Hi everyone, this is my first post so apologies if I'm re-treading a well-covered topic.

Having just completed UCL's Ma Human Rights programme I've been recommended pursuing doctoral study in the US, given the (alleged) better availability of funding and the more comprehensive nature of training involved.

As one would expect, trawling through US university websites, departments, faculty and so forth has been a rather daunting process.

My area of interest is the effects of neoliberal economic policies (eg economic liberalisation, deregulation and privatisation) on the fulfilment of economic and social rights (eg health, education, workers' rights) via quantitative empirical investigation (ie large time-series datasets, regression analysis).

Quantitative investigation of human rights outcomes is an under-developed field and academics producing research are few and far between, mostly operating at non-Ivy League institutions. On the other hand, there are plentiful staff investigating neoliberalism in general at more 'reputable', shall we say, institutions, though not directly in my niche interest area.

Given this, I'm in a quandary...

My question is this: is the reputation of the institution or the line of academic interest of the supervisor of greater importance?

Presumably both will be of importance. I suppose what I'm more getting at is: does one's PhD awarding institution carry enormous weight upon completion? To the same extent that, say, an oxbridge undergraduate degree seems to automatically trump one from an institution lower down on the league tables (at least as far as job applications are concerned)? At this stage I'm thinking, perhaps naively, that I would sooner struggle through a PhD from a well respected institution than receive more support / enthusiasm from a supervisor at a less reputable institution. Post-PhD employment prospects, however regrettable, are a major decisive factor here (given the gargantuan student debt I have hitherto amassed).

I've heard that PhDs in the social sciences are fairly atomised, regardless, so perhaps it isn't THAT important that my supervisor's interests are PERFECTLY concordant with my own? In which case, again, it seems it might be better to apply to reputable institutions over ones housing prospective supervisors whose research is slightly more in resonant with my chosen area of study.

Perhaps I'm missing something/ being an idiot though?

Any feedback would be really, really appreciated.

Cheers


:-)

in my honest opinion? i think the supervisor carries more weight than the institution if the field is *esoteric*. for instance, consider these two possibilies : doing your phd in brown university (ivy league) or toronto university (non-ivy league). at first glance, i'd choose the former. however, if i intend to do my phd on theoretical psychology, then the expert is prof. kukla from toronto. he has written a book on theoretical psychology and considered the guru for this. again, this is just an opinion. can't really cite any journals to support my argumentation. :)

======= Date Modified 24 Oct 2012 13:31:02 =======
I don't know much about your field, or studying in the US, but a few other factors you might like to consider:

- Doing a PhD in the US will probably take you a lot longer than most other places, especially compared to the UK. Bear this in mind with respect to your debt issues.

- As well as supervisor vs institution reputation goes, also factor in department reputation. An average uni with a great department might be better than vice versa. A stellar supervisor in a tiny department might suddenly up sticks, requiring you to follow or cast around for local support which doesn't exist. A larger, well reputed department without such big names might actually be a better environment to undertake a PhD.

- Supervisor accessibility is very important. If they're brilliant but have no time for you, it'll be harder than if you have someone less senior but who is more hands on. If you get a chance, do 'interview' potential supervisors before you commit yourself.

- Do you want to work in academia in the long run, or for an external organisation. If the latter, then make sure your department is outward looking and collaborates with real world organisations, so you get the exposure/contacts. If the former, bear in mind that the academic job market can be suck-y, so don't back yourself into a niche you can't get out of.

Hope this helps (and doesn't make it even more confusing!)

======= Date Modified 30 Oct 2012 13:43:40 =======
============= Edited by a Moderator =============
I really don't know what field are you in and how complicated maybe the situation but in terms of things that I don't really understand but needs decision, I probably just trust my instinct for the right decision.

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