monocle

I just want to get others' inputs and thoughts on studying at an overseas institution for one year of the two year Master's programs. I would really love to take advantage of some of the dual degree opportunities offered by the MA/MPA/MPP programs to which I have applied. For example, Columbia SIPA's dual degree programs with Natl Univ of Singapore or Univ of Tokyo.. That being said, my reasons are more personal than practical. I wonder if it would be "worth it." My main fear is that studying abroad for one year means one fewer year at Columbia.. one year of not developing my professional network within SIPA, and possibly dealing with a completely different job hunt/recruitment cycle. I'm deeply skeptical of some of the career benefits non-US master's degrees (I think i have a few posts where I mention my skepticism on GC). But that year abroad could possibly be used to study how other countries implement their policy, and start learning an important language like Mandarin or Japanese (and that matters Right guys? right? right???). I like the idea of SAIS's MA-ML dual degree with Tsinghua because it has the first year in China, where I would be able to take invaluable lessons in intensive Chinese language learning.. and then being able to go back to Washington and network and get the best possible career outcome. Fletcher also offers many opportunities, like taking a term in Geneva... What's the consensus? are these fluff programs designed to attract people that don't really change in terms of initial employment? Does it add an extra patina to that shiny ivy league preftige degree that we all want? Is the personal experience worth the possible opportunity cost of not having continuity with professors and classmates at your home university?

You only applied to HKS? Waiting too.. but for MPP. I wouldn't expect anything til mid-March as they say on their website. Really no need to get too antsy. I'm curious though why you decided only HKS? What's your profile?

Where did you go for your MA? Do you think the location affected your job opportunity at Brookings significantly? What were your conceptions vs. reality? Glassdoor says a research assistant at Brookings should expect to make about 42k/year. It doesn't differentiate between those who have master's vs bachelor's. Do you have colleagues who got the assistantship without an MA? Do you happen to know what the salary differences are? (Basically why did you say you would be far better off if you didnt get an MA)

interpretive dance

spice girls

Hmm.. Given that you have/will have two master's degrees already, maybe you should consider trying to find a job in international security before going back to school again.. To me, it looks like you don't need another Master's degree, but you just aren't sure of what exactly you want to do in international security. You could start with an entry level position at a small NGO and see what kind of jobs are out there first. Then maybe see what specifically you want to do with any further degree. What I failed to highlight in my previous post was that the reason other candidates with MA's from the US were able to outshine their UK counterparts was because they had work experience before their Master's and it was evident that they had used their education to build on their experience, whether they were changing fields or improving analytic skills or project management ability. I know it may be tough to swallow, but if you don't have a more specific idea of what type of work you want to be doing, making a $100,000 two-year commitment to get a third master's might not be the right thing to do right now.

^^ Georgetown SFS - 16.5% in Multilateral https://georgetown.app.box.com/s/x2y7tz8hc3eubk5qizmn7eny88dxmcky

Duke Sanford - Int'l Gov/Org/NGO Employment < 5% https://sanford.duke.edu/academics/mpp/career-services GWU Trachtenberg- Intl Dev/Intl Orgs/Human Rights/Conflict Resolution ~4% http://tspppa.gwu.edu/2014-alumni-achievements Harris - Not many multilaterals (none for United Nations or World Bank) based on this list of 2014 grads' employers, though no statistics published http://harris.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/Full%20Time%20Employment%202014%20Graduates.1.pdf Georgetown McCourt MPP -- Couldn't find much info, though didn't try very hard... Should be noted that Georgetown has its very famous School of Foreign Service which would likely have more people placed into multilaterals Note: Possibly due to self-selection, but wouldn't you rather be around like-minded students or join a network that might help you find that job with a multilateral? For GWU and GU, probably a safer bet to go with the Elliott school and SFS respectively.

