Hi,

Apologies in advance about the long post but I would really like to hear your thoughts...

I'm almost half-way through a part-time MRes degree in the social sciences and am pondering my future.

I'd really like to do a PhD but would only be able to do this if I get funding. I got a 2:1 in undergrad and am doing well so far in my Masters at the same university, I'm on course for a Distinction (still need to maintain this, mind, and have got another 3 modules plus dissertation to do next year.)

My research interest though is in quite a narrow research area and it seems that I'll almost certainly get the same dissertation advisor for Masters as for my undergrad degree. The advisor himself is great and is, I suppose, somewhat of a rising star in his field.

But if I do go for a PhD I'm really limited as to where I'd be able to go - my husband is studying until 2016 so I wouldn't be able to move elsewhere until then but also my research interest also limits me. So, you guessed it, I'm potentially looking at the same supervisor for all 3 degrees which I'm sure wouldn't be looked at favourably if I were looking for an academic position afterwards.

My research interest is also in a very 'academic' topic, not in something of direct value to 'real life' as it were.
I'm now starting to wonder whether there's any point in doing the PhD if I can only reasonably doing it at the same uni and it's not something that would be of value in the 'real world'.

It's been suggested that I try and find new interests but I know what I would possibly want to do for PhD so am reluctant to do my Masters dissertation on a different topic.

Not really sure where I'm going with this but some other people's thoughts would be useful.

Thank you :)

Hi there,

Personally I don't think it's a problem at all to have the same supervisor across your three degrees, especially if as you say they're a rising star. You'd just be positioning yourself quite firmly as a young researcher in that specific field. You seem concerned about that maybe in terms of closing off other options, but a positive view of the situation is that being focused on the one topic already should help you when it comes to the phd. If you trust the advisor and the importance of the topic - to the particular academic research community you're trying to engage with, rather than the wider world necessarily - then such focus at this stage could work out great for you!

There are other important things to consider before embarking on a phd however, around motivation and resilience, I'd suggest that if you're half-hearted before hand you're less likely to last the pace, but I'm sure other people will have comments on that too. If you're sure that you want to work in academic research, then the lack of broader applicability of your topic doesn't necessarily matter in my opinion, ok so there will be limited jobs available at the end of it, but being narrowly focused at this stage may in fact help you work yourself into one of them down the line. That's my positive view anyway - others on here may well disagree...

Best of luck with it all!
Maccle

Hi Maccle,

Thanks for that.

It's not that I don't have the passion - I really love my topic, it's just that some other people have said to me that perhaps I've settled on a research area too early and that I'd be better off if I explored my options because, as someone said, "you may not have discovered something else that you really enjoy".
I have been taking classes in other topic areas but the topic that I worked on in my undergrad dissertation is one that has really stuck with me and I'd really like to keep going with it.

I wouldn't say I'm half-hearted, maybe cautious is a better word, also given that I've been suffering from depression on and off for the past two years and so I really want to explore all my options before settling on a decision :)

That passion sounds like a good thing then :) If you're already very interested in the research project and if you do end up getting a funding offer from your current university then in your position I'd say you should go for it, without worrying about uprooting yourself unnecessarily.
I'm just coming to the end of my phd and have been frustrated at times because it's not real-world applicable, and I've decided that I don't want to stay in academia, but on the other hand it's a topic I find interesting in an academic kind of way - and which has its origins in my undergrad and masters work too - so I can say it's been a worthwhile experience for me, and if I did want to apply for research jobs I think my own focused phd path would probably stand me in good stead (again though, I'm sure others will comment on this with more authority than me). Fortunately I've been in a phase of my life where it doesn't matter that I haven't spent the last three years building towards my next career goal though - I'm funded and have enjoyed myself and that's enough for me. If you're set on a research career then I'd have thought that following classes on other topics during your masters as you're doing will help you in terms of giving you a broader perspective on your research, but apart from that having the same topic for masters and phd has worked for me, so I'd recommend it! ;)