Harris MSCAPP vs Columbia SIPA MPA

[IS2404]

Hello! I am hoping for some help deciding between the MS in Computation and Public Policy at the University of Chicago's Harris School of Public Policy and an MPA at Columbia's SIPA. I am honestly more than a little clueless about what I want to do in the future - I'm interested in working with data to answer questions related to social science and contributes somehow to the social good, and I've worked at a think tank for 2.5 years so I know a little bit of my way around the public policy research space - but I'm not totally sure that being a public policy researcher is what I want to do in the future.

Aside from a career in public policy research (at a think tank, non-profit, or in government), I think I'm also interested in data journalism, or potentially public health research. I haven't yet ruled out pursuing a doctorate in public policy or public health. From the funding side, my expected contribution at SIPA would be about $15,000 per year for two years, and at Harris it would be about $19,000 per year for two years. In the long run, I want to end up in New York City, since my family is in the area, and am more interested in domestic than international affairs.

My concern about the SIPA MPA program is that it doesn't seem as quantitatively rigorous as Chicago's. Although there is enough flexibility that I could cobble together a more technical curriculum with some computer science courses, I worry that the degree wouldn't quite convey that sort of skills to employers, and that it would be difficult to find support for that sort of curriculum - especially since I know Columbia's administration is notoriously unresponsive (I've had trouble getting answers just as an admitted student). At the same time, I'm concerned that Harris won't provide the same sort of network in NYC as SIPA, and I would of course not have the opportunity to have internships during the school year in the city. I'm also a little put off by the distance between Hyde Park and the rest of Chicago.

Any thoughts, info, or advice at all would be greatly appreciated! Thank you, from a fairly bordering on very desperate future student.

[PolPhil]

I don't know a whole lot about the specifics of these programs, but from what I do know, here's my advice:

•  If you value academic rigour, learning and improving quantitative skills most, then go to Harris
•  If working in the NY area is most important, go to Columbia

Both of these are great schools that will give you a great education and access to jobs post-graduation, so you're going to have to split some hairs. Are there any specific faculty at either program who you'd like to work with? That could help you decide. All else being equal, you should choose whichever school is best suited to your lifestyle (and it sounds like NYC is more your thing than Hyde Park).