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Hi Erica, We are not legally allowed to give you advice with regards to immigration, we would actually be placing you with liability if you were to accept our advice unless one of us is a certified immigration consultant or Canadian immigration lawyer. I suggest you consult with a legal counsel that specializes in immigration for your situation. CIC has all of its rulings on the website. It changes often without notice, so be sure to check it frequently. I used to work in an international college and we get all kinds of questions relating to immigration. If your school has a legal department such as a pro bono firm, you can ask around if someone is willing to give you a consultation at no cost. Usually you would speak with a student-at-law under supervision by a licensed solicitor and barrister. Hope this helps.

Hi rising_star, The program had one quantitative course but it required a background in statistics, which I did not have. Coursera has a specialized certificate for social research methods but I reviewed the curriculum and it has a small portion of statistics (statistic inferences), and I'm not sure how employers view Coursera certificates. I know a second master is very expensive. The person I did an informational interview with told me to wait it out for 6 months and if I get nothing (I am applying for any job that I think I may be qualified, but there's not many), then maybe to opt for school. I hate this feeling so much; you know, the feeling of always being underemployed, unemployed or totally unqualified for many jobs. I feel like my education could have provided me the skill set, but unfortunately, the program was relatively easy (a few others would say the same). I do regret not going to French immersion, or applying for a bunch of public policy programs (I only applied for three M.Ed. programs at UofT). I know my gut tells me that education credential is not everything that makes you out to be, but my brain tells me that I will always be stuck doing some low job if I cannot demonstrate that I am qualified and have been credibly trained/schooled. I'm not sure if I can register courses without having to enroll into a program at my local university. Regards, Gwen

i would suggest looking at the ranking for the department that you will be entering. For example, if you are going into Hr and management, I suggest looking at the business and management departments and its individual ranking as oppose to the school, then look at the employment/employer rating on the QS world ranking site. NYU is known for its arts and humanities. I don't think it may be right for you. I suggest looking at a school that focuses on business, HR and management. For Rutgers, are you referring to the public state university in New Jersey?

Hello everyone, I'm new to the forums. I don't know who to go to discuss about my situation. I will be graduating with a M.Ed in educational leadership and policy studies (2 years). My goal is to get involved in policy making and development. I have a problem. My program did not exactly prepared me to do quantitative research methods in the social studies, nor did it have any math-based components/core competencies such as statistics and economics (other than higher education economics and finance). When I go through job forums for policy analyst positions, they were all looking for someone who has a public policy degree with an economics and statistic background or a background in strong quantitative research skills, and to beat a dead horse, bilingual in French. I looked around and checked that University of Surrey, University of Manchester, London School of Economics, and NYU have a master in Applied Statistics for Social Science Research. A bit about myself: 25 years oldB.A. (honours) in humanitiesChinese ethnicityWorked as an assistant (whether law, real estate, general admin, etc) in most of my working life, and I am tired of feeling "stuck".Social Research Methods: I figured in conjunction to my education and policy background, a program on social research methods would benefit my current situation, but it is not as policy oriented, more research base. University of Surrey Program: MSc Social Research MethodsSchool Ranking (UK): 8 (2016)Location: Guildford, Surrey, UK (30 minutes train ride to London)Internship: 4 weeks of work experience during the Easter vacationLength: 12 months (full-time)PhD Track: 1+3 PhD training modelDissertation: Yes; 15,000 wordsFee: International students (per annum) - 14,000 GBPAccommodation: 69 - 199 GBP per week on campusUniversity of Manchester Program: MSc Social Research Methods and StatisticsSchool Ranking (UK): 28 (2016)Location: Manchester, UKInternship: N/ALength: 12 months (full-time)PhD Track: 1+3 PhD training modelDissertation: Yes; 15,000 wordsFee: International students (per annum) - 15,000 GBPEstimated living costs 2015/2016: 11,575/year (including accommodation, clothes, transport, other general living expenses, homemade/campus meals)London School of Economics Program: MSc Social Research Methods School Ranking (UK): 3 (2016)Location: London, UKInternship: N/ALength: 12 months (full-time)PhD Track: 1+3 PhD training modelDissertation: Yes; 10,000 wordsFee: International students (per annum) - 18,600 GBPEstimated living costs 2015/2016: 1,000 - 1500 GBP/month (12,000 - 18,000 GBP/year)New York University Program: Master in Applied Statistics for the Social SciencesRanking (QS World): 41 (2014/2015) Note: NYU is not a possibility since it asks for having a strong background in quantitative skills.Public Policy Programs: It may make some sense to take public policy since I want to build my background in policy analysis and development. I just felt like I've wasted time doing my M.Ed. I did an informational interview with an analyst at the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada, and told me that my M.Ed. helps specialize in education and become a stepping stone to policy. University of Toronto Program: Master of Public PolicySchool Ranking (QS World): 20 (2014/2015)Location: Toronto, OntarioInternship: Summer internshipLength: 2 years (full-time only)PhD Track: NoDissertation: Prepare a written research reportFee: Domestic - $16,990 - $17,XXX CAD for 2015/2016 PER YEAREstimated living costs 2015/2016: Maximum $200/month, minimum $70/month (I live in Toronto) Opportunity cost: 2 years of work experience and salaryQueen's University Program: Master of Public Administration (MPA)School Ranking (QS World): 187 (2014/2015)Location: Kingston, OntarioInternship: 4-month cooperative education placement with a government agencyLength: 1 year (full-time)PhD Track: NoDissertation: Prepare a written research reportFee: Domestic - $11,834.22 CAD 2015/2016 PER YEAREstimated living costs 2015/2016: 828-864/month* (Does not provide residence for graduate students)Opportunity cost: 1 year of work experience and salary* = based on 1 bedroom, 12 month lease, furnished apartmentLondon School of Economics Program: Master of Public Administration (MPA) in Public and Social/Economic PolicySchool Ranking (QS World): 68 (2013); Social sciences and management faculty: 2 (score: 95.20)Location: London, UKInternship: N/ALength: 2 years (full-time)PhD Track: NoDissertation: Capstone project; Yes, 10,000 - 15,000 wordsFee: Domestic - 24,384 GBP 2016/2017Estimated living costs 2015/2016: 1,000 - 1500 GBP/month (12,000 - 18,000 GBP/year)Opportunity cost: 2 years of work experience and salaryPlease advise of my situation and feel free to add anything from your own experience. Regards, Gwen