mpp_applicant

I want to study development and go to work at UN/USAID/think tank/NGOs, etc. I would enjoy academia and teaching, but it is not my career goal. Here are my options: 1. Ph.D. in Public Policy in small dept at large, respected state U. Would-be adviser a well-published development economist with work for UNICEF and NGOs. Fully funded with stipend for all five years. Of his recent advisees: one dropout, one at USAID, one at think tank. Total est cost: Free 2. SAIS M.A. in int'l development program (DC campus). No grants, only federal loans. Total est cost: 90-120K (depending on second year scholarships) 3. Duke Sanford M.P.P. 25K given in grants. Total est cost: 50-60K 4. U. of Maryland M.P.P. Half grad assistantship. Total est cost: 40-50K

Thanks for the offer Current SAIS student. The biggest question for me right now is the price tag. I was admitted to the IDEV program, DC campus. I have no doubt it's the best program I've been admitted to, but I received no grants, only federal loans. Do SAIS students worry about their debt after graduation, or do they seem confident their job placement will be strong enough to justify the cost? Any thoughts on the matter are greatly appreciated!

Is this the kind of thing SAIS students say?

Same here - 20k in loans. I thought I'd received a scholarship and got all excited until I clicked on the other tab. Oh well. So let's rehash the debate: Is SAIS worth the 60k a year? What does everyone think?

10k for me too. It definitely feels like a drop in the bucket, considering total cost for one year is 60k (including room and board, fees, books, etc.) That's a total 100k for an MPP. Does anyone think it's worth it?

"The first scholarship committee meeting is this coming Thursday, February 18. Please send your statement by 5:00 p.m., tomorrow, February 17 ... You will receive an e-mail update concerning your scholarship status by Friday, February 26." A little more notice would have been nice. What if I hadn't checked my email? Also, some of us have jobs.

Sorry, I don't the answer to either of these. Just don't know much about the Tech program.

Thanks for your thoughts. I'm interested in what you say about employers paying for Public Policy PhDs. I have not heard of that before. Does the federal government do this? Think tanks? At Sanford, are there many MPP students who go on to Public Policy PhDs, and if so, which schools do they seem to be going to? Sorry for all the questions!

Georgia MPA seems to be very good if you are shooting for state or local government or a handful of federal agencies. I think they place a number of people in GAO every year and some in the Presidential Management Fellows program. I think it can also a good program if you want to go on to a PhD in public administration. And it's affordable. If you want to study public POLICY though, I talked to a student there who said the public policy concentration should in no way be mistaken for or compared to an MPP degree. I know less about the other programs. Look carefully at Tech's course offerings. I think they have strengths only in a few policy areas - environment, technology and economic development (regional/urban, not international).

This is something I've had mixed results with. I found think tanks fairly easy to research just by reading people's profiles on the web and calling them up. I've concluded that a PhD is a must if you want to climb the ladder in a think tank. But what about government, NGO's and the UN? Any suggestions on how to find out which degrees are preferred by employers? Any tips on getting a hold of the right people and how to ask these questions?

I agree that one or two years of work experience is unlikely to have a direct relationship to the skills you'll gain in an MPP. I do think that almost all programs value work experience in applicants. A couple years of work, even if it's not in your policy interest area, will boost your application. It can show your commitment to public service and prove to adcoms you have greater certainty about your reasons for pursuing the degree. I took two years to teach high school and half a year for volunteering abroad. It has definitely benefited me personally, financially, and as an applicant.

I think almost all my schools will notify by email as soon as anything changes on my application page, so I'm trying to stop clicking the application status link. Probably bookmarking it was a bad idea. The standard notification date for MPPs seems to be March 15, give or take. HKS and SAIS seem like they push past that date regularly (SAIS has said early April is possible). Others seem to get decisions out sooner (I think GPPI said late February?). Unfortunately, the dates seem less consistent than undergrad applications, from what I remember.

Thanks for your thoughts. I don't want to be a career academic. I want to pursue policy jobs in government, NGO/IOs or think tanks. But I find very appealing the option of teaching as an adjunct or taking an academic job here and there as a change of pace. I have no ambition of teaching at top schools, but I would want respectable compensation of course. I think my biggest question is: How do employers in government and other policy institutions view Public Policy PhDs? Would you have an advantage over KSG or WWS master's holders, even if the PhD is from a lesser known program at a top public school?

I just found out I was admitted to a public policy PhD program (at a large, respected state university). It's the only PhD program I applied for because it's the only one I could find that seemed interested in applicants without a masters or research experience (I'm in my third year teaching high school since undergrad). The other programs I applied to are mostly MPPs: KSG MPP, WWS MPA, SAIS MA, Duke MPP, GPPI MPP, UMaryland MPP, American Econ MA. I still have a couple months until I get my other decisions, but I want to start evaluating this PhD option. It seems pretty good for the following reasons: - It will probably be funded and carry a stipend. - My would-be adviser is awesome. Basically I'd be studying social policy (focusing on education) in developing countries. - The curriculum looks good, there are small classes, and there are no masters students in this department. - Profiles of current and past students seem pretty impressive. Several have masters degrees from WWS and other similar programs. - The degree would give me a leg up in gov't / NGO / IO / think tank jobs, plus the option of academia. I have my doubts because: - Public Policy PhDs seem somewhat limiting in that you will always be equaled or trumped by Poli Sci or Econ PhDs, especially in academia. - I cannot get a feel for the reputation of this program. It's not in the US News rankings (maybe because there's no master's program?). - I have some doubts about placements after the program. Some have gone to World Bank, good academic jobs and various interesting research jobs, but others have nothing listed since their graduation. On this I can try to find out more from the school though. What do you think? Should this PhD trump all masters options? How can I find out more about the reputation of the program? Thanks!