complexgenome

The Department of Sociology has decided to pause Ph.D. admissions for Fall 2021. We make this decision reluctantly, along with other Social Science and Humanities departments in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, to meet the extraordinary challenges facing our students, the university, and communities around the country. As the nation struggles with threats to public health, the economy, and its political institutions, this is an urgent time for sociological research and analysis. We remain vitally committed to this project and express strong support for our students in this effort. Prospective students can apply to the department’s Master’s program in Fall 2020 for admission in Fall 2021 or apply to the Ph.D. program in Fall 2021 for the resumption of graduate admissions in Fall 2022.

The Department of Sociology has decided to pause Ph.D. admissions for Fall 2021. We make this decision reluctantly, along with other Social Science and Humanities departments in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, to meet the extraordinary challenges facing our students, the university, and communities around the country. As the nation struggles with threats to public health, the economy, and its political institutions, this is an urgent time for sociological research and analysis. We remain vitally committed to this project and express strong support for our students in this effort. Prospective students can apply to the department’s Master’s program in Fall 2020 for admission in Fall 2021 or apply to the Ph.D. program in Fall 2021 for the resumption of graduate admissions in Fall 2022.
 

I have the same question. While I have some experience in engineering and am interested in CS, I am working in a public sector and would like to learn the things such as public leadership and politics...

Second year Heinz MSPPM-DA student here. I applied to MS-CAPP and was admitted to MPP, but actually preferred MSPPM-DA to MS-CAPP while I was filling out my applications. I'm hoping other people will weigh in, but I'm happy to provide my perspective, which has evolved since I made my admission decision.
Harris is probably more balanced in terms of having quality policy and analysis classes. If you're interested in analytics but also want strong coursework in a policy area other than healthcare, Harris may be a better option for you. Additionally, Harris's coursework seems much more suited towards academic/policy research. In my personal experience, Heinz's statistics/econometrics coursework is suitable for a career in analytics, but if you're hoping to bolster your academic background to work in policy research, Harris may be your best option. That being said, I personally got the impression they were somewhat elitist, which was not suitable for me as I was embarking on a drastic career change.
That being said, I'm very happy with Heinz. While Heinz does not excel at policy, if you want to learn analytics you can definitely do that here. MSPPM-DA students can take courses in information systems within Heinz, and many of my peers have also taken courses in the School of Computer Science for more advanced topics in machine learning. The first year of PPM-DA is very structured and has A LOT of core curriculum to get everyone on roughly the same page with policy, analytics, and professional skills. The curriculum for the second year, however, has been almost entirely self-selected, so I've been able to take courses ranging from data science to program evaluation to decision analytics. There's a lot of flexibility in the MSPPM-DA program to make it very easy to tailor your courses to your interests.
 
 
 
 

For masters, I believe that Harris in Chicago gives you tuition waiver or scholarship according to your merit and your profile. If you have okay to great GREs, relatable work experience, and interested in public policy master, you may think to apply to Harris in Chicago. I do not have a very informed opinion about the other departments. I am singling out Harris among the others because based on my GRE scores, they e-mailed me like five times, and also sent so many snail mail documents and invitations even though I was not thinking to apply to UChicago, at all. My GREs are by no means great, but they were okay. Harris in Chicago created a very positive image in my mind. If the application season were not over, I would have applied to Harris. 

Public policy is considered mostly a professional degree such as medical degree (MD) or law degree (JD). It is more interdisciplinary which I like. Also, there is a high probability that, not all of us will end up in a T5, T10, or T20 schools which will constrain our chances in the academia because inherently academia is a super elite place. I am not trying to be negative, just realistic. I do not think that I can even get into a T50 school in political science because of the excess competition. 
On the other hand, except HKS, nearly all other public policy departments have less competition because the admitted size of people compared to political science is fairly similar, but the application to public policy departments is less than the applications to a political science department. I believe that public policy is more fitting to real life. Political science is more fitting to academia.
However, as public policy is considered a professional degree, they look for a different profile than the classic academic Ph.D. programs. For example, for academia, if you have published or presented in conferences, it has a great effect on your application. In public policy, if you have prestigious internships or better, a full-time, meaningful work experience it is better. 
My experience with public policy is a bit different. I like the public policy subfield a lot, but you can get a public policy subfield in your political science Ph.D. program, as well. For instance, as far as I remember, UMass Amherst has a public policy/law specialization. Northeastern is good at policy-related topics. 

Hey,
Not sure I have a good answer for you, but I was wondering what other examples do you have for international policy programs considered STEM? How can I found out if a program is regarded STEM or not?

Hi guys,
I am hoping that I can use the wisdom in this forum to bust myths about some programs and decide which schools to apply to. I would love to hear your, especially alum’s, thoughts on the programs mentioned, whether I have incorrect assumptions about them, what I failed to consider, and, if possible, program recommendations (not limited to the those mentioned here.) Also, I'll be almost 30 year-old when submitting applications. Will being older negatively impact my chances of getting in?
I’ve been working as a diplomat for a small Asian country for the past five years and am hoping to apply for graduate programs such as MPP, MPA, MIA, etc. next year. I’m almost sure that I’ll return to foreign service after graduation. I am looking for a reputable program offering solid education, specifically in development studies, and a strong alumni network. 
(Not sure if it matters, but a bit info on my academic background: a BSc degree on quantitative economics with a GPA around 3.7 from a top state school in the US. Got a 750 on the GMAT.)
The following are some points I come up with a few programs that I’m interested in (regardless of the chance of getting in):
American schools like HKS and Columbia SIPA:
Pro- reputation is strong worldwide. As I’ll be coming back to Asia for sure, it might help. Pro- wide range of courses. For example, I took a look at SIPA’s audit list and instantly saw many courses that fit my interests and career goal. Pro (not so sure)- strong alumni network (?) Con- expensive. Have to spend near 20k for two years; my employer will not sponsor my studies, so it is almost a deal-breaker for me. Also, I’m not sure how generous these programs are in terms of grants and how competitive my profile is in grant applications... European schools like Science po PSIA and IHEID:
Pro- chance to polish my French. It’s my goal to be verse in a second foreign language since it will help with career advancement. Pro- will probably leave the campus with much less debt.  Not so sure- alumni networks seem to focus on Europe. Not so sure- They are certainly very competitive and reputable programs, reputation is limited outside of Europe.  Many thanks to those who read my long post and take time to reply. 

Is it possible, financially or time-wise, to re-take the GREs before your first application deadline? If not, then I believe you will  need to look at schools that are not as competitive.
17% is cause for concern on the part of the admissions committee at all schools.

Hey there,
I'm curious about y'alls thoughts on degrees like Columbia's QMSS and UChicago's MACSS as compared to programs like UChicago MSCAPP,  and CMU Heinz MSPPM-DA. The classes seem to be really similar between both sets of programs, but I'm getting the sense that QMSS and MACSS are more suited towards people looking to go on to PHDs, does that resonate with current/former students? I'm hoping to attend a program that sets me up to be a practitioner immediately after, and don't intend on pursuing a PHD.
It also seems like the MSCAPP and MSPPM-DA can be encompass more city planning courses (demand modeling, spatial analysis) which is interesting to me. I was considering programs like Upenn MUSA and Northeastern/NYU Urban Informatics, but I'd rather attend a program that contains those planning elements as well as some more research/quant-heavy coursework.
Any thoughts? Mainly, do you all agree that QMSS and MACSS are better suited for those looking for a PHD eventually? Thank you in advance