Concurrent MA and PhD programs at different universities?

Question

I was accepted into an MA in economics at a very prestigious school without funding and a PhD in politics at a reputable state school with full funding/stipend. My intended research in the PhD program is political behavior/behavioral economics, and the MA training would probably enhance my PhD research as it covers formal economic knowledge that wouldn't be covered in my PhD studies + more rigorous than the economics classes available at the state school. Would it be possible to complete both programs simultaneously, e.g. take a 1-year deferral from the MA, start the PhD, and then start the MA as a 2nd year PhD when there is more teaching/research and not as many classes left to attend?

Obviously, if I go through with this, I will make sure that both programs are ok with this, so my question is more about the feasibility of studying in 2 programs simultaneously and completing them successfully. The universities are within 2 hours commute from each other, so it is feasible from the perspective of commute. The MA is not as research-focused, so it's basically attending classes and taking exams.

As a side note - yes, I have a major FOMO about not having a fancy diploma from a prestigious university. It's just that, given the competitive state of PhD admissions, it seems dumb to give up on a top-30 PhD program that aligns perfectly with my interests (and seems quite eager to have me too).

Answer 1

If your combination of graduate programs will let you pursue some combination of deferrals I suppose it's not illegal to complete both programs in some interleaved fashion, but you absolutely should not expect to work on both at the same time at any point. I fear you are trying to come up with this solution mostly to avoid making a decision between them; I don't think that's a good approach.

If I understand your proposed timeline correctly, it seems like you think that for the PhD degree you'll have a busy first couple years with classes, and then once those are over it's easy sailing and you can complete your masters requirements while you do your research on the side.

I think this is entirely misunderstanding the demands of a PhD and research. It's a lot of work, a full-time job for most, more than a full-time job for many (whether by internal or external pressures).

I think you are also misunderstanding the value of courses applied to PhD research. PhD research is so specialized and boundary-pushing that courses do not really help the PhD beyond a certain point. It's not likely you're going to have a higher-quality PhD because you completed a few extra masters courses; your PhD is going to be pushing past what any courses can possibly provide and if it's not then it's not a proper PhD. I think this is a really great diagram of what a PhD means that I originally saw on a different answer here:

original credit: Matt Might:

The masters degree creates a bit of foundation, but a bit more foundation there does very little to help with that push at the boundary. If you want to continue in an academic career, you'll be competing with people who spent all their time pushing that boundary and their time learning on reading papers specific to their particular area of the boundary and other adjacent areas to help solve their specific problem. You can't replace that with more masters-level courses.

If you want a career outside of academia specifically, this site is probably not the best place to look for advice, but it's possible the masters degree with a fancy name will serve you as well or better than a PhD. If it comes to picking one or the other, that decision will have to depend on your personal career goals and you'll want to get advice from places besides just here. I do not think it's likely that the benefits will come from increased rigor at a fancy named school, though; reputable state schools are just as likely to have rigorous coursework. You may be even more likely to be taught by an actual professor rather than a fellow graduate student, but this will vary by course and school.

Answer 2

This is likely a bad idea:

• You say your MS is without funding. Does this mean you're paying tuition? If so, that's a lot of money, and your field is not particularly lucrative after graduation.
• PhDs are a lot of work, and so are master's degrees. Doing both at once is a lot. A two-hour commute is also a lot: two hours each way five days a week is 20 hours/week; that's another part-time job. Even one-hour each way two days a week is a nontrivial amount of time.
• As Bryan's excellent answer points out, an extra master's probably won't help you that much. Academics care about your research more than your credentials, and non-academics will care about the fact that you have a PhD and your useful skills. Neither will give much weight to your master's once you have a PhD in the same field.
• Your PhD program might not be "fancy," but it sounds like it's a serious program, so I would expect it to be competitive. Further, the second year is really make-or-break for your reputation. It would be better to spend 60 hours/week on your research for that year, rather than 30 on your research and 30 on your master's (or more likely, since there will be difficult exams, 15 on your research and 45 on your master's).

Now to your point...

the MA training would probably enhance my PhD research as it covers formal economic knowledge that wouldn't be covered in my PhD studies + more rigorous than the economics classes available at the state school

I suspect your state school offers economics classes, and as a PhD, you should have the necessary skills to close any rigor gap without taking formal classes.

If you think I'm wrong, I would suggest you discuss this with someone in your field -- either your new advisor/graduate director, or someone at your current institution, if you're still in college. But I wouldn't just frame the conversation as "is this allowed"; instead, I would describe why you think this is a good idea (the economics part, not the "fancy names are fancy" part) and ask if they agree.

Answer 3

I did this. I would not recommend it. I had a full time job, kids, a wife, and was enrolled in an MS program at one school (online, at least) while completing a PhD dissertation at my alma mater.

It was difficult, and that did not include a separate commute or courses at my PhD school, which thankfully I had already completed.

I would definitely not do what you are suggesting. The benefits from a PhD from a top-30 school are likely to exceed those from an MS from a top-(<30) school, so I would do that.

Answer 4

On one hand, if you can survive a MA at a prestigious university without funding, i.e. with your money and loans, it means you are rich or rich enough to get a loan, it will be easier to get a job to pay back the loan through your connections and your alumni (what do you pay a lot of money for, otherwise?). If you can afford it and you are willing to indirectly preserve the current state of affairs, with students put under mental stress by the combinatoin of debt and social pressure of clinging on the circular reputation benefits produced from big names university and their alumni associations, put your FOMO to rest and go ahead, you will get a job, research and progress will be taken care by badly-paid immigrants led by psycopathic professors.

If, on the other hand, you are at or below the median wealth class, it is worthwhile to consider that a PhD is a funded opportunity, at least you can survive in a world of badly-paid workers led by psycopathic professors. As a plan B you will likely be accepted without funding by the prestigious university in 2 years from now if things with your PhD goes south, and you will find the exams much easier (you know, in 2 years of PhD you will be exposed to many more topics you can possibly adsorb, so your brain will become very efficient) and as you exit your PhD you will be a bit more independent from alumni and family wealth to get a job (or you will be in the academic lottery).

Answer 5

You state yourself that it seems unwise to give up a place on a fully-funded PhD at a top 30 institution, so it seems you have answered your own question. However, you cannot simultaneously complete each degree. You will not, or should not, have enough time to complete both forms of study at the same time if you are doing it correctly. In fact, universities are very strict in terms of admissions and they usually have regulations in place to prevent students from undertaking too many hours to prevent needless academic failure. Typically, you would not be able to study at two institutions at once and must complete one before proceeding to another course. This rule is in place for a reason as you would more than likely fail. Therefore, you must make a decision.

Alternatively, you could ask to do an integrated PhD course in which you need to complete an MA and pass all of your assessments before proceeding to the PhD if you lack confidence in your ability to complete the PhD, or you believe your previous study is not relevant enough to your current subject area.

As for giving up an opportunity to study at an elite school, a top 30 institution for your subject area will still be very beneficial for your employment opportunities even if the institution is not ivy league or Russell Group (don't know which country you are from). On the other hand, if you are determined to do the master's at the elite university and feel you are not ready to move onto a PhD then you can reapply to a programme after or near its completion. It wouldn't decrease your chances of securing another place if you do well.

You are the only person that can make this decision for yourself, but you must first consider your motivations for study and make an appropriate decision which would benefit you the most rather than studying for this master's, or PhD, for superficial reasons.