Dual Degree LSE and SciencesPo (Political Economy of Development)

[nightowl97]

Hi all! I am graduating in December from a US university (MA International Studies and MSc Business Administration) and prospecting grad programs for admissions in August of 2021. As I gathered information about the respectability of social science degrees and universities in Europe the dual degree program launching in 2020 from LSE and SciencesPo stood out to me. It includes Double Degree in the Political Economy of Development (new for 2020 entry), with a Master's degree from the Paris School of International Affairs of Sciences Po and the MSc in Development Management of LSE’s Department of International Development. I know this is a new launch but was wondering if anyone is considering applying for the Aug 2020 cycle or have any insight into the program. 

I aim to pursue a career working with refugees in a human rights context (in NGOs or governmental positions) and am considering a PhD for my specified interests within this field. Any input or thoughts on this program (or others you think would be suitable) would be greatly appreciated!

Edited November 19, 2019 by nightowl97

[woolscarves]

You don't need four masters degrees. The two that you're going to get are plenty. If you want to work in an NGO or a governmental position, go get a job doing that. You'll be infinitely better off getting additional work experience and making money than you will spending the time and tuition money for the LSE/SciencesPo program when you already have the education that you have.

Same with a PhD. If you want a PhD, then apply to PhD programs.

[nightowl97]

22 hours ago, woolscarves said:

You don't need four masters degrees. The two that you're going to get are plenty. If you want to work in an NGO or a governmental position, go get a job doing that. You'll be infinitely better off getting additional work experience and making money than you will spending the time and tuition money for the LSE/SciencesPo program when you already have the education that you have.

Same with a PhD. If you want a PhD, then apply to PhD programs.

Apologies, that was a typo- I have a BA and BSc. Clearly I have my mind too focused on masters degrees at the moment ha. 

[woolscarves]

That makes a lot more sense! Short answer is that sure, it can make sense.

Some things to consider:

- do you want to work outside the US? It sounds like you do, which is good because LSE and SciencesPo will carry a lot more weight internationally than they do in the United States

- does this actually help you achieve your goals that you couldn’t without going to these programs? Having studied what you did in undergrad you may still be competitive to get the kinds of jobs that you want without having to go to grad school

- how long is the program relative to doing one of them individually and how does this affect your cost/benefit analysis? IE, if it’s going to add a year of schooling and you really want to go into development, then you may want to opt to do only LSE program because it can get you the job that you want without having to pay an additional year of tuition + forgoing another year of income

 

You’ve got some time to work, start to solidify your goals, and figure out whether grad school (and this dual program in particular) is the best path to reach them. 

[nightowl97]

On 11/26/2019 at 11:42 AM, woolscarves said:

That makes a lot more sense! Short answer is that sure, it can make sense.

Some things to consider:

- do you want to work outside the US? It sounds like you do, which is good because LSE and SciencesPo will carry a lot more weight internationally than they do in the United States

- does this actually help you achieve your goals that you couldn’t without going to these programs? Having studied what you did in undergrad you may still be competitive to get the kinds of jobs that you want without having to go to grad school

- how long is the program relative to doing one of them individually and how does this affect your cost/benefit analysis? IE, if it’s going to add a year of schooling and you really want to go into development, then you may want to opt to do only LSE program because it can get you the job that you want without having to pay an additional year of tuition + forgoing another year of income

 

You’ve got some time to work, start to solidify your goals, and figure out whether grad school (and this dual program in particular) is the best path to reach them. 

Thank you so much for your input! I certainly have the luxury of time when making this decision but its one of my favorite hobbies to incessantly ruminate on things like this. You make a great point about weighing the extra cost to benefit of the SciencesPo half of the degree since I would definitely prioritize LSE if making that decision. Additionally, I've also spent time in the French education system as an undergrad around the L3 level and found it to be not as much so my preferred learning style. I will definitely be doing more thinking about this, thanks again!