, but took the course to learn more about it--and found that it was an approach that especially suited me and my interests.

The value of starting to do this early is that you will reach a point many graduate students dread (and with good reaason)--finding a topic for your dissertation. This can take months--you mst be able to show that your topic represents original work that adds something meaningful to the literature--easier said than done. In my case it was the opposite extreme--my dissertation topic was approved in a single day. But the reason was that I had been working on identifying my interests for years--andhaving done so, had alread done several related papers, so I knew the literature in myfield and had identified "gaps" in the knowledge that were worth exploring--in short I'd already done those months of work. You can start this process as an undergraduate.

One more bit of advice: don't forget to tike time to relax and have fun. It's a long way to that PhD--give yourself time to enjoy life as you go along.

Answer 2

Good question. There are actually quite a few different types of master's degrees in psych, and depending on which kind you choose you'll have different opportunities. Let's go through some of the options: 1) A terminal, practice-focused degree in clinical psychology: Some states and provinces allow master's level clinicians to provide assessment and therapy services, either independently or when supervised by a doctoral level psychologist. These programs would prepare you for such a career. 2) A research-based, experimental psychology degree: These degrees, which can be general experimental or more focused on a subdiscipline (e.g., master's in cognitive psych, master's in developmental psych) are highly research-focused and would prepare you for a career as a lab manager or research assistant, among other things. 3) A master's in industrial/organizational psychology. I don't know too much about these degrees, except that research is involved and that graduates have a variety of applied opportunities, including consulting. Aside from the types of jobs I mentioned above, there are also some opportunities in policy, research, teaching and health care that simply require a master's degree in a social science-related field. These might be of interest to you eventually. Also, some master's programs also exist primarily to prepare you for doctoral work in various subfields of psychology. You mention master's degrees specifically in your post so I assume you're not interested in pursuing a doctorate. I also want to caution that many of these programs are quite competitive, and that you will most likely need either extremely good grades and GRE scores or some research or clinical experience in order to be an attractive applicant. Good luck! Let me know if you have more questions.

Answer 3

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there's no way at a reputable university to skip the Master's and go directly to a Phd.

Your Master's - assuming you go year round - figuring 12 hours per semester should take you about a year. If you take a Summer off, then you're looking at about a year-and-a-half since most Master's programs require 36 semester hours and a thesis.

A Phd. will take you several years, and it all depends upon the program you're in as to exactly how long it will take. Chances are you can get some sort of financial aid which means you'll wind up teaching several classes and actually drawing a halfway decent salary while working on the degree. Plus, you're going to be going to seminars the entire time and will be spending an extensive amount of time working on your dissertation as well.

Hopefully, your Master's program has prepared you for the Phd. program which is another reason why you can't skip out. At the end, you'll have to defend your dissertation to the committee which has been selected to hear you.

Overall, its not an easy process, but the rewards are well worth it.

Good Luck!!!

Answer 4

Dear friend (because your signature was so interesting):

A PhD takes about 4 years minimum, often times 5 or 6 years.

When you go to a Graduate Program, you are automatically entered into a Masters Program first.

Just talk to your adviser about making sure you are on the PhD track. Many Masters programs have PhD and non-PhD tracks.

For the PhD track, you will probably have to take qualifying exams, or complete a project (mini-dissertation) to be accepted to the PhD program.

You have to successfully complete your first two years to be accepted to continue on. If you are not accepted to continue on in the PhD program, you will be granted a Masters degree (provided you met all basic academic requirements) and you will then have the choice of quitting with that, or applying to different PhD programs at different schools to try and continue.

Hope that all makes sense!

Answer 5

Normally it takes an additional 2 years to complete a Master's degree and 4-5 years to do a Ph.D. Some schools will allow you to go directly into a doctoral program without completing a Masters if you have excellent grades. Once you are admitted you will be granted a Master's degree after 2 years in your Ph.D. work.

Hope that helps

Answer 6

It depends on your program. Some programs will not admit you to their doctoral program unless you have a Master's degree. Other programs are strictly doctoral programs, so you get admitted to them after undergrad and you get a PhD, but they don't have an official Master's program. Speaking from personal experience, it's very difficult to obtain a position as a professor and even harder to earn tenure. The pay is pretty low and you often spend years as an adjunct before finding a position. There is tremendous pressure to publish original papers and books even though demand for such papers and books is shrinking. I would advise taking a few years off in between your BA and grad school to determine if teaching is what you really love to do before applying to graduate programs. Good luck!

Answer 7

It depends on the on the university, how much you put into it, andd on your PhD advisor. Some universities let you enter the PhD program with a Bachelor's and won't give you a Master's unless you drop out and they evaluate that you've done enough for a Master's.
Look around and talk to the faculty at the universities that you would consider.
Good Luck!

Answer 8

I think it's a 3 year process for a Ph D program. Also, there are usually at least three types of graduate programs, Masters Degree, Masters Degree with Thesis, and Ph D. The Ph D program pretty much is the Masters program with some extra courses and your Dissertation.

Answer 9

In the discipline of History, students usually apply directly to Ph.D. programs after completing one's bachelor's degree. A Masters degree prior to applying to a Ph.D. program is hardly ever necessary. (You can earn an M.Phil. "on the way" to the Ph.D. -- it is usually conferred after completing qualifying exams, and prior to writing your dissertation.) However, some students do earn a Masters degree (M.A.) prior to beginning doctoral work.

A Ph.D. in history usually takes between 5 and 7 years if it is a "stand-alone" program. If you already hold a Masters degree, it will take an additional 4-6 years.

In order to gain admission into a good Ph.D. program, while you are in college you should:
- Find an area within the study of history that you love best.
- Get to know your professors. They will be writing your letters of recommendation later.
- Take the GREs in the summer between your junior and senior years. Do exceedingly well. The higher your scores, the higher the likelihood of a fellowship or assistantship during your doctoral work.
- In your junior or senior year, ask your professors about opportunities to publish your work in an undergraduate academic journal. This will also improve your chances for admission and awards in a Ph.D. program.
- While in college, look for opportunities to do independent studies and research with your professors, one-on-one. This will also help with doctoral admissions.
- Polish your writing skills. Constantly.
- Begin language study in earnest. Choose either French or German (they are usually required at the doctoral level) and also any languages that are relevant to your specific area of interest.
- Learn about archival research. Begin by getting familiar with your university's library, especially their rare book and manuscript collections.
- Take courses in anthropology and religious studies as well. These disciplines will provide you with important additional analytical tools.

Best wishes to you!