gaia12

What happened to those who didn't get an internship? Were they forced to complete the thesis option instead? Can you speak at all about post-graduation employment, particularly for international students (I'm from Canada). Do you know of any grads who have secured full-time employment in Europe? Or do most have to go home to continue pursuing leads they have made for themselves? I guess what I'm saying is, does a Sciences Po degree make it easy? Or are you more or less back at square one compared to program at home? Thanks for your reply, these little things really help people that are freaking out

Hey CakeTea, would you be able to elaborate a bit on the problems with the career office and its relation to international students? Did your friends have great difficulty in finding their internships, and did they leave France/Europe to complete them?

Hey everyone, Hoping you can help me come closer to a decision.I applied to three programs this year for International Development. Sciences Po, University of Ottawa (SIDGS), and Carleton University (NPSIA). I was recently accepted to Sciences Po, and won't hear from the Canadian schools until March or so. Sciences Po's total tuition will cost about $43,000 (if the Canadian dollar doesn't fall any further), and there is a good chance that I will not receive any funding. In comparison, the degrees in Canada will likely end up being free with some additional funding. Again, I won't know exactly until March, but I am expecting about $15,000 in funding from the University of Ottawa on top of free tuition for example. I'm having an extremely difficult time making the decision between taking on a significant amount of debt (tuition + living) to go to Sciences Po rather than a far cheaper Canadian program. The university of Ottawa and Carleton both have great programs to my knowledge, and either would set me up for a decent career in Canada. That said, I'm curious as to whether any/all of you feel that the benefits gained (professional and otherwise) from attending Sciences Po will outweigh any financial burden. That is, I will have access to far better jobs, higher salaries, a potential career in Europe, etc. Further, I'm curious if anyone here has some first hand experience (or info from friends) about typical internship placements and employment after completing the MID at Sciences Po. Does anyone know what I can expect in a salary after graduation? Should I compromise for a cheaper program that will provide quality education but is admittedly less internationally recognized or prestigious, or should I take on a substantial amount of debt that will eventually be overshadowed by a significantly higher salary and opportunities to work at the top of my field. Would really appreciate your input. In particular, anyone that is committing to go to SAIS, SIPA, etc. without funding. How can we (as future development practitioners) ever expect to pay off that kind of debt? Would we be better of self financing a 5 year internship in the field? Thanks all.

You can set yourself up with a great career in a country if you begin with just an internship and work hard to learn the language. In particular, you will have great ease finding work at community based organizations. There are thousands of great organizations around the world that need help, both specialized and not. Over time, you can gain experiences that connect to higher positions and follow a similar career path to those getting a masters. That said, many major organizations such as the UN, Red Cross, etc, require specialized masters degrees plus X years of experience. So for some, a masters is important. A lot of this can be replaced with work experience, but you must question if you will find enough internships and work afterwards to compete on that level. I plan to take my masters to gain more knowledge of the field. Even with a related social sciences degree I don't feel comfortable working quite yet. I also hope to gain field experience through an internship. Overall, I want to set myself up to get a job with a major organization doing development work in my country of choice, while also leaving the door open to do more community-based work with an independent organization. A big thing to consider is what happens after the internship. I've worked in my country of choice twice, but both times I returned home after the contract was complete. Can you find a stable way to remain in the country, finance and visa-wise? An internship is great, but its not a sure way to remain in country. In short: both paths work, but in different ways. Think about what a masters will do for you, if you're comfortable enough with the field to work in it, and whether you feel like any doors will close on the path you want to take by avoiding a masters.

What do you consider to be the top international development studies programs, particularly outside of the United States? I have found many lists, some from blogs or magazines and others from students listing the schools they will apply to. So often, these schools change and are replaced by others I have not even heard of. I recognize each school has their strengths, but which are the strongest overall? Among those, please feel free to speak about particular strengths and weaknesses. These lists are interesting, but very different than what I would have expected. What do you think of them? http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/university-subject-rankings/2015/development-studies- development studies programs https://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2014-15/subject-ranking/subject/social-sciences- this one is only for social sciences Below are the schools and programs I'll be applying for in the fall, any comments about the schools or programs would be greatly appreciated!: Sciences Po - MSc in Development Studies London School of Economics - MSc Development Management Geneva IHEID - Master in Development Studies University of Sussex - MA Development Studies University of London School of Oriental and African Studies SOAS - MSc Development Studies University of Toronto - MA Political Science of International Development Carleton University - MA International Affairs University of Ottawa - MA Development Studies University of Cape Town - MPhil Sociology (Development Studies) - This will be a backup as the application cycle begins in May. I'm very curious about this program, does anyone have any experience at Cape Town? Thanks everyone!

Hi everyone, coming straight of the blue here but I was hoping you may able to give me some information on the University of Cape Town. The Development Studies program was rated 7th in the world by QS (but this had schools like SOAS and IHEID far below..). Is UCT a reputable school? Is the MPhil in Development Studies a good program and department? any and all information would be greatly appreciated! I'm currently looking at the following schools: Sciences Po Sussex Cape Town SOAS LSE Ottawa Toronto