PaulRR

I have to strongly disagree with Student007's comment that people abroad do not know GWU. They are far more likely to know GWU than Fletcher, especially because of the vast number of diplomats, businessmen, and others from around the world that pass through DC. Fletcher has a great reputation for international development, but it does not have as much name recognition as GWU. Yes, foreign bureaucrats attend Fletcher but overall I would say GWU is more well known. This is based on experience. As for GWU being confused with GT internationally, I have never seen that in my experience. Both are great schools, of course, and Fletcher may be the right choice for you based on other factors such as its focus on international development.

GWU would be the better choice based on location, internships, etc. While Fletcher does a lot more marketing than other schools to try to make up for the fact that it is located in Boston, GWU is in Foggy Bottom and you will certainly be in a better position for work in DC by going to GWU. But do you want to work in DC after graduation? You mentioned working abroad after graduation but making contacts with NGOs, development contractors, human rights organizations in DC can set you up for that. I disagree with the above poster that Fletcher is more well known than GWU internationally or somehow has a better reputation. You may actually run into a lot of people who have never heard of Fletcher. However, Fletcher is well known within the field of international development. If you are interested in the Middle East, GWU is certainly a better choice than Fletcher. And GWU would be better for going into State. If you are interested in human rights/development, Fletcher may be the better choice, especially for international development. Good luck with your decision.

I have to agree with what CakeTea just said, especially regarding MPPs at SAIS and Georgetown. Both those schools are known for IR- but not MPP programs. And while HKS is listed as a top MPP, be aware that some people feel it is simply a cash cow for those that want to say they went to Harvard but it does not have a great reputation in some circles. The HKS MPA in particular has become this a mechanism for foreign bureaucrats to say they went to Harvard and I heard the qualifications of some people in the program are not nearly as high as you would expect. Apparently Harvard law and business students certainly don't take HKS students very seriously. Below is one article on the cash cow aspect of HKS: http://www.salon.com/2010/07/01/russian_spies_kennedy_school/ I have heard nothing but great things about WWS, Ford, and especially Harris. Fletcher is certainly the most flexible program and you could make it a combination of MPP and IR, but is more oriented toward people heading into international development, which might have far fewer jobs in the near future if massive USAID budget take place (mentioned in another post). The MPP side of things is not nearly as strong as the IR side, however. I also agree with CakeTea regarding many other programs that are excellent. George Mason University and George Washington University in the DC area have fantastic MPP programs that are well respected for anyone interested in going into federal service in the DC area. An MPP from either of those will be just as valuable as one from Harris if you are interested in federal work. While the question is regarding prestige, be aware that the difference between many of these programs in terms of how they will help you in the future is minimal regardless of how they are ranked.

While the hiring freeze is bad, this will greatly diminish employment opportunities for international NGOs, USAID, aid agencies, and other organizations involved in US-funded development or humanitarian assistance. The article says State Department, but they really mean is USAID which is under the State Department and allocates funds for a wide range of organizations. http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/white-house-trumps-budget-will-cut-foreign-aid/article/2615900 "The foreign aid cuts will be part of a reduction in spending that reportedly could reduce the State Department's budget by as much as 30 percent."

Congratulations, dollybird. I agree with you that LBJ has almost no name recognition outside of Texas- and certainly not in DC. However, it may be a much more enjoyable place to do an MPP/MPA than Georgetown, GWU, USC, Univ of Chicago (campus is wonderful but a bit sketchy in the neighborhood around it), and other more prestigious programs. If you want to work in the federal government, even DC-area programs like George Mason University and the University of Maryland have a lot more name recognition.

That hiring freeze was mentioned a few weeks ago on the thread below. Here's some of the article. Not a surprise since it's exactly what he said he would do in the first 100 days. Bad time to look for a government job. SenNoodles, I also wonder if this will impact enrollment in many government affairs programs- especially MPP and MPA programs. Everything except for the military is a massive cut. The important details will be how much of the government he wants to shrink- maintaining a hiring freeze until 10% or some other percentage of government employees leave or retire. Trump freezes hiring of many federal workers President Trump instituted a government-wide hiring freeze Monday, signing an executive order that he said would affect all employees “except for the military.” Trump had pledged to halt government hiring as part of his campaign’s “Contract with the American Voter,” which he framed as part of a larger effort to “clean up corruption and special interest in Washington D.C.” That campaign plan, however, also included exemptions for public safety and public health. Speaking to reporters Monday, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said the hiring freeze aimed to send the message, “We’ve got to respect the American taxpayer.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/trump-freezes-hiring-of-federal-workers/2017/01/23/f14d8180-e190-11e6-ba11-63c4b4fb5a63_story.html?utm_term=.310eaeaed063

Good point, SenNoodles. When I was in DC, I never ran into anyone from MIIS either. It seems like USAID is full of graduates from American University (and a fair amount from Fletcher) and then State is full of GWU and Georgetown grads. And I met a lot of people from different state universities around the US and GMU in DC but never MIIS.

MIIS is not in the same tier as SAIS, GWU, AU. If you're are looking outside of DC for IR programs, there are better ones than MIIS that will likely cost less. If you apply again next year for some reason (financial aid?), you might want to look at GSPIA in Pittsburgh, Korbel in Denver, Fletcher at Tufts, or even the Bush School at Texas A&M which is an up and coming school. Among the three DC schools you listed, they're all excellent- and all have reputations far better than MIIS. Some may argue one is better than another, but they're all great DC schools with little difference between them. Good luck with your decision!

Sorry I wasn't clear. I'm not in a program yet and am applying to my initial program. Thanks again. I really appreciate the time you took to answer and you have many good points.

TakeruK, You get the award for the best answer! Thanks so much for the response. I'm just applying at this point so there is no specific school (otherwise I would call instead of posting) and it would be in a different field but the credits would still apply. So there's no issue with transferring or applying for a second degree elsewhere, but I just want to find whether credits beyond the master's requirements are listed separately on a transcript- and you indicate they are NOT listed separately on transcripts. So if I earn 40 credits for a program requiring 30, there's no way for anyone to tell which ones went toward the degree and which ones are not applied. If anyone else has a different experience, please post. Thanks again, TakeruK.

Fuzzylogician, Thanks for the quick response. Having another institution accept transfer credit is not the issue. I'm only trying to find out if universities list graduate courses beyond the degree requirements separately on transcripts (indicating they were not applied toward the degree) and whether students decide what credits will be marked as excess on the transcript- if it does not matter in terms of the requirements. ** Perhaps someone who has completed a master's degree recently with more courses than required could let me know if excess courses are listed separately on the transcript as not having been applied to the degree. Thanks again!

I have a quick question regarding general policies for unused credits in master's program. If you enter a program requiring a certain number of credits for a degree and you go over the amount, do you decide credits you wish to apply to the degree requirements (assuming requirements are met) and which ones become unused credits that you are able to later transfer into a different program? For example, if I enter a program requiring 30 credits and go over by six credit hours, is it the general rule for all universities that excess credits are transferable? And does the student decide what credits will apply and which ones will be excess credits? (again, as long as all the degree requirements are followed) In my case, I may pursue a second master's at a different university after the first one. However, I will be able to earn some additional credits at the first university. All the courses I take will qualify for the degree requirements but I will likely have extra ones that I wish to use for a second degree elsewhere. Before you ask, I am sending out applications at this stage and would like to find out the general rule. I assume that if you have a program requiring 30 hours and you earn 36 or 40 that universities will allow you to decide which ones are excess (assuming all requirements are met) and the additional ones will separate from the degree requirements on your transcript but wanted to make sure. Thanks