Way to compare MPP programs?

[Beugnot1]

Does anyone know of a rankings list for MPP programs? The USNWP rankings don't separate MPA from MPP, which makes it difficult for me to evaluate the quality of the programs. I got into Brown's Taubman Center for Public Policy and Hopkins Institute for Policy Studies. I'm interested in their urban specialization programs. I'm having a hard time discerning which would be the superior program for me.

Do you have suggestions for questions I could ask both schools?

[coaks]

Does anyone know of a rankings list for MPP programs? The USNWP rankings don't separate MPA from MPP, which makes it difficult for me to evaluate the quality of the programs. I got into Brown's Taubman Center for Public Policy and Hopkins Institute for Policy Studies. I'm interested in their urban specialization programs. I'm having a hard time discerning which would be the superior program for me.

Do you have suggestions for questions I could ask both schools?

US News & World Report's Public Policy Analysis rankings within their public affairs section are generally agreed to be fairly close to an MPP ranking, for most intents and purposes. Obviously, people will disagree with the ranking methodology, the ranks themselves and the utility of using the list to decide on schools.

http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-public-affairs-schools/public-policy-analysis

You could ask for employment reports for summer internships and post-grad data, if the schools have it. That would give you a good understanding of where the degree is taking the students right after school.

You could also ask them for any connections that they might have within your given specialty, people you could reach out to who aren't directly connected to the university.

I'd be curious to see what else everyone here can suggest.

[narius]

US News & World Report's Public Policy Analysis rankings within their public affairs section are generally agreed to be fairly close to an MPP ranking, for most intents and purposes. Obviously, people will disagree with the ranking methodology, the ranks themselves and the utility of using the list to decide on schools.

http://grad-schools....policy-analysis

You could ask for employment reports for summer internships and post-grad data, if the schools have it. That would give you a good understanding of where the degree is taking the students right after school.

You could also ask them for any connections that they might have within your given specialty, people you could reach out to who aren't directly connected to the university.

I'd be curious to see what else everyone here can suggest.

Not to beat a dead horse, but I would seriously caution against relying on the USNWR rankings for public affairs to make a decision. Personal fit, academic interest, school orientation, etc stuff aside, the rankings are simply a very poor measure of which program is 'best.' Not only do they conflate all MPP, MPA and other public service degrees as being inherently comparable (case in point: Heinz vs, say, Taubman), but they also mix up different disciplines. Worst, the methodology relies entirely on peer reputation, which only underscores the biggest critique against the USNWR rankings in general. Theoretically, a brand new school could game the methodology by hiring a PR firm and get themselves in the top 20 within 5 years. Of course, the conventional USNWR rankings are also problematic for sure, but they're rock solid in comparison.

That said, I would really look at the things that matter to you. If you're looking for someplace 'academic' (a reductionist way to put it, I know), you may want to check out data on faculty publications, media exposure, and the body of work by students as well as further academic placement statistics for recent graduates. For a more 'professional' program, you can look at the faculty bios (usually a lot of practitioners and wonks), career placement for graduates, and inquire about career placement rates.

I hope this helps somewhat. I actually met someone at a conference recently who did his MPP at Taubman and he was very upbeat about his time there and the quality of the education. He could have been lying, but he seemed like a sharp enough guy and had a good job in consulting. Cornell certainly has a name for itself, but I don't think you'll be too handicapped with the Brown name either.