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Thanks SO47 and Corbean! SO47--I don't think higher ed is particularly too specialized either. However this week I finally took the plunge (not really sure why I thought that way) and looked up the alumni job placement. To my disappointment (maybe?) it appeared that 50% of graduates go into a higher ed management/administration field, 25% were still unemployed/seeking (which seems high for Harvard!), and the last 25% were split between government (and related) jobs and Ph.D. studies. So that worried me a bit, since I do want a government/foundation/think tank job. Then I looked up placement at Hopkins MPP and pretty much everyone goes into gov't/foundation/etc. work. THEN I finally took another plunge (something I've been procrastinating) and looked up people's degrees who work at places like College Board, Education Sector/Dept. etc and they all have a policy/gov't/etc. background. Soo as of this weekend I am leaning towards Hopkins. But I am visiting both schools at the end of this week, so we'll see how I feel my fit will be like! Corbean--I chose to apply to Hopkins MPP because they had a concentration in education, so I think your Vandy offer sounds great. I didn't want to lose out completely on taking specific education policy classes, so I only applied to MPP schools w/ an ed concentration. But like you, I always look favorably on quant/methodology courses so...can you see what Vandy's approach is? Maybe they are quant focused as well, or maybe some qualitative. I know Hopkins stressed a balanced approach, which I like because I don't think you can study education strictly quantitatively, and you need at least some qualitative analysis of some issues. And I've always heard that younger programs may have more enthusiastic professors/maybe a smaller class size/etc...so that could be to your benefit. Maybe look up what the average class size at both schools are like, and see if you would be more comfortable in a smaller or larger group. Then maybe along with SO47's suggestion--to definitely visit both schools and see where you feel like you have a better fit. Sigh I keep going back and forth between the two schools, but I am anxiously awaiting my funding news from Harvard and my visits this week! Keep us updated on any thoughts/decisions!

Congrats everyone . If you type into the search bar "JHU IPS" (I think it's something like that) then there is a VERY informative thread about the JHU IPS program. It made me very excited but I already know I can't come on the visit day so I am hoping to set up a personal visit the next day. Let me know if you guys go to the open house/what you think about the program!

Hi everyone, I've posted this question under its respective forums before, but I wanted to hear from a broader audience. I'm deciding between a MPP program at Hopkins, with a concentration in education, and a higher education program at Harvard. My main concern now is to decide if I want a broader degree or a more specific degree in higher education, which is what I am specifically interested in. There is no specific faculty at Hopkins who does work in higher education, but I would learn more about broader social policy issues that affect education and most importantly, methods classes. I've talked to students who are interested in higher ed and they incorporate this interest into their class assignments, independent research, and internships. At Harvard there is a faculty whose research interests are exactly the same as mine--which I am very excited about! The program is one year--which is good or bad. I'm worried mostly that I would miss out on taking method/policy electives that I would take as Hopkins when I have a total of 8-10 classes for the entire year, but I would definitely take as many electives as possible in other policy fields/method classes. I know I can cross-register in the Kennedy school so I may get the best of both worlds. I am concerned about this issue of policy/methods classes because I do want to do a Ph.D. eventually--either in Public Policy or Education Policy. I know its a bit comparing apples to oranges but it really is a question of a broader or narrow Masters degree. I've heard it both ways--a broader degree helps you find jobs easier, but speciifc may give you a level of expertise that will make you stand out among applicants. Hopkins has given me a lot of money, but if Harvard is a one year program then taking on a lot of loans (if needed) is manageable. I'm also wondering about the name brand issue between Hopkins/Harvard..and potential connections at Harvard directly in higher ed if that is the field I'm interested in. Thanks everyone! I would appreciate all feedback from any discipline to see what people think.

Thanks edgrad! Do you know what your status is or what program (higher ed/policy) you're leaning towards? I'm still very conflicted, now mostly between Hopkins and Harvard. I'm worried that I won't be able to take as many methods classes in a higher ed program than I would in a policy program. I also spoke to my professor again today (who is an economist/ed policy researcher) and said that if I wanted to go into research than a Ph.D. in higher ed wouldn't be as helpful as a Ph.D. in policy. Harvard does have a professor whose work is exactly in higher ed policy (and also economist) which I am very excited about whereas there is no exact match at Hopkins. I do want to work in the DC/Maryland area though...but wondering how important the prestige/connections from Harvard would be for that area. Let me know what you think!

Hi everyone, I am currently finishing my last semester as an undergraduate, and have applied to several MPP (or MPA depending on the school) and education programs, with a specific interest in higher education policy. I was strongly encouraged from my professor that a MPP would be more marketable/give me broader skills to apply to issues related to higher education finance, such as federal and state financial aid policies. Now that I've gotten accepted to both sets of programs, I am confused about which route to take. I applied to Johns Hopkins Institute for Policy Studies program, Rutgers MPP, and Princeton's Woodrow Wilson's MPA because they had more or less a concentration in education policy. As for education schools, I am strongly considering Maryland and Harvard's Higher Education programs (but are heavily policy-based). I am wondering if anyone can give me insight as to which program would be a better fit for my interests. I would like to pursue a Ph.D. soon after (not necessarily right after) my master's program because I want to go into higher ed research and policy. I ultimately want to work in some kind of government position, agency, organization, foundation, think tanks, etc. to contribute to research and evaluate programs related to higher education policies and access (ie. not an academic position). I realize this choice comes down to whether I want to continue with a narrow focus, ie. going into a higher education program, or to broaden my focus to learn more about social and economic policies that affect/intersects with education policy. If anyone has specific comments about Hopkins, Maryland, or Harvard--those are my top 3 I think, I will greatly appreciate it!

Hi everyone, I am currently finishing my last semester as an undergraduate, and have applied to several MPP (or MPA depending on the school) and education programs, with a specific interest in higher education policy. I was strongly encouraged from my professor that an MPP would be more marketable/give me broader skills to apply to issues related to higher education finance, such as federal and state financial aid policies. Now that I've gotten accepted to both sets of programs, I am confused about which route to take. I applied to Johns Hopkins IPS program, Rutgers MPP, and WWS MPA because they had more or less a concentration in education policy. As for education schools, I am strongly considering Maryland and Harvard's Higher Education programs (but are heavily policy-based). I am wondering if anyone can give me insight as to which program would be a better fit for my interests. I would like to pursue a Ph.D. soon after (not necessarily right after) my master's program because I want to go into higher ed research and policy. I ultimately want to work in some kind of government position, agency, organization, foundation, think tanks, etc. to contribute to research and evaluate programs related to higher education policies and access (ie. not an academic position). I realize this choice comes down to whether I want to continue with a narrow focus, ie. going into a higher education program, or to broaden my focus to learn more about social and economic policies that affect/intersects with education policy. I will also post this thread on the education forum, so I apologize to anyone who reads this message twice! I would sincerely appreciate any insight or comments that anyone has.