PubPolPal

@mpamppquestions I'm in a similar boat. I tried to bump this thread (below - the original discussion about it was from 7 years ago) ... but it didn't get any traction.

Do any more-recent grads or current students have any perspective on this (the thread-title question)? I got into the MSPPM (two year) program with a pretty sizable scholarship, so I WANT to want to go. However, I've never even been to Pittsburgh (going to admit day on 3/31), nor do I know anyone who's graduated from the MSPPM program. So - is Heinz actually a good school? Are career services as helpful as they should be? For what it's worth, I'm interested in the International Policy concentration (with as much Data Analytics coursework as I can) and eventually working in NYC, Boston, or potentially DC after school.

Got in . No funding .

I also got in! I'm pretty happy with the aid package they gave me - more than Harris. Looking forward to going to the admitted students day at the end of the month.

So I haven't seen much of a discussion on this as it applies specifically to Public Policy graduate educations. How much debt have you gone into/ are you willing to go into to get one of these educations? As @d4r56 stated in another thread: "With $140k--150k for two years and not-so-great post-graduation salaries (even from schools like HKS), I'm not sure this is financially feasible without good graduate/teaching assistantships, work-study, etc. to defer the cost.Source: see page 4 of the "Employment Overview" PDF on this page: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/degrees/office-of-career-advancement/prospective-students/after-hks " Is this something any of you have dealt with? Is, like, public sector debt relief a thing? Do I have to drive for Uber as a grad student? Just trying to get some perspective on this.

Starting a new thread about Brown Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs because it doesn't look like there's one on here. Anywho I just got into their one-year MPA program starting in June. Still waiting on financing. Anyone else in the same boat? Truth be told, I still don't know all that much about Watson's program and how it differs from other two year programs. Cheers!

@Obecalp glady @d4r56 that is good info and kind of sobering. What is strange to me is that the MPA is has so much larger salary figures than the MPP - but I suppose I don't know enough about the difference in the HKS MPP vs MPA programs. What that seems to indicate to me is that I might come out of the program without any wage growth after the two years are up. Granted I'll (hopefully) be doing something I am more passionate about (hence the MPP-aided career pivot), but still...

@dwestlakeg I am in the exact same boat.

I just got an admit w/ 15k funding! But I also just rechecked the cost of one school year - 70k / year. Eek!