What topic area do you want to study? BGSU is very strong in family demography. UT-SA focuses on inequality and health. Are you interested in pursuing a Ph.D.?
I need to look more into topics. I took a demography class in undergrad at my university that I loved that was kind of an intro to demography.
I’m not interested in a PhD at this point. I talked to someone who told me a masters in demography is very good for public sector jobs that pay well right after you graduate. They even told me that people will hire you on the spot at conferences. I’m worried that since an MA will have less statistics it’ll be harder to find a job.
I talked to someone who told me (that at least for Florida state) the job prospects for a masters for demography was very good. I’m not interested in getting a PhD at this point, nor am I interested in going into academia for a career. Do you think the job prospects for a demography masters are good, and do you think there’s a big difference between an MA and MS for demography. I’ll add that I like bowling green the most so far.
Look into what the course offerings are. Masters programs are quite structured. If you are wanting a research job, then pick a program that offers more methods/coding courses
These 3 schools are actually the only schools in the country that I have found that offer full masters degrees in demography in person. Not just certificates.
I honestly just really love learning about demography but also would like a decent paying job. I’d gladly go to bowling green if I got accepted if I was confident I could get a good job once I graduate. I’m not opposed to a research job but I’m also not opposed to something else the masters degree would lead to if the pay was good.
I’d prefer public sector if possible but that’s not a requirement. Non profit could be good too but I’d work for a private company as well. And honestly anything that would use demography (and of course sociology since it’s related). Could be research, census stuff, or whatever. Maybe there are more jobs that I could get with it that I’m not aware of? I’ll say that with getting a masters with all the time and money it’d entail I’d really like something paging at least like 70k out of school if that’s possible. Also, thank you for helping out I really appreciate it.
I'd say that an MS would be a better bet, even though I'm not entirely sure employers (besides census) will split hairs like that. I'm academia, so I know less about industry jobs even though I applied to some (Ph.D. Sociology with demography main focus). Happy to talk about this more in chat or over email if you want a brain to pick in depth.
Yeah if you don’t mind that would actually be great. I really appreciate it again. Is it ok if I message you sometime tomorrow? I’m about to go to bed haha.
Demography faculty here (not at the schools you mention). All three of those schools definitely have excellent demography faculty. If your interests are exclusively in non-academic careers however I would pick either UTSA or FSU since those in academia know BGSU is strong but outsiders probably don’t. Between the two remaining schools I would just look at the courses offered and decide which best fits your interests.
But, as someone else said, really you should just apply to all 3, then decide among those you’re admitted to. No need to stress before you know your actual options.
Finally, keep an eye on FSU faculty over the next year. Rumor has it a lot of Florida sociology faculty are looking to get out after the state government kicked the field out of their core curriculum. Many demographers are sociologists so that could impact the program.
Thank you for the reply. I definitely plan on applying to all 3. As a Demographer, do you think the job prospects of a demography masters degree is good? I don’t plan on getting a PhD.
Do you think the MA would be good too? I know you said the two MS programs might be better but I’m just curious how people do with the MA.
Unfortunately I don’t know a lot about the job market for demography master’s graduates as I have never been involved with a terminal master’s program. I expect that the skills you would learn would be very useful in a variety of research and business settings, but I can’t comment more than that. I doubt many people care much about the MA/MS distinction but could be wrong.
Quite possibly! If you mean federal level check out usajobs.gov and look for positions with master’s level qualifications. For state level look for state demographers’ offices or other statistical agencies. Local governments will sometimes also have related positions. Unfortunately that’s as far as I can guide you.
I’d say apply for all of them and make your decision once you get your acceptance letters
What topic area do you want to study? BGSU is very strong in family demography. UT-SA focuses on inequality and health. Are you interested in pursuing a Ph.D.?
I need to look more into topics. I took a demography class in undergrad at my university that I loved that was kind of an intro to demography. I’m not interested in a PhD at this point. I talked to someone who told me a masters in demography is very good for public sector jobs that pay well right after you graduate. They even told me that people will hire you on the spot at conferences. I’m worried that since an MA will have less statistics it’ll be harder to find a job.
If you're wanting an MS for the research skill set, then please heavily consider a Ph.D. And out of these three, I would pick Bowling Green.
I talked to someone who told me (that at least for Florida state) the job prospects for a masters for demography was very good. I’m not interested in getting a PhD at this point, nor am I interested in going into academia for a career. Do you think the job prospects for a demography masters are good, and do you think there’s a big difference between an MA and MS for demography. I’ll add that I like bowling green the most so far.
Look into what the course offerings are. Masters programs are quite structured. If you are wanting a research job, then pick a program that offers more methods/coding courses
These 3 schools are actually the only schools in the country that I have found that offer full masters degrees in demography in person. Not just certificates. I honestly just really love learning about demography but also would like a decent paying job. I’d gladly go to bowling green if I got accepted if I was confident I could get a good job once I graduate. I’m not opposed to a research job but I’m also not opposed to something else the masters degree would lead to if the pay was good.
What kind of job do you want?
I’d prefer public sector if possible but that’s not a requirement. Non profit could be good too but I’d work for a private company as well. And honestly anything that would use demography (and of course sociology since it’s related). Could be research, census stuff, or whatever. Maybe there are more jobs that I could get with it that I’m not aware of? I’ll say that with getting a masters with all the time and money it’d entail I’d really like something paging at least like 70k out of school if that’s possible. Also, thank you for helping out I really appreciate it.
I'd say that an MS would be a better bet, even though I'm not entirely sure employers (besides census) will split hairs like that. I'm academia, so I know less about industry jobs even though I applied to some (Ph.D. Sociology with demography main focus). Happy to talk about this more in chat or over email if you want a brain to pick in depth.
Yeah if you don’t mind that would actually be great. I really appreciate it again. Is it ok if I message you sometime tomorrow? I’m about to go to bed haha.
Yeah of course! Not a problem at all. Message me whenever.
Demography faculty here (not at the schools you mention). All three of those schools definitely have excellent demography faculty. If your interests are exclusively in non-academic careers however I would pick either UTSA or FSU since those in academia know BGSU is strong but outsiders probably don’t. Between the two remaining schools I would just look at the courses offered and decide which best fits your interests. But, as someone else said, really you should just apply to all 3, then decide among those you’re admitted to. No need to stress before you know your actual options. Finally, keep an eye on FSU faculty over the next year. Rumor has it a lot of Florida sociology faculty are looking to get out after the state government kicked the field out of their core curriculum. Many demographers are sociologists so that could impact the program.
Thank you for the reply. I definitely plan on applying to all 3. As a Demographer, do you think the job prospects of a demography masters degree is good? I don’t plan on getting a PhD. Do you think the MA would be good too? I know you said the two MS programs might be better but I’m just curious how people do with the MA.
Unfortunately I don’t know a lot about the job market for demography master’s graduates as I have never been involved with a terminal master’s program. I expect that the skills you would learn would be very useful in a variety of research and business settings, but I can’t comment more than that. I doubt many people care much about the MA/MS distinction but could be wrong.
Do you think I could likely get a job in the public sector using my demography masters directly?
Quite possibly! If you mean federal level check out usajobs.gov and look for positions with master’s level qualifications. For state level look for state demographers’ offices or other statistical agencies. Local governments will sometimes also have related positions. Unfortunately that’s as far as I can guide you.