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[gatank]

I just finished my first year of a PhD program last year at a mediocre state school.  The only problem is that it is the same school that I went for undergraduate.  After researching it more, I think I should switch to another school.  I tried to justify it last year (knew the advisors, already here, I will just network more, can do something other than academia for a while, etc.) but I really want a tt position, so I don't want to do anything that will make that harder.  Is it even possible to transfer schools once you have started your Phd?  How do schools view it if you transfer? 

[dr_crankypants]

It is certainly possible to switch programs, especially if there is no bad blood at your former institution (it's more difficult if, say, your advisor in your previous program had you kicked out).  People understand that your interests change, or that you simply found a better fit in a program.  I don't think it would raise flags for anyone, unless you switched from a well-ranked institution to a more poorly ranked one.  And, while you may be asked about it in the future, you can certainly explain it pretty easily. 

The bigger issue, though, is that staying at your undergrad institution will do far more to damage your TT chances than switching would.  Academics don't look very favorably on candidates who have gotten all their degrees in the same place.  It's more palatable when the student did all the degrees at an institution like Harvard, or when the graduate program is clearly one of the best programs for that person's subfield.  However, doing both at a "mediocre state school" is certainly going to be a problem.  It won't rule you out of all positions, but some people will be more prone to think you're intellectually unadventurous, not well-rounded, etc...  Going to another institution offers you the chance to encounter new ideas, methodologies, and ways of thinking.  You might do a search for this topic--it's been discussed quite a bit before, and you can see the range of responses that people give to the issue of double degrees--but I can tell you now that the responses were generally very unfavorable. 

So, the long and short of it is that staying is far more likely to cause a problem in the future than switching. 

[slacey]

I transferred Ph.D. programs after a couple of years at one institution.  It wasn't that difficult, although I would have preferred to have turned that time into a Masters degree.  I had done enough research, but I was short some coursework.  What has made all the difference to me is that I was able to publish from that first experience, and my advisor from the first institution writes one of my recommendation letters.   The transfer thing has never really come up during job interviews and hasn't held me back, as far as I can tell.  But I made the move to a program that was a lot more prestigous than where I started.  I lost some time, but it was worth it.  Talk the situation over with your current advisor/mentors - perhaps they will have advice on how to make a smooth transition.

[seniorscholar]

Since you've finished one year, you would not be able to be admitted to any decent doctoral program to begin before fall 2007. Is it possible to take a master's degree from your current school? (We will give a master's "in progress" to anyone in the doctoral program, and often recommend that people do it even if they are continuing so they have the credential to get a CC job while writing the dissertation if need be.) In our doctoral program, due to the university graduate school rules, we can accept only 9 hours of credit done at another university *unless* the person has a master's degree; then we can accept towards the PhD whatever number of credits the department agrees upon. (In my department, the number is 18 -- we find that people need to do three semesters of course work here in order to put together a good dissertation committee. But it's different in the sciences, where finding the one perfect supervisor matters more than having a range of experiences with three people to create a good committee.)

In other words, you might do better by continuing at your current school towards a Master's degree while you research and apply to other doctoral schools. I agree that having both your Bachelor's and Doctoral degrees from the same school, unless it is truly world-class, will leave you under an almost insurmountable handicap in the job market.

That is: unless the doctoral students from field at your state university almost all get positions at local community colleges, or in a particular local industry, or have some other accepted path to work.

[monkfish]

In my field it is fairly common for students to do their MA at one school and then switch. Sometimes it is a way to work your way up the ranks, other times it is a lateral move because you want to work with particular faculty members or use particular resources (or for personal reasons such as partners, weather, etc.). Unless the student burns some bridges in the transfer process, it does not reflect poorly upon him or her.

And as Dr_crankypants said, getting all your degrees at one institution may be seen as suspect, unless that school is miles above all other universities in that particular field. But those situations are very very rare.

[snowbound]

Getting all your degrees at one non-Ivy institution is not an insurmountable problem.  I surmounted it.  For family reasons, I had to stay at my BA school thru PhD. It was a good flagship state school--presumably better than OP's "mediocre" school, but certainly not Harvard.  I got a TT job in English right after finishing my diss, while many of my talented grad school buddies have not been so fortunate.

However, I'm sure my lack of school variety was a strike against me, and probably put me out of the running for a number of jobs.  I did make up for my no-school-variety in other ways, like good publication record, v strong recommendations, having sub-specialties that let me fill certain niches.  And sheer luck helps too.

So, despite surmountability of the problem, OP should change schools if at all possible.  He/she will hopefully end up with better mentorship too.  I cannot understand why none of her professors clued her into the disadvantages of staying at Mediocre U before she even started her grad program!

[gatank]

Thank you for the advice.  At this point, I certainly intend on transfering.  I did get an Masters at another school, but it is not completly in the same field as my PhD.  My advisors at the school I am at now told me that it would actually be a good thing to do undergrad and PhD there because I would be able to make such good connections/bonds and that the school itself was greatly improving its reputation in the field that I am in.  But I talked with a professor I had in undergrad who has since retired and he told me that it was not a good plan to stay (unfortunatly he was out of the country when I was applying).  He says he will help me with the transfer process now.  Do I need to craft my application any differently if I am applying as a transfer student rather than a new PhD student?  Do I need to explain why I want to leave the school that I am at?

[adhoc]

... I did get an Masters at another school ...

I wonder if this, perhaps, makes a significant difference in how this question should be answered?  It is possible to go directly into a Ph.D. program with a BS and I, at least, interpreted your OP as meaning that that is what you did.  I always understood the "problem" to be having all of one's degrees from the same institution.  That is not your situation, however, and I would think that would mitigate the same institution "stigma."  Anyone else with thoughts on this?

[gatank]

So would the stigma still exist if I got a Masters from a different school even though it was a different field?

[mountainguy]

gatank, it sounds like you have several viable options here.

It sounds like your circumstances would be favorable for a transfer, if that's what you choose to pursue. It sounds like you have the support of some of your professors and a good record to go along with it. A friend of mine transferred programs about a year ago, and her experience was that most other graduate programs were very honest with her about whether or not they would be willing to consider a tranfer applicant.

On the other side of the equation, I think that the "don't get all of your degrees from the same school" mantra gets a bit overblown at times. It would put you at a disadvantage on the job market, but I do know of other people who've been able to overcome that obstacle. I think the key is to demonstrate that (1) you stuck with the same program for professional reasons and not personal ones, and that (2) you're active in the field and open to diverse perspectives about teaching and research.

[determine_to_grad]

I transferred from a mediocre instituion to a higher ranked one,
am in ECE dept,
the thing is I have done most of my research work, but transferred due to my Professor,
now am struggling to fulfill the requirements of grad school at the new insitituion,
sinc eif u transfer, u sor tof behind one year,
what dyou guys think?

[adhoc]

...what dyou guys think?

I think you need to learn how to write before trying to do anything else with your education.