Turducken, I can't believe I lucked out and found your blog tonight thru PhD webblogs. I'm seriously contemplating a PhD program in Higher Ed or International & Comparative Ed. I finished up my Master's in Higher Ed at Florida State in 2001. My concentration was Student Affairs but I've always found myself on the Academic Affairs side of things and now an really interested in looking at how educational research can inform education policy in developing countries, more specifically small islands states in the Caribbean.
Reading through your blog I see that you attended the CIES conference in Baltimore.
How did you decide on your program? Did you consider a ICE program as well? What are your career plans post PhD? What is the job market like?
Sorry for the long comment but I could figure out how to email you.
Well, I'm not really an international & comparative person. I and several of my fellow students ended up at CIES because we have a required course in international education, and Dr. Heyneman encouraged us to submit our papers to CIES.
Thus I'm not certain about the job market for ICE specifically, but my sense is that it is like the rest of education - there is competition for the best faculty jobs, but there are plenty of other opportunities at NGOs and policy groups. Anyone who goes to a reasonably good program should be able to find a job of some sort that doesn't involve a uniform and a nametag. While I am hoping for a tenure-track job, most of my fellow students are not. Our program wants to push everyone into the faculty role; many students remain unpersuaded.
As far as choosing a program, I highly recommend the book "Getting What You Came For." The lessons I've learned from it and from Vanderbilt are 1) prestige of the program (not the university) matters; 2) don't go unless you're fully funded; 3) go where there are multiple faculty members working in your area. Those, by the way, should be tenured or tenure-track. Really look carefully at the faculty on institutional websites to identify who you'd like to work with, and send them polite emails to establish contact. Visit if you can before the admissions committes makes their decisions, although that may not be fiscally possible.
Thanks muchly. I think I'm heading in the right direction then and looking at the programs and the research interests of the faculty in departments. Diversity of faculty and students is also important to me.
Right now I have no real interest in becoming a faculty member post-graduation but I suppose that could always change. I would much prefer to be in a research role in a think thank or international development agency.
Thanks for your advice. Will definitely see about getting that book.
3 comments:
Turducken,
I can't believe I lucked out and found your blog tonight thru PhD webblogs. I'm seriously contemplating a PhD program in Higher Ed or International & Comparative Ed. I finished up my Master's in Higher Ed at Florida State in 2001. My concentration was Student Affairs but I've always found myself on the Academic Affairs side of things and now an really interested in looking at how educational research can inform education policy in developing countries, more specifically small islands states in the Caribbean.
Reading through your blog I see that you attended the CIES conference in Baltimore.
How did you decide on your program? Did you consider a ICE program as well? What are your career plans post PhD? What is the job market like?
Sorry for the long comment but I could figure out how to email you.
Thanks,
SKM
Well, I'm not really an international & comparative person. I and several of my fellow students ended up at CIES because we have a required course in international education, and Dr. Heyneman encouraged us to submit our papers to CIES.
Thus I'm not certain about the job market for ICE specifically, but my sense is that it is like the rest of education - there is competition for the best faculty jobs, but there are plenty of other opportunities at NGOs and policy groups. Anyone who goes to a reasonably good program should be able to find a job of some sort that doesn't involve a uniform and a nametag. While I am hoping for a tenure-track job, most of my fellow students are not. Our program wants to push everyone into the faculty role; many students remain unpersuaded.
As far as choosing a program, I highly recommend the book "Getting What You Came For." The lessons I've learned from it and from Vanderbilt are 1) prestige of the program (not the university) matters; 2) don't go unless you're fully funded; 3) go where there are multiple faculty members working in your area. Those, by the way, should be tenured or tenure-track. Really look carefully at the faculty on institutional websites to identify who you'd like to work with, and send them polite emails to establish contact. Visit if you can before the admissions committes makes their decisions, although that may not be fiscally possible.
Good luck!
Thanks muchly. I think I'm heading in the right direction then and looking at the programs and the research interests of the faculty in departments. Diversity of faculty and students is also important to me.
Right now I have no real interest in becoming a faculty member post-graduation but I suppose that could always change. I would much prefer to be in a research role in a think thank or international development agency.
Thanks for your advice. Will definitely see about getting that book.
SKM
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