help with grad school advice?

by AmazingInevitable

Would you help me out with some grad school advice? I have some specific questions below.

After a lot of thought and some interviewing of friends-with-PhDs, I’ve decided to pursue and interdisciplinary PhD at a particular University outside of the US. It’s not in the top ten schools in that country, but it is in the top twenty - and it’s ideal for my situation for a host of other reasons.

However, the path to take between here and there is still murky to me. That’s where my questions come up.

Who I am: I’m in my early 40s and have these degrees so far: 

  • a 2006 BA in Liberal Arts with a concentration in Social Sciences (this was in an interdisciplinary program in which history was never the focus but was generally included in some form)
  • a 2013 MDiv in ministry (in which I took some history classes)

Before getting my masters, I worked mostly in politics. Since completing my MDiv, I’ve been working as a minister.

The interdisciplinary PhD that I want to pursue includes History and some mix of Anthropology, Education, and/or English. My plan is to do research around practical theology, racial identity, and gender roles in US history between the end of the Revolutionary War and the beginning of the Civil War.

So, my questions:

  1. Would it make sense for me to apply directly to the PhD program, or to first get an MA in History? I do already have a masters, after all - but it’s a professional rather than academic one.
  2. Since my masters is a professional one, I have no thesis or capstone to submit in my application. And my undergrad was awhile ago, so I’ve grown & changed a lot since then. Looking at the possible writing samples I could send, there’s basically just a research paper that I wrote from first-person interviews about a recent small-scale religious movement. I thought it came out okay, but would that be anywhere near adequate to demonstrate my writing/research ability for a History MA (let alone a PhD)?
  3. Would it make sense for me to take a year to get a second BA - just so that I a) have a better writing sample to submit, b) have some dedicated study of History under my belt, and c) can research and submit a stronger proposal for what I’d like to study?
Aeoleth

Before even considering these questions, I think you should do something first.

At the university you are contemplating, look at the faculty and make sure there is someone there who is an academic on the Revolutionary War to Civil War era. If there is not anyone who specializes in your interests, I would look elsewhere if possible. If there is, send them a short email about your interests in practical theology, racial identity, and gender roles, and ask them if you would fit with their program or with that professor. They may have someone who is an incredible academic of the Revolutionary War, but who specializes in borderlands-frontier history from a military/economic perspective, and who has dabbled in Civil War reconstructions of the Revolutionary War. This person probably won't be the best help for you in your own research, but they will probably know someone who can be! Once you establish a dialogue, then you can ask them about questions 2 and 3.

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Getting in touch with a professor is the most important aspect of choosing a graduate program in any specialty. Unlike undergrad, the individual professors and their own research is what determines your graduate path. It is not in your best interest to apply to Harvard's graduate program (as an example) if they do not have a professor who specializes in your field. First, they probably will not accept you because your research interests do not align with anyone in their faculty. Two, even if you are accepted, the support of your advisor/mentor may not be the best for your own research if they do not know the numerous intricacies in your field. Third, history is also about knowing other academics in the field. Even if you study under someone who is unbelievably helpful in the first two points, they may not know the people, conferences, or publications you need to pursue for the most successful academic career possible. In addition, they may not be able to introduce you to crucial opportunities for the development of your own intellectual growth.

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But most importantly, you need to get in contact with the person under whom you intend to study, be it MA or PhD. Once that is done, and you are positive you are applying to that university's graduate program, here are my answers to your questions:

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  1. Depends. If you are confident that you will complete your PhD and that you truly desire the rigorous and demanding program that is graduate school, then I would suggest PhD. PhD programs allow you to have more avenues for acquiring funding (numerous study grants specifically mandate PhD students, and will not provide any funds for MA students). On the other hand, if you are in the "I think I want to do this" category, I would apply for an MA, as then after two years you can re-evaluate if you want to continue to a PhD or finish now with an MA in history and do something else.
  2. This is something you want to ask the professor you emailed. If they say "I think you should provide something more substantial" then write something more substantial. If they think it is fine, then it is fine. It's hard to evaluate a work without seeing it.
  3. Again, ask that specific professor. There are quite a few people in grad schools across the world in their 40s (I knew two myself), who decided to pursue history after doing other things in their life. So I would not exclude yourself based on a lack of a university, historical education.