jaw17

My program isn't exactly a policy PhD, but I looked at a few of them when I was applying. My general impression is that it makes more sense to go directly into a PhD program; while many applicants do have a prior MA degree, it was not originally intended as a stepping stone (e.g. they belatedly decided to go for the PhD after already beginning/completing their degree). Getting an unnecessary MPA/MPP/MA is an expensive proposition, both in terms of time and money, so I would probably recommend applying for a PhD program straight out of the gate and just casting a broader net. For example, it sounds like you would be very qualified for the new PhD program at Duke or other similar programs that are (slightly) less competitive than WWS or HKS.

djd & East of Eden: Thanks so much for the really helpful suggestions! I've added those programs to the running list

Haha - I suppose that does seem sorta sketchy. The fact of the matter is that her internet connection in Africa is very flaky and makes it hard for her to search and post here...or to do much other online research, for that matter. Which makes the entire grad school application process just that much harder, as you can imagine, so she's asked me to help out. I shudder just to think about the implications for online applications. Admittedly, I also get a kick out of living vicariously through the process, too - although my PhD program is perfect for my long-term aims, there's no question in my mind that I would enjoy an MPA program more. I get all excited and envious every time I look at a course catalog

Anybody? (Bueller?) Someone recently steered me towards the Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington, which frankly seems like it offers the exact mix my friend is looking for. Can anyone share opinions on that program in particular? Thanks.

I've been helping a close friend start the grad school process, and would welcome the board's wisdom on where she should apply. Following a BA from a top 25 LAC in Francophone cultural and colonial studies (with something like a 3.97 GPA), she spent 2.5 years in DC managing international conferences on microfinance, and recently moved to Africa to work on operations and marketing for an agriculture NGO. Her GREs are 680V, 740Q, and she's already taken the requisite introductory micro and macro courses at the USDA grad school. She is looking for two key things out of a graduate program: 1) practical skills for nonprofit management (e.g. accounting, operations, probably some monitoring and evaluation, and ideally also some training-of-trainers instruction), and 2) more intellectually-oriented "content" courses, particularly with regard to international development, but also perhaps in literacy or other topical areas with both domestic and international applications. (Although she has not expressed as much, I suspect that she likes to see the direct impact of her work, and given her intention to live in the U.S. long-term, it wouldn't surprise me if she ultimately switches to a more domestic field.) I'm not sure how often those two exist under the same institutional roof, though, so I'm trying to help her identify programs with significant flexibility to take classes from multiple departments. Given her personality and preferences, I also imagine that she'd be happier in a smaller program with more individualized attention, rather than the huge classes at somewhere like SAIS, but that might be getting too picky. Can anyone suggest good IR schools, MPA programs, business schools or even education degrees that might be well-suited to these interests? Some of the ones that have caught my eye so far are: the Princeton WWS MPA; the new Columbia SIPA MPA in Development Practice; the NYU Wagner MPA in nonprofit management or their MA in international education with a concentration in cross-cultural exchanges and training; the Indiana MPA with a nonprofit concentration; or the Georgetown MPP with a concentration in nonprofit leadership. Advice very, very welcome!

If you're interested in working in policy research with a multilateral development organization, then I would highly recommend the ARE program at Maryland over an MPP. I agree with NYR's advice about asking people, but based on my own experience I would be shocked if they responded any other way. I'm sure you can always take some courses through Maryland's public policy school if you're worried about getting more qualitative analytical skills in addition to the hardcore empirical training you'd be getting with the core curriculum. More generally, you should keep in mind how competitive World Bank and UN jobs are (especially for Americans - there are quotas), so neither degree can guarantee anything...

Well, what are your specific interests? If you're at all interested in economics, then Harvard has Hopkins beat hands down. Moreover, you could still get your PhD there through the interdisciplinary health policy program (although frankly I'm not sure exactly how much more prestigious that is than the ScD in global health). Have you spoken with students in the program there?

Are the financial costs pretty comparable? If so, then I would probably lean towards Harvard, especially if you think there's any chance you might want to continue for the doctoral degree (which would be very helpful for careers in the government or think-tanks). They also have a much stronger economics component than Hopkins. My sense is that of these three, Michigan is probably the least international in scope, which combined with geography means that their research and career network is probably much more limited than the other two. If you know that there's a particular region you're interested in, then you might want to see where the respective program faculty are currently undertaking research projects, since they may be able to get you involved during the summers (and are also likely to have other contacts in those areas who might need interns). I'm assuming that you've already been admitted to all three; however, if you're deciding where to apply for the next cycle, you may also want to include the MPA/ID at Harvard to your list (and take the health electives through HSPH rather than vice versa). Similarly, the Princeton MPA program is fantastic (and funded!) and has a number of great health people. I'd love to hear more about your interests - yay international health economics!

Points all well taken, but I just wanted to clarify that the total cost we paid for the MA at Georgetown was $24k ($4k per class, with tuition waivers for the last 4 of 10 required courses). I agree that's nothing to sneeze at, though, and we did get very lucky in how everything worked out.

Zeldacrash: You might want to seriously consider applying for the Master of Arts in Global, International & Comparative History at Georgetown; I'm not sure whether they ever extended their fall deadline, but they do also accept students for the spring semester (the whole degree is 3 terms). My husband was one of the first students in that program - also for Russian/Eurasian studies - and it served him very well. You can do a search to find all of my past posts on this, rather than regurgitating them here, but suffice it to say that he is now getting his PhD at Princeton, where the generous stipend will more than make up for the costs of the master's degree.

It's pretty commutable from either Philadelphia (where I go to school) and NYC - recession aside, presumably your spouse should be able to find something in cities of that size! Princeton itself seems to be pretty much one nice suburb with a university, nearby pharmaceutical companies, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. I am sure there are other things....but none that have crossed my own radar. EDIT: In going back and reading some of your earlier posts, mims3382, I really think you should consider living in Philadelphia and driving up to Princeton on the days that you have class. I think it would be much, much easier for your husband to find not just a job but also a social network of other Japanese expats in a major city; although I'm sure that there are many foreign nationals at either school you're considering, it also sounds like he is at a very different stage in life than the average grad student. And Philly is much more affordable and livable (IMHO, anyway) than NYC.

I'll just come out of lurking to state that Princeton history students received a $28k stipend this past year. Still a lot, but no $40k.

I agree with the advice you've gotten. But more importantly, congratulations! That's awesome news. What's the publication about?

I was a 2008 health policy PhD applicant (now at Penn's health economics program). What are you policy folks interested in, and did any of you apply to Wharton?

I'll send you a PM with some details.