orazzack

First of all, thanks so much for a response. I wasn't sure how much rank really mattered for a public policy program. I'm a law grad, so I know rank is ridiculously weighted in firms for attorneys, but I'm not sure about agencies and other policy-related organizations (think NGOs, policy research, think tanks, etc.). As for how one does in the program, I'm pretty comfortable with the online format, so I think it sort of equals out for both. And no, the ranking is not specific to the online program. Rutgers-Newark's School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA) is consistently ranked in the top 25 in public policy specialties, even in the top 10 in some. Meanwhile, Northwestern doesn't even have a dedicated public policy school; their MPPA program is offered through their School of Continuing Studies, which didn't receiving great reviews online as a whole (not sure if that really matters either). Finally, Rutgers has offered me 12 transfer credits from law school, which will save me about 13,000 dollars. Now that's amazing, of course. But in the long run, I'm not sure it'll be that significant, if a Northwestern degree will give me more earning potential. Of course when I asked Northwestern, they said they don't accept transfer credits. Those are just a few of the deciding factors. I'm trying to reach out to public affairs managers and others for responses, but getting very little back. Any follow-up thoughts, lyrehc? Or anyone?

...bueller

I've been accepted to both for the fall. Anyone with knowledge of the policy field know what I should do? U.S. News and World Report ranks Rutgers #23 as a public affairs grad school, while Northwestern is ranked at a surprisingly low #59. However, in terms of name recognition, one would think Northwestern is way better than Rutgers. I just want the degree that will best set me up for a policy job immediately after graduation. So confused; any help appreciated!