UT- Austin LBJ MGPS

[Jota]

Hello all,

I have some tough choices to make (on a personal, academic and professional level), but without getting involved in my choices I thought I might raise a topic that might be useful to more people. I've been accepted to the MGPS program at the LBJ School (UT-Austin) with a very attractive grant offer. I have a good friend who raves about the program and its quality, and it seems to me they spend a good deal of time, money and energy on their students. I also am very impressed with a regional studies department they have which lines up well to my study interests.

What do all you grad school gurus think about the reputation of UT-LBJ? More importantly, do you think it will be difficult to leverage an international career after graduation? My goal is to neither work in Texas and very likely not Washington. Is the UT community strong abroad? Do you think that 50% statistic about people staying in Texas is because there's great work there and Austin's so incredible (but not necessarily because opportunities aren't available elsewhere)? Will I forever be associated with President Bush no matter where I go in the world?

Any and all thoughts are appreciated!

Edited March 23, 2010 by Jota

[Chuck]

Hello all,

I have some tough choices to make (on a personal, academic and professional level), but without getting involved in my choices I thought I might raise a topic that might be useful to more people. I've been accepted to the MGPS program at the LBJ School (UT-Austin) with a very attractive grant offer. I have a good friend who raves about the program and its quality, and it seems to me they spend a good deal of time, money and energy on their students. I also am very impressed with a regional studies department they have which lines up well to my study interests.

What do all you grad school gurus think about the reputation of UT-LBJ? More importantly, do you think it will be difficult to leverage an international career after graduation? My goal is to neither work in Texas and very likely not Washington. Is the UT community strong abroad? Do you think that 50% statistic about people staying in Texas is because there's great work there and Austin's so incredible (but not necessarily because opportunities aren't available elsewhere)? Will I forever be associated with President Bush no matter where I go in the world?

Any and all thoughts are appreciated!

This is a tough one. I've also heard great things about the LBJ school, but obviously their international connections are not going to be as strong as some competitors. As with most policy programs, a lot is going to depend upon what kind of effort you put in and the connections that you make. The fact that the school works so hard to make a fantastic experience available to students is going to count for a lot in this regard.

How much are they offering you? Will it cover your full tuition? Tuition + Expenses? This counts for more than it seems, even now. I know folks coming out of top policy schools with 50K + in debt who are really struggling to find jobs, international or otherwise. It's certainly something to think about. Freedom from debt is huge.

[La Voz]

I imagine the LBJ school has a pretty good reputation domestically, but the Global Policy Studies is pretty new, less than 5 years old. With that in mind, I imagine it's not well known abroad. Depending on where you're looking to work though, UT will have a good reputation. Their Latin American studies program is very strong, so I imagine their reputation in Latin America is strong as well.

UT is just so strong across the board, so the school will have a strong general reputation. Also, the graduate network is immense, at least domestically.

It's a growing program whose reputation will be better 10 years from now. The new dean is also internationally-focused, so that's good for the MGPS students.

[Jota]

That's a really good point, it's the whole kit and caboodle more or less so I would be mainly free from debt at graduation. I have had about 10 HKS grads try and tell me that their experience was worth the car payment (NB: an Audi payment, not a Ford Focus) they have everything month in student loan bills but somehow I don't buy it.

This is a tough one. I've also heard great things about the LBJ school, but obviously their international connections are not going to be as strong as some competitors. As with most policy programs, a lot is going to depend upon what kind of effort you put in and the connections that you make. The fact that the school works so hard to make a fantastic experience available to students is going to count for a lot in this regard.

How much are they offering you? Will it cover your full tuition? Tuition + Expenses? This counts for more than it seems, even now. I know folks coming out of top policy schools with 50K + in debt who are really struggling to find jobs, international or otherwise. It's certainly something to think about. Freedom from debt is huge.

[lbjane]

That's a really good point, it's the whole kit and caboodle more or less so I would be mainly free from debt at graduation. I have had about 10 HKS grads try and tell me that their experience was worth the car payment (NB: an Audi payment, not a Ford Focus) they have everything month in student loan bills but somehow I don't buy it.

I graduated from LBJ's MPAff program (GPS was still being worked out when I was there) and now work in international affairs in DC. So, here are my thoughts. The GPS program is indeed new, but LBJ is one of the oldest policy schools in the country and I think that people will look at that as much as the specific program you did there. The new dean is indeed internationally focused, the former dean is now the Deputy Secretary of State, and LBJ has been expanding its international programs and attracting more and more students interested in international affairs for many years now. LBJ alums who want to find work in international affairs have a pretty good record of finding work. As other posters mentioned, UT also has some great regional studies programs that are really well known and it's really easy to take courses in other departments if you want a regional focus.

