Dual Masters Degree @ American SIS

[Bilk]

Does anyone have any familiarity with the Dual International Masters program at American SIS? I just noticed it for the first time and it looks like a pretty amazing opportunity. Basically you spend one year at American and then your second year at one of the partner schools (Japan, Korea, or Costa Rica) and you come out with two Masters degrees.

You can read about it here: http://www.american.edu/sis/sisabroad/graddual/info.cfm

Personally, I think the Human Security & International Organization degree at Sookmyung in Korea looks fascinating.

But yeah, I'd love to hear any opinions people have on this. Two degrees in two years for basically the cost of one sounds like a great deal to me (assuming you're actually interested in one of the dual degrees offered, of course)

[DeepShadeofBlue]

Hey!

I can't offer any insight on the dual program at SIS, but I just came from a year in Korea, and was also thinking of applying to the dual program.

If you are really interested in going to Korea, I'd definitely make every effort to go! Plus cost of living there is so much more affordable than in Japan (at least city wise). Korea has great public transportation - from subways, bullet trains, and an infinite number of buses (that will seriously take you everywhere). A couple of my friends have even bought their own motorcycles/scooters to get around. Since the nation is geographically small, it's extremely accessible. You can go from Seoul to Busan on a bullet train in just 2-2.5 hours.

And, in the metropolitan areas, you don't need to know much Korean (if any...although I'm sure you will want to learn, just it's comforting to know that if you don't pick up Korean quickly, you won't be completely lost).

Do you think you will switch over? Which program at SIS have you initially applied for?

[Bilk]

Right now I've been accepted to the International Affairs: U.S. Foreign Policy degree at American. The nice thing about the dual masters program, it seems, is that you don't have to apply for it until towards the end of your first year at American. Then, if you decide it seems to be fit for you, you can apply and spend your second year in another country.

Thanks for the great info about Korea, by the way! Yes, I definitely think it looks like a great country to study in. I've spent time in both Japan and China before, but never Korea. And a decrease in cost of living would always be nice of course

Which degree/country were you interested in? I'm trying to figure out if there would be any downsides to doing this program, but I've yet to think of any. I think you could make the argument that you will lose out on taking advantage of job connections/networking in D.C. by being away for a year. Also, there could be some difficulty coming back and trying to find a job if you haven't already got one lined up.

[DeepShadeofBlue]

Hey Bilk --

I also applied to the USFP program at American. Perhaps we'll be classmates! Are you thinking of going to Graduate Day on the 12th?

I've spent some time in Japan and China as well, and Korea is a vibrant country, quite different from its neighbors.

The only downsides I can think of are housing, and as you mentioned, losing connections being away from DC. I can't remember if SIS mentioned anything about procuring housing for you, or if you'll be living on campus at the university. But, you'll definitely need the program to help you get housing since key deposits are usually astronomical. Secondly, I really hesitate to move away from the DC area because of all the internship/research opportunities that are *hopefully* right there. That's one of the main reasons I am heavily considering American versus some other programs; American has prime location, and I'm hoping that advantage is worth the debt I'd have to take on. Have you considered any of the short term programs, like the semester abroad or summer programs? That way you'd still have an international opportunity, but wouldn't have to miss out as much on those experiences in DC.

I'm not sure about Sookmyung, but I can imagine the intensity of study would be comparable to that of KU. KU makes up a trifecta known as SKY (Seoul National, Korea University, and Yonsei University) and they are pretty much the IVY-league schools of the nation. The students in Korea, probably much like those in Japan and China, study rigorously as adolescents. In middle school, many study from basically 8:30am until 2am in the morning, as they go to private academies right after their regular schooling. Just to give you a general idea, the students I taught at a public middle school formally studied the languages of Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and English. (These do not include students who will go on to foreign language high schools, where they might pick up another language - Spanish, French, or German.) Kinda insane. I have no idea what student life at the Master's level would look like. I don't say this to deter or undermine your ambition, just trying to pass on as much information to you as possible.

Edited March 27, 2010 by DeepShadeofBlue