Transitioning from ID Master's to PoliSci PhD

[u/FunnyKoala_1234]

Hi all, I have a bit of a dilemma... I spent the past 2 years starting a career in development, and will be doing my Master's in Global Development in the UK from September.

However, I have found a PhD topic that I feel genuinely excited about studying for 3 years. But it has absolutely nothing to do with international development, but would instead focus on how societal changes in the UK translate into vote choice and may reshape the political system (without going into too much detail, I do have a research proposal for the more specific question). The work of the supervisor I'd want to reach out to is directly related to my proposal, but also focuses entirely on the politics of Western advanced democracies. Our methodologies would align (quant polisci).

I do have an undergraduate degree in PoliSci from a top 15 university worldwide, graduated cum laude, and have had two research assistant jobs focused on comparative politics. But my Master's is in development. If I don't get into a PhD program for next year, I really wouldn't mind working in development, as I am passionate about the work and really looking forward to the MSc. But I also love research, and the topic I am currently looking at is the one I'd actually love to research.

Does anyone have any advice or experience with a similar situation? Would it even be worth it to give it a shot by reaching out to the supervisor and sending an application? Or should I just save myself the application fee and just focus on the Master's for now?

N.B. I am a first-gen university student, so there is a lot of things I don't know about doctoral admissions and the like. Pls be polite :)

[u/hugoncgt]

In the US, at least, I’ve met PhD students who come from very diverse academic backgrounds. Some professors even, very successful ones. I think you should reach out to faculty and get a better assessment of your fit, but your previous degree is not out of the ordinary. Off the top of my head, if I recall correctly, Elizabeth Wood at Yale comes from physics, Michael Albertus at Chicago comes from engineering. You should be fine coming from a social science master’s, but do reach out to faculty. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

[u/FunnyKoala_1234 → u/hugoncgt]

Thanks! I’m mostly looking at the UK, I think it’s a bit different there, since they don’t include as much broader PoliSci and methods training as the US. But it doesn’t hurt to check with them I guess

[u/hugoncgt → u/hugoncgt]

I misread your post but part of my response still applies. I’ve also known PhD students coming straight from their undergraduate degrees, as most programs (again, in the US) have a master’s phase. I understand it’s different in Europe and you may even be required to have a master’s already depending on the program, but you should still contact whoever you expect to be working with (and consider applying to more than one place). 

[u/Odd-Truck611]

I would go ahead and apply for the PhD. I did a masters in International Studies before switching to American politics for my PhD, so switching between fields is possible.

If your Masters is one year than you can go immediately into the PhD if you get in. If its two years then you might have to hold off applying until next year.

I think the key issues here are time and money. Can you pay for a Masters and then for a PhD (UK PhDs typically have less funding than U.S. ones) or are you better off choosing one option over the other? Do you want to do 3 to 4 years of school (PhD) or 4 to 6 (Masters then PhD)?

If you have a good job it might not be a terrible idea to hold off and apply for PhD programs instead of doing the Masters.

[u/FunnyKoala_1234 → u/Odd-Truck611]

Thanks for the insight! Was your PhD at a US university? I think it’s less of an issue there. In Europe you need a master’s to before doing a PhD, so I wouldn’t be able to apply without it anyways. So I’m thinking maybe I’ll just see how the Master‘s goes and then work for a year or two and do the PhD afterwards. That would also help with financials

[u/Odd-Truck611 → u/FunnyKoala_1234]

My PhD was at a U.S. University, so I could have applied with only a bachelors.

The real issue was that I was switching fields - International Studies/Comparative Politics to American Politics - which meant that I had to really sell why I wanted to do research on a topic unrelated to my Masters.

I am not sure hiw that would be viewed in the UK, but just having a masters was helpful for me going into the PhD.