miles2go

Does anyone have any thoughts about the JHU MS in Applied Economics? I've found very few posts/articles about it on the internet, but what I have found is mixed: Some describe it as a continuing education 'night school' with no admission standards and no real benefit. One person went so far as to say that his friend told him to remove it from his CV when applying to PhD programs. Others describe it as a decently-respected program, with quality professors, and despite its "Advanced Academic Programs" moniker, it is housed within the respected Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, where the top-notch PhD program resides. In fact, if you go to the main Krieger website and scroll to "Programs --> Graduate Education (part-time)" it directs you to the AAP page. So is it Johns Hopkins-quality or something else? Let me summarize my interest in grad school so you can see where I am coming from: Career enhancement: I am already on a solid career track with a good job in the D.C. policy world. But in D.C. a bachelor's degree might as well be a GED, so I need higher education to move forward. I am NOT striving to go to a consulting firm or enter a big $$ private-sector role. I probably will not pursue a PhD, but if I do, it would be something like government or public policy, not econ. "Name brand school:" I went to a decent state school, but nothing great. Adding a well-regarded school to my resume would be nice. Beef up analytical skills: I majored in Poly Sci and had some analytical exposure (mostly micro/macro/poly sci stat), but in reality it was more on the politics/government/history side. If I am going to spend tens-of-thousands of dollars on an education I want to push myself, not just waste time learning something I'm already accomplished at. In sum: I am just looking for a program that will give me some analytical/economics chops, at a respected school, that won't be a black eye on my resume for future employment or a possible public policy-oriented PhD. Does this program fit the bill? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.