Hayek

What do you mean by "international finance?" If you want to work at the IFC/IMF/World Bank/etc., then SAIS would probably be better mostly due to the networking/proximity aspect. If you want to go into investment banking, equity research, or capital markets (sales and trading, debt capital markets, etc.) then both are poor choices--you should be doing an MBA instead.

Yale is #1 on my list for this reason. Got dinged last time I applied there though I think I'll have a better story this time around. Love New Haven too.

I would consider applying for an MPP program or two in lieu of another MBA app if I thought that I would be more likely to get grants/scholarships from an MPP program. MBA programs are generally stingy with aid. My understanding is that places like SAIS have better funding. SAIS at 100k total cost (debt + savings) seems like it would probably be better than 200k from, say, Cornell's business school. I think that the joint degree is an awesome idea but even with scholarship money that extra year would probably cost another 100k+ between tuition, living expenses, and opportunity cost (which is getting higher as I progress in my career). If I had a trust fund or money was no object then sure, a 3 year joint degree would be great. But, alas.

I've been out of college for around 8 years and currently work at one of the big federal contractors (think Deloitte, KPMG, E&Y). Before that I was in an economic analyst role. I applied and was accepted to a top 15-20 ranked MBA program last year, but decided not to go for a few different personal/financial reasons. Working as an economist at the Treasury, the markets group at the NY Fed, a development consulting firm like Dalberg, or at the IMF/IFC are all much more interesting to me than working in consulting or banking. So, I'm considering applying to some international relations (e.g. SAIS) programs along with some re-applications to MBA programs. Does anyone know: 1. What sort of funding the international relations programs give their students? The average salaries seem to be absurdly low (50-70k) given that the sticker price is near-MBA level, and the average salaries at the top 30 or so MBA programs is all in the 6 figures. 2. If it would be easier for someone in my position (good private sector/"MBA quality" work experience, 700 GMAT) to get scholarship money from a place like SAIS? If money was no object I think I'd rather go to SAIS or SFS, but the debt scares me. At least MBA programs are lower risk (almost guaranteed a 6 figure salary). Has anyone else thought about this tradeoff? For a while it seemed to me that an MBA from a top 15-20 school could do anything that someone from SAIS could do (in terms of recruiting and job access) plus a lot more. But if I knew that I could get good scholarship money from a place like SAIS, I'd be much more comfortable applying and going.