@brian_gettler@histodons@academicchatter I like Chapnick's line of thought, but I wonder about the practicality of the workload and the timeline. I did my MA in Canada and then moved to a combined MA/PhD program in the US (as an older student, as well) that discouraged terminal masters degrees, and I'm not certain one year to set yourself up as either terminal MA or PhD is enough. Discouraging unfunded PhD applicants is practical, yes, but seems deadly for diversity of ideas and experiences.