I am currently finishing the first semester of my M.A degree / in the process of doing a couple of PhD applications.

I am also thinking about applying to a second M.A program as a backup, in case that I dont get into the two PhD programs I am applying to.

I was wondering if the M.A degree I am currently doing will be considered if I decided to apply to a second M.A?

Any feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Hey there

At my uni you can apply to do an MPhil and if it is good enough get it upgraded to a PhD (this happens approx half-way through the MPhil). It is definitely a strategy worth taking if you want to end up with a PhD. Just make sure you get a supervisor who is sympathetic to your ambitions.

What would doing a second MA get for you? Is it to retrain in a different area? Otherwise I can't really see the advantage of doing one myself, and surely there is a considerable cost.

I'd recommend applying to more PhD programs. If you are self-funded and meet the minimum requirements it should be easy to get in. If you are applying for funding you may need to apply to more than just two PhD places to be successful.

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I am limiting myself to a geographical area so that I do not have to move away from home and take on additional costs.

Within this area I only rate the two PhD programs I am applying to.

The second masters would be a last case scenario (if I dont get into the two aforementioned PhD programs). I figure it gives me another year to build up my credentials before I reapply for PhD.

The cost is also limited, I actually have made money so far through my current M.A (scholarship/teaching assistantship), so I guess it is not a big deal.

I am just wondering if my current M.A would help me get into a second M.A program?

Hi Pizarr,

Just like Lolande pointed out, instead of a second MA the easy route to a PhD is through an Mphil which is normally like a first stage of any PhD (in my uni, irrespective of any Masters you may hold, your first year is always an Mphil year). This is so that you know whether or not PhD is right for you and for your uni to determine whether or not your research topic has potential to contribute to 'knowledge'.

Also, I think as mentioned above, what do you sincerely hope to achieve from your second MA? Is this so that you can be easily accepted unto a PhD program? If that's the case, then I would advise that you register for an Mphil instead or apply straight to as many universities as possible. I think you should be flexible with location as well because sometimes during the cause of your research, you may have to go to conferences, visit other countries to present your papers or pilot studies. Mind you, you really don't have to be in uni everyday and some universities allow you to work from home, so I don't think 'reasonable' distance should be a deterrent to applying to as many universities as possible.

I hope I have helped in my own little way?

D

I did two Masters - the first one (1996-98) was purely for fun. I had finished my professional qualifications and wanted to do some mroe studying so i found an MA in a regional studies subject I was interested in and did that (picking all the geography & politics optiosn rather than history and literature). Although it was part-time (3 evening a week for first year, 1 evening a week second year) and I was working full time in a farily full on job (and was pregnant for most of the second year - handed dissertation in three weeks before delivery) I got a distinction. I really enjoyed studying but the time wasn't right for me to do a PhD (new baby, returning work etc plus my tutor (who had a profound effect on me) died from the cancer he battled all the time I knew him).
Fast forward to 2004 - another baby (born in 2000) and we have moved out of London. I decided that an acadmeic career was what I wnated but i was realistic enough to realise I wouldn't get a job straight away so to get a foot in the door I went and did an MSc in a more applied subject with a view to either using it in my family's business or as a stepping stone to an academic career. When I went to interview the course leader (becuase I already had a dsitinction in my MA I didn't need an interview to be accepted but I said I wanted to find out more) she asked why if I already had an MA did I want to do the MSc as I could start a research degree. I decided however that as it had been a few years since I had done my MA that I would do the MSc. Also I had no idea what I wanted to do my PhD in (I had several years previousl been offered a place by the MA politics lecturer but I was sure I didn't want to do political history even though I loved it for one year part time). So I did the MSc. I was lucky enough to get some sessional work which led to a full time post. I still didn't know what I wanted to do my PhD in.
I was lucky - I could afford it (when I did the MA I had a very good job and when I did the MSc I had a redundancy package). Was it the right thing to do - for me probably but I think I would probably have a better job nearer home if I had gone down the MPhil to PhD route instead of the MSc one (and would have finished or been close to finishing now). But having taken a long time to find my topic (with at least three that were abandonded after about 3 months each) I love it and am happy with what I am doing.

For me the MA and the MSc were in different areas (although there was a slight link between my MA dissertation and my MSc) and I saw the MSc as retraining (whereas the MA was just for fun)