no terminal MA.....what do you do?

<p>I have seen quite a few grad programs that satisfy my interests....all is great untill I get to the part that says, "students are not normally admitted for a terminal MA degree, but may earn one during their persuit of the PhD by doing a Masters thesis"</p>

<p>Well, that's fine and dandy for those who want to get a doctorate, but what about those of us who do not want a doctorate? Since they "normally' do not accent students for a terminal MA, this means that my chances of getting accepted would be slim to none already without even factoring my undergrad stats and achievements. </p>

<p>This is true for many of th eprograms tha thave caught my eye...I guess because most people who get into linguistics and languages and that sort of thing go into academia....I want to go into government instead...I don't want to teach or do academic research as career so I don't want to get a PhD.</p>

<p>Should I try to apply to some of these programs anyway? Should I apply as a PhD candidate and then withdraw after completing reqs for a MA? Should I just solely concentrate on the programs I have already found that offer terminal MA though their areas of focus are not exactly what I am interested in compared to the toher programs?</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

<p>NO NO and NO. DO NOT apply for a phd program if you dont want one! there are terminal masters programs out there.</p>

<p>You need to continue to hunt for a program. You absolutely do not want to apply for a Ph.D. program if you don't want one. What you need to do is search for schools that do offer an M.A. in your field and apply there.</p>

<p>I have found a bunch of programs that offer terminal MA programs but they are not exactly focused in my areas of interests and they are not exactly where I want to be location-wise (there are, of course a few exceptions).</p>

<p>I don't want to go for a PhD with the intent of only getting a MA, but the thought popped in my head as a kind of "last resort" if I don't find what I want in th eprograms I have alrady discovered with terminal MAs. Yeah, you're right, I shouldn't even pupt myself through that process and waste the time of my profs who would be writing my letters of rec and also the time of those techng an dmentoring me thinking I would go all the way.</p>

<p>Do you think I should still apply to schools but STATINT explicitly that I would liek to do a terminal MA and why I like their program over others + why I want t o just get a MA? Afterall, they say the "normally do not admit...etc etc" but there is the implication that they will make exceptions with good reason....I'm just wondering, would it be worth it to apply anyway (again mentioning my prefs in the statement of purpose) or just leave it alone? I just want to find the "right" program and that's just so hard when you just want to get a MA......</p>