I think you're probably right that the programs you mentioned likely focus more on international security in general rather than armed conflict. To me though, it seems like if you wanted to have expertise and be taken seriously in a specific field like armed conflicts, maybe you could consider a PhD? It's just a hunch, but I think you could probably only gain such expertise through long-term, focused and intensive research or through years of experience working in that field. What is your work background? I'm also skeptical of the benefit a UK Master's can give to a career. Anecdotally, I have performed the duties of hiring manager (though I myself don't have a Master's yet) for a small NGO that has programs related to human displacement/refugees, and I have never been especially impressed by candidates with MA's from the UK. In my encounters, I have found they lack practical experience (perhaps because UK students go straight to master's and it's more expected to complete a masters?), and the narrow expertise they may have gained (in a one-year program) doesn't apply to any real-world job responsibilities either. That's not to say I haven't found bright and pleasant people capable of the job, just wanted to point out that in my experience the UK Master's doesn't seem to be a distinguishing factor... although maybe it could be if you want to work as a researcher? I think the best advice you could find on this forum however, would be to go search LinkedIn for the alumni of the programs you mentioned. Try to get an idea of the jobs they are working and see who have the jobs most aligned with your goals. Try to be more specific in the type of job (or job title) that you think you would want after graduation. You'll probably be okay no matter where you go, if you really know what you want to do and know where to apply for jobs afterwards, you'll probably land somewhere near.

penny pincher

Disclaimer: Not yet enrolled in an MPP program. I spoke with an the director at a program I'm considering and her advice was roughly, "If you're considering a PhD, this isn't the program for you... but there are the occasional students who want to go that route and those who do should notify their advisors early so they can start to put together research portfolios and guide their coursework to prepare them." Basically, once you get there you need to talk to the professors (i.e. the ones who have the public policy/economics phd's) and administrators who can help give you guidance. My two cents: You should probably try to finish Calc II and III before the Master's anyways, since it will be helpful in the Master's quant courses..

What are the career services like for UK Master's programs in international development and public affairs? Based on my admittedly cursory research, here's what I gather: NOTE: I realize this is a very unscientific comparison, but I wanted to highlight one upper-tier UK course vs one upper-tier US course with my examples. 1. Admissions is not as concerned with how much work experience an applicant has (in contrast to US programs of the same field) 2. Number one leads to a lower employability for UK finishers? LSE has ~71% of graduates with full-time employment ~90% at SAIS Johns Hopkins 3. UK Programs include more people looking to study further ~2% from SAIS vs ~12% from LSE 4. Median Salaries are markedly lower than their US counterpart reports (I realize this could be self-selective, so if anyone could share their insights) 26,500 pounds ($38000 US) per year from IDev at LSE, 32,500 Pounds ($46,500 USD) from MPA at LSE median salaries of MA graduates SAIS: (Private sector) $65,000, (Public) $63,000, (Non-profit) $55,000, (Multilateral) $50,000 So are SAIS and other American MA schools cooking the books? Are UK programs taking more people who get entry-level jobs right after graduation? Are UK programs mainly for those seeking PhD programs after? What's the deal? Do career services in the UK help grads find appropriately-paying jobs less than US?

Would you all mind sharing a bit more about yourself? Funding? Which concentrations did you choose? I'm applied for the Dual degree with Tsinghua University, but filled out my application with the IDEV track in mind. Applied regular notification.

Also I would say a 3.2 GPA isn't really that bad. If I were you, I would re-take the GRE to get higher quantitative scores.

Hi ir_ma, Disclaimer: No one can really say what chances you have based on statistics alone, and I would say most of us are probably in the process of applying, and not very experienced with how admissions committee members decide one person over another... BUT I'll humor you and share my opinion about your chances. I applied to Columbia and NYU MPA programs straight from undergrad with a 3.5 and perfect GRE scores and was rejected at both. I think partly it was due to my lack of work experience (not internships), but mostly that when we write an application to a professional program like an MPA, the admissions committee is looking for a strong sense of direction. For me, though I have that strong sense of direction, neither my grades nor work experience were able to back it up with evidence. I would say if you're anything like me, you probably won't be accepted to any of those schools for fall 2017; you should go work for two or three years. Find some kind of project that shows initiative in the field you want to work (rather than some grunt-work entry level position), and start building your narrative that proves an MPA is truly right for you.