Hey all, a quick question: Can I apply to both the Master’s program and the PhD program in the same department (business) of the same school? I do not seem to see explicit statement on the school’s website saying that this is forbidden, but I still want to check, is this frowned upon? If you could share with me your thoughts or experience on this, that would be great. Thank you!
Sometimes. It depends on the department…if they don’t explicitly say you can’t chances are that you can, technically. However, in some places this is frowned upon - some professors seem to take it as an indicator that you are not serious about one or the other program. In the case of business, the professors may not even know for sure - often PhD admissions are handled by the faculty and MBA admissions are handled by the business school’s admissions office. But sometimes, they do find out.
I did this when applying for Columbia, although this was 10 years ago now. I applied for both the PhD and the MPH in the same department there, reasoning that if I didn’t get into the PhD I would attend an MPH there instead. It wasn’t a problem, but I was asked about it after I was admitted.
You can always ask the department secretary if students are ever considered for the department’s MA programs if they are not admitted to the PhD program.