Comments | applyingtograd: Finding Where I Should Apply

ironrat in applyingtograd

Finding Where I Should Apply

Mar 18, 2008 20:49

I'd like to apply to masters programs this fall. What's the best way to find which schools/programs I should apply to ( Read more... )

finding programs, school search, applying

Comments 10

adequaticus March 19 2008, 01:42:07 UTC

Search the literature for topics you like, and see where they came from. Simple...

cosmicwonder March 19 2008, 01:48:59 UTC

I agree with adequaticus about the literature but if you're looking for masters programs, some of the profs in these programs might not be widely published.

When I searched for programs, I went through the US World News Report Top 100 Universities and explored each of their websites. You might also consider going through schools listed by state if you want to stay in the DC area. It is a lot of work, but it is definitely worth it in the long run.

Good luck!

holyschist March 22 2008, 20:24:50 UTC

Really? I don't know about political science, but I wouldn't say that in other fields professors in programs that offer Master's degrees (or even professors in Master's-only programs) publish just as much. They still have to get tenure, and the requirements for that are determined by the department as a whole (which also teaches undergrads and brings in grant money). Professors at liberal arts colleges can sometimes get away with publishing less, but that's irrelevant to a grad school search.

heeroluva March 19 2008, 02:19:34 UTC

http://graduate-school.phds.org/ is a great site to help you look for a program. Pick you major and then you can customize the search based on various criteria.

hkmercredi March 19 2008, 02:32:49 UTC

American Academy of Religion did a survey some years back of universities in the US and Canada that were members. This is a great way to search for programs for religious studies. http://www.aarweb.org/Programs/Department_Services/Find_Departments/Graduate/default.asp

Other than that, look at professors whose research you're interested in. See if the places they work at have grad programs. See where they trained and consider applying there.

sunnybeaches85 March 19 2008, 02:51:57 UTC

This fall? You may have missed a lot of deadlines. But other than that concern, I agree with the above comments, on searching through websites, and literature. Also, you can ask your profs if they know of any schools that match your research interests.

cosmicwonder March 19 2008, 03:03:32 UTC

ironrat is applying this fall, not planning on attending this fall.

ironrat March 19 2008, 03:06:13 UTC

I'm planning to apply this fall/winter to start Fall of '09. I hope I'm not missing deadlines for that...!

cosmicwonder March 19 2008, 15:09:58 UTC

You have plenty of time. The first deadlines are usually in December.