Arturo Belano

Hi 3dender, I am currently trying to decide between Chicago Harris and Duke Sanford for an MPP and I am trying to figure out how well prepared the Sanford program would leave me for a research heavy job/PhD. Harris is known for being quantitatively rigorous, but unfortunately they provided me with significantly less financial aid than Sanford. Do you know how research/quantitatively oriented the Sanford program can be? Are Sanford grads usually well equipped to pursue a PhD? From looking at the course listing, it seems like it is more focused on domestic US policy and issues like lobbying, government decision making and governance, so I hope there is room for more quantitative stuff. Thanks a lot!

Congrats to everyone who got in! I got rejected, unfortunately. My other options are great though, so I might end up in Sanford, Ford or Harris.

I'm in a similar boat, but with Chicago and Duke. Harris gave me 25% funding and Sanford gave me over 50%, plus an assistantship, so I'm still trying to figure things out. I got into Ford with 0 funding, so I will probably go somewhere else. Great school though! I just can't afford it.

Hi makingtheleap.back, Thanks so much for your post! I wanted to ask about your perspective on studying at Sanford and what the potential career paths are. My long term goals are either working in a Latin America oriented think tank/development bank or pursuing academia through a PhD in public policy or political science, with a focus on international development. I got into U Chicago-Harris with about half of the funding I received from Sanford, so I am still considering where I should go, since Harris is more conducive towards a career in international development. It’s hard to turn down the generous funding at Sanford, but I am also thinking about the long term career paths that would stem from studying at Harris vs. Sanford. How internationally oriented is the Sanford MPP program? I know there is an India summer program, but beyond that, is the MPP curriculum mostly focused on domestic US policy? As an international applicant, this is a really important factor in the decision. Does Sanford have a strong quantitative emphasis (i.e. STATA, econometrics, research design, program evaluation, etc.)? Do many students pursue PhDs after graduating from Sanford? If so, what fields do they go into? Thanks again for all the useful information!