Y'all know that I've worked a long time around #altac #postac #withAPhD issues, but now that I'm directing a #liberalarts MA program, I want to share some thoughts about the niche the MA can fill. 1/x

I've thought for a long time that the master's degree is an under-appreciated (& much more cost/time-efficient) way to gain *much* of what you'd get in a PhD program, with far less problematic baggage. They key is to plan & use the time thoughtfully. 2/x

I don't think my own History MA was particularly well planned. I didn't think ahead about the mix of skills & knowledge I wanted to build. I mostly took a random array of content courses (historiography of various periods) that more or less all involved the same skills. 3/x

My @UNChistory MA was 30 hours (9 courses + thesis). I took 7 US history courses, plus a two-course "grad studies in history" sequence from which I remember almost nothing. Skill-wise, I had to demo "competency" (thru testing) in 1 foreign language (French). 4/x

At the end of courses, I was dumped into the thesis writing semester, where I churned out 100 pages mostly working alone. In the context of a PhD program, all of this felt like just laying groundwork for going on towards doctorate. I don't feel I savored the exp at all. 5/x

Having spent years around #publichistory, tho, I have seen that so much better use can be made of a 30-hour MA program: Intensive skill-building, threaded courses building expertise across disciplines, perhaps related internships or jobs (me? I did temp work in summers). 6/x

And along the way, professional development: networking, extracurricular workshops, conference participation. At the end, you have built a strong launchpad from which to direct your next steps. 7/x

But you have NOT boxed yourself into the narrow corner that a PhD can be. And you have not spent 8-10 years delaying the rest of your life, accumulating debt, prepping for faculty jobs that no longer really exist. 8/x

My year at @DukeGLS has helped me see how the power of the MA can be realized beyond #publichistory. We help our students identify *their own* goals & assemble a curriculum that serves THEM: cd be learning for its own sake, or preparing for a new professional direction. 9/x

Have you thought about doing a #liberalarts PhD, but feel unsure (especially now)? Come to @DukeGLS, explore your interests; build some relevant research, writing, speaking, digital, analytical skills; have a top-notch #gradschool exp. THEN decide if you need a PhD. 10/x

Our deadline for apps for Spring '21 entry is 10/15. Info sessions every Fri morning till then. Learn more and register here: https://liberalstudies.duke.edu/information-sessions 11/fin.