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Ok great! Wow, are you in Turkmenistan? There's a student here who worked there as well... Yes, UMass is good for Master's students because it offers more funding than other Master's programs, but not so much for doctoral students, as it doesn't offer full funding for the PhD - so definitely go for programs that offer full PhD funding! I would go with UPenn too in that case All the best!

From what I hear, it's not essential but doesn't do any harm. Just remember faculty are very busy people, so keep it short . I wrote to a HGSE prof and got a very civil reply, so that was nice. I was introduced by a mutual contact to a prof from another program and didn't get a response, tho' they had said they would answer questions. So it can be hit or miss... For what it's worth, one program required a faculty interview, and I think that really helped me because the faculty member's interests and mine were closely aligned so I think they really helped to advocate for me (just conjecture, I don't actually know what went on behind-the-scenes!)

Yeah it's a bit confusing, there is more info on the CIE web site than on the College of Ed web site. Check out: http://www.umass.edu/cie/admissions/how-to-apply and the associated pages. Happy looking! Also, don't hesitate to call or email - the Admissions Coordinator is a really nice guy.

Hey everyone, for those who are interested in International Education Policy/Development type programs, like those offered by Penn IEDP, HGSE IEP, TC IED, AU ITEP, Vanderbilt IEPM, NYU IE etc... just wanted to put in a plug for the place I ended up in, which was UMass Amherst. I got into other places as well, but UMass, although not so prestigious, is very practitioner-focused and offers the possibility of a great funding package (if you get an assistantship, it covers tuition, and includes a stipend as well as health coverage and benefits), so if you're a mid-career professional and you'd like a program where the faculty are actively involved in development projects, do check it out! I actually stumbled across the program through one of these forums, so just giving back Info about the Master's degree here: https://www.umass.edu/education/departments/epra/intl-education The Center for International Education Web site here (for info about classes, faculty, projects, etc): http://www.umass.edu/cie/ - it's a very small program but a lot of experience both among the faculty and the students. Specifically to Snuffleupagus (I love the original Mr Snuffleupagus, btw!), your interests sound really fascinating. I would point out that UMass Amherst seems to have strong Higher Ed and Educational Assessment programs as well as Intl Ed, so do take a look (you can cross-take classes obviously), though it's probably not as strong in multilingual ed and language policy specifically as somewhere like Penn with Nancy Hornberger or other more cosmopolitan settings. If you happen to be considering UK programs as well, the University of Sussex has a really interesting international education and development program with some big names in the field. Also, are you really not looking at HGSE? Their International Ed Policy (IEP) program seems really awesome (except it's very short), and you would have access to all the great resources of Harvard. Also American University has an International Ed program which is not so policy-focused, but it's Washington DC and you could probably take classes at their School of International Service, which is international development and policy-focused (tho' not specifically education), as well. I don't know who are the relevant experts for North Africa specifically, but these larger universities (HGSE, AU) probably have some... Also you could look for faculty who study sociolinguistics in north africa - another field which investigates things like language policy and multilingualism

P.S. Forgot to say, I looked at Maryland briefly because of Nelly Stromquist - I had read some of her stuff (I can't remember what now!). It sounds like it might be of interest to you... she's got a strong Lat Am focus, and some of her research seems to have to do with higher ed and tech... http://www.education.umd.edu/Academics/Faculty/Bios/index.cfm?URLID=stromqui

I'm interested in sub-Saharan Africa, so we don't overlap lol. With your regional interests, tho', Vandy might be a viable option, which it wasn't so much for me. Thanks for the info abt Minnesota - I am also more interested in practice rather than theory, which is why I didn't apply there, and also Stanford. Penn and HGSE sound great for you, with those interests. American also has a bilingual ed program in their ed school, which I was eyeing for extra classes if I went there. Best wishes with your search!

potential Master's student (still deciding). Anyone know what the deal is with on-campus housing (e.g. Lincoln Apartments)? Seems like mixed messages about whether it is possible to secure a spot or not, if you are not applying for family housing.

If you're looking at Monterey, then probably you have a different focus from what I was interested in (which is refugee education/development contexts), but you could also look at American University's ITEP, which has several tracks and people there are very friendly, I was quite impressed with them. SIT has a low-residence Master's program which could be interesting if you want something more flexible. And Heather already mentioned Vanderbilt and GWU, so I think that about covers it. U of Maryland has a program but I haven't heard much about it. Someone in these forums recommended Minnesota, which looked interesting but ultimately not a good fit for me, but you could check it out.

hey applicants, I also started my application research early (about 2 years ago for this fall 2016 season), and one thing I found was that programs do change, so be sure to recheck their Web sites for the most updated curricula etc when you are applying, and also when the decisions come out! At least 2 of my programs had curriculum changes between when I applied (Nov) and decision time (March). One of them was quite significant in terms of how it fit with my interests. So it's great to start early, but just keep in mind that they are tweaking their programs as they go along (generally a good thing, but just be sure you have the up-to-date information and don't assume that your earlier research is necessarily still valid). All the best!

Thanks, and whatever it is, perhaps we'll meet at the next CIES conference! It seems like students from most of these programs attend...

no... I have the feeling it's going to be right down to the wire with me! thanks for the feedback about the courses being practical.

thanks Heather! very helpful! btw, you already probably know this, but I was looking at the courses at HGSE again and you were right - the IEP courses are more focused on policy than skills, and some of the more skills-focused classes that I saw earlier are no longer being offered. however, the curriculum is more flexible so you could still pick the skills-focused courses that interest you, and it sounds like the Kennedy School has opportunities as well. All the best! It sounds very cool...

Yes I'm interested too! I'm now deciding between HGSE and another program, and while I think that I will go with the other one if I get a better funding offer from them (I'm on tenterhooks!), I would like to have as much information as possible to make the decision...

wow, i actually got more than i expected, 16k grant + 7k Impact Award, which makes it about half tuition. I was expecting only the grant. hmm...