So Confused
I've been doing a lot of research on PhD programs so I can apply at the end of the year. I thought I had it all figured out: find a program strong in terrorism which is what I would like to study and apply there. Honestly, where the program was did not matter as long as I was able to secure full funding. Bear has the sort of job where he could live practically anywhere in the country and we could always rent our house out if we could not sell it. Sounds easy, right?
Ha.
After a few weeks of research I noticed that criminal justice does not seem to embrace anything other than homeland security at the moment. That would be fine if that's what I wanted, but it isn't. I'm more interested in international terrorism, especially religious terrorism. So I send a few inquires out to some scholars in the field asking "what should I do?" The universal response: don't do criminal justice but instead international relations with a focus on international security studies. Heck, I didn't even know such an option existed.
OK, change of course.
So I started looking into PhD programs in that field and sent a few inquires to scholars at some of the top schools in the country. Their response: an MA in international relations or security studies might be a better option. A PhD is a huge time commitment, taking- 6 years depending on how you go about it. Plus the only reason to get a PhD is to go into teaching or research. There are a lot of jobs out there that only require an MA. So now I'm looking into that option. While the idea of a THIRD master's degree is not an appealing choice, especially since I'm more than likely to get nada in funding, it might be the path I'm going to go into. However, this is going to change the options slightly as I'll try to find a school in the northeast. There are a number of top schools in NYC as well as down in DC. If I did the latter though, that would require me to live down there for most of the week and come home on weekends but it is doable. Not my ideal sort of situation but if necessary I would do it.
The rest of my summer is winding down before vacation. My grad class ended last week so I'm just patiently awaiting my final grade. My summer teaching classes have gotten a bit better. The more whiny ones have either dropped or shut up so I'm enjoying myself more. Just hanging in until the end of next week so I can enjoy my three weeks off.
Ha.
After a few weeks of research I noticed that criminal justice does not seem to embrace anything other than homeland security at the moment. That would be fine if that's what I wanted, but it isn't. I'm more interested in international terrorism, especially religious terrorism. So I send a few inquires out to some scholars in the field asking "what should I do?" The universal response: don't do criminal justice but instead international relations with a focus on international security studies. Heck, I didn't even know such an option existed.
OK, change of course.
So I started looking into PhD programs in that field and sent a few inquires to scholars at some of the top schools in the country. Their response: an MA in international relations or security studies might be a better option. A PhD is a huge time commitment, taking- 6 years depending on how you go about it. Plus the only reason to get a PhD is to go into teaching or research. There are a lot of jobs out there that only require an MA. So now I'm looking into that option. While the idea of a THIRD master's degree is not an appealing choice, especially since I'm more than likely to get nada in funding, it might be the path I'm going to go into. However, this is going to change the options slightly as I'll try to find a school in the northeast. There are a number of top schools in NYC as well as down in DC. If I did the latter though, that would require me to live down there for most of the week and come home on weekends but it is doable. Not my ideal sort of situation but if necessary I would do it.
The rest of my summer is winding down before vacation. My grad class ended last week so I'm just patiently awaiting my final grade. My summer teaching classes have gotten a bit better. The more whiny ones have either dropped or shut up so I'm enjoying myself more. Just hanging in until the end of next week so I can enjoy my three weeks off.
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