To do a thesis or not?

[charlsye]

Hi everyone

Comments

[charlsye]

I'm looking primarily at US institutions like UNC Chapel Hill and University of Florida.

[uglyface2]

Sorry to derail, but how do you monetize a major like that? I ask because I'm sitting on a BA in Political Science that's not doing me a bit of good, and maybe someone in a similar field would know what they're doing and could give advice.

[charlsye]

I'm not quite sure what you're asking? What I'm doing is closer to Sociology than it is to Political Science...

[uglyface2]

I suppose what I'm asking is how to monetize an arts degree. Or is Sociology considered a science?

[charlsye]

Uh, well, I plan on becoming a professor. Is that what you're asking?

[lostreality]

I'm a sociology prof at a school that has a sociology MA but not a PhD program, and the commonly agreed upon wisdom around here is that if you want to go on to a phd program, you do the thesis option.

[tangerine42]

I'm a second year M.A. student in religious studies and women and gender studies, and my profs and advisors have strongly suggested doing a thesis if I want to go do a Ph.D.

[lissiehoya]

What are you working on? I'm in a historical theology PhD program working on early modern Christianity and I'm looking into using a feminist / women's / gender history model for my dissertation's methodology so I'm just curious.

[lifeofbai]

Do the thesis. It will probably not help that much strictly in terms of admissions (there are literally TONS of applicants who have written senior/honors/Masters theses, and plenty of folks who have not done them get admitted). But it will definitely give you a better idea of what academic research entails and would give you a better sense as to what you would like to specialize in as a scholar. So it would be a really good experience in that respect.

[negcap]

The mere fact of having done the thesis will not directly matter, but the experience of having done so, and perhaps being able to use the product as a writing sample that demonstrates your ability to do in-depth research, will make a huge difference.

I also hate to say it, but if I were looking at a pile of applications from people from MA programs with a thesis option, I would wonder why, if someone were applying to a Ph.D. program, which culminates in a book-length dissertation, the person had not taken that option.

[lifeofbai]

The latter point depends on field too. In my field (mathematics), not having done a MS thesis isn't necessarily a bad thing, since PhD programs don't expect you to become an expert academic researcher in math in two years, unless you devote your full attention to just primarily research (if you also have to focus primarily on coursework for two years in an MS program, then it can really difficult to become good at math academic research). But I could see how other fields like humanities would strongly prefer MA applicants who have written a thesis. So for the OP, it is certainly wise to do the thesis. :)

- Ray

[hesitate]

i agree. i did a course-work based MA and while it wasn't viewed as a strictly terminal route, i would be much less focused and prepared if i had to go on to the phd. i know that several of my colleagues who took the same non-thesis option were accepted to their choice phd programs without issue, though (well-known canadian universities). it's great for the experience, but if you're quite focused at this point it's possible to do course-work as purely prep for your phd dissertation. keep the end goal in mind and make sure anything you can do between now and then will help you reach that goal. if you do the non-thesis route, gear each of your selected topics or focus areas towards what your phd will specialize on.