taftumas

Thanks for the quick reply! The reasoning you gave is exactly what is giving me pause to choose Georgetown wholeheartedly. Thankfully, I don't have student debt from undergrad, but I'm not exactly fond of having to go in debt for grad school either. And yes, name brand and network certainly add so much more to the "whole package" than the curriculum itself. I wish the Notre Dame program were a bit older, it only started Fall 2016, so they haven't even had a graduating class yet that I can reference for employment placement. From what admissions has told me, ND's new program is working off the framework of their Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, MA in International Peace Studies program, who have alumni who work in roles such as Human Rights Officers. I am hopeful that the new ND MGA program is more quant/analytical focused, but it doesn't appear to be as strong as ND's MIDP program that has been around for a few years now.

I've also received an acceptance for the MIDP Program this morning, with $30K/year in funding - so excited!! I will be deciding between a full ride at Notre Dame for the new MGA program (with a concentration in Sustainable Development) and GT's MIDP, but I am currently leaning towards Georgetown. I plan to go into International Development and am looking for a program that will give me strong quantitative/analysis skills as well as a solid start in the International Development field, in other words, a job immediately after graduation. Any thoughts on this decision would be greatly appreciated!

According to an email with a McCourt faculty member: "The fine print is as follows: the second year is conditional on academic performance during the first year of at least a 3.0 GPA. In the past 5 years, not a single MIDP student has lost funding for the second year."