I think that the number of students who stay in Austin after graduation has to do with the fact that there are still a lot of students at the LBJ school who are interested in state and local policy, so they tend to go into state and local government in Austin. So, I think that most people who stay in Austin do so because they choose to for career, family, and/or quality of life, not because they can't find work elsewhere. Another large group of alums usually find work in DC on both domestic and international issues. A few end up overseas, but not that many, I don't think. From my class and the classes before and after mine, I know people who work at State, USAID, the UN, Dept of Navy, Brookings, HHS, Deloitte, OMB, CRS, World Bank several of the intelligence agencies, and lots of non-profits. There are also probably several people/places I'm forgetting.

There are certainly LBJers who work overseas, but there's not really large concentrations in any one area that I'm aware of. However, UT is a huge school and has alums all over the world and you could definitely tap into that network if you couldn't find an LBJer working in a particular place.

I do think that the cost of a program is important and that's what really compelled me to choose LBJ over a couple of DC schools. I knew that I wanted to work for the government or an NGO and that I wouldn't be making tons of money after graduation. So, I couldn't justify taking out tons of debt for grad school. However, I was a bit apprehensive about breaking into DC after graduating if I went to school in Texas, but I did an internship in DC between my first and second year and had no problem finding work here in DC when I graduated. Since I have very little debt, I'm able to live somewhat comfortably here in DC and even save money every month for retirement and for an eventual down payment on a condo, which is something that some of my colleagues who went to pricier schools aren't necessarily able to do.

Hope this is useful info.

[Jota]

This is really fantastic advice and I appreciate it. I'm looking forward to visiting the school in a few weeks and getting an on the ground perspective, I'm curious to know though if you felt at all at a disadvantage for not having gone to a DC/NY program or a "top tier" program like SAIS/SIPA/Fletcher/HKS? I did my undergraduate in an Ivy League school and after a few years out have a sneaking suspicion that the location of the school doesn't necessarily maketh the man (although I can't lie and say it hasn't given me some advantages).

-J

I graduated from LBJ's MPAff program (GPS was still being worked out when I was there) and now work in international affairs in DC. So, here are my thoughts. The GPS program is indeed new, but LBJ is one of the oldest policy schools in the country and I think that people will look at that as much as the specific program you did there. The new dean is indeed internationally focused, the former dean is now the Deputy Secretary of State, and LBJ has been expanding its international programs and attracting more and more students interested in international affairs for many years now. LBJ alums who want to find work in international affairs have a pretty good record of finding work. As other posters mentioned, UT also has some great regional studies programs that are really well known and it's really easy to take courses in other departments if you want a regional focus.

I think that the number of students who stay in Austin after graduation has to do with the fact that there are still a lot of students at the LBJ school who are interested in state and local policy, so they tend to go into state and local government in Austin. So, I think that most people who stay in Austin do so because they choose to for career, family, and/or quality of life, not because they can't find work elsewhere. Another large group of alums usually find work in DC on both domestic and international issues. A few end up overseas, but not that many, I don't think. From my class and the classes before and after mine, I know people who work at State, USAID, the UN, Dept of Navy, Brookings, HHS, Deloitte, OMB, CRS, World Bank several of the intelligence agencies, and lots of non-profits. There are also probably several people/places I'm forgetting.

There are certainly LBJers who work overseas, but there's not really large concentrations in any one area that I'm aware of. However, UT is a huge school and has alums all over the world and you could definitely tap into that network if you couldn't find an LBJer working in a particular place.

I do think that the cost of a program is important and that's what really compelled me to choose LBJ over a couple of DC schools. I knew that I wanted to work for the government or an NGO and that I wouldn't be making tons of money after graduation. So, I couldn't justify taking out tons of debt for grad school. However, I was a bit apprehensive about breaking into DC after graduating if I went to school in Texas, but I did an internship in DC between my first and second year and had no problem finding work here in DC when I graduated. Since I have very little debt, I'm able to live somewhat comfortably here in DC and even save money every month for retirement and for an eventual down payment on a condo, which is something that some of my colleagues who went to pricier schools aren't necessarily able to do.

Hope this is useful info.

[lbjane]

I'm only a few years out of grad school, but so far I have not felt at a disadvantage for not having attended the programs you mentioned. I have worked with people who graduated from those schools and feel like I can hold my own. You can make some generalizations about students from different programs, but I've met excellent people who've gone to schools most people have never heard of and absolute idiots who went to some of the programs you mentioned. I think that it's really up to the student to make the most of any program. Those who do will usually be successful and those who don't will have more trouble, at least in my experience.

This is really fantastic advice and I appreciate it. I'm looking forward to visiting the school in a few weeks and getting an on the ground perspective, I'm curious to know though if you felt at all at a disadvantage for not having gone to a DC/NY program or a "top tier" program like SAIS/SIPA/Fletcher/HKS? I did my undergraduate in an Ivy League school and after a few years out have a sneaking suspicion that the location of the school doesn't necessarily maketh the man (although I can't lie and say it hasn't given me some advantages).

-J