Applying to NPSIA - MUNK - Fall 2020

[IR_Fan]

I was just on the phone with Graduate Admissions today about some scholarships, and they said they have not received anything from NPSIA yet. They said that we will likely receive our official offers mid to late next week. NPSIA is probably still deciding how to allocate all the funding to its first round picks. 

[Hawkmoon]

13 minutes ago, IR_Fan said:

I was just on the phone with Graduate Admissions today about some scholarships, and they said they have not received anything from NPSIA yet. They said that we will likely receive our official offers mid to late next week. NPSIA is probably still deciding how to allocate all the funding to its first round picks. 

Thanks for the update.  Waiting till next week I guess... crap...

[theGoodGhosts]

If anyone’s in Ottawa, Philippe Lagassé (NPSIA prof) and Thomas Juneau and Srdjan Vucetic (GSPIA) are releasing a book tonight at Chateau Laurier and giving out 50 free copies. The book is titled “Canadian Defence Policy in Theory and Practice” 

[Endzone98]

Anyone thinking about how they will fund their Munk tuition (if given admission) out of curiosity, and whether if that expensive of a program is worth it at the end? Thinking quite a bit about the return of investment quite a bit LOL

Edited March 3, 2020 by Endzone98

[KW77]

2 hours ago, Endzone98 said:

Anyone thinking about how they will fund their Munk tuition (if given admission) out of curiosity, and whether if that expensive of a program is worth it at the end? Thinking quite a bit about the return of investment quite a bit LOL

I have been wondering about this as well, the school recommended that if you didn't get OSAP, OGS, or some other type of scholarship, ScotiaBank offers professional loans up to 100k if your credit history is good and if you can potentially get a cosigner (depending on if your working full time or not). In terms of the return on investment, i honestly can't say, I know some people that went to programs like Munk, LSE, Georgetown etc and never got any big private sector jobs to justify the debt they took, while on the other hand, i have met a lot of people from what would be considered "middle of the pack universities and programs" who have done exceptionally well in gov't and the private sector across North America. I really think it depends on what your end goal is in addition to specific attributes about you as individual (work/volunteer experience, additional languages or special skills). The only sure thing programs like this can give you is better access to alumni networks and special events, in addition to giving you the opportunity to work in prestigious departments/organizations (coop). Atleast that's my take on it, i'm sure others have different perspectives on here as well.

[Endzone98]

1 minute ago, KW77 said:

I have been wondering about this as well, the school recommended that if you didn't get OSAP, OGS, or some other type of scholarship, ScotiaBank offers professional loans up to 100k if your credit history is good and if you can potentially get a cosigner (depending on if your working full time or not). In terms of the return on investment, i honestly can't say, I know some people that went to programs like Munk, LSE, Georgetown etc and never got any big private sector jobs to justify the debt they took, while on the other hand, i have met a lot of people from what would be considered "middle of the pack universities and programs" who have done exceptionally well in gov't and the private sector across North America. I really think it depends on what your end goal is in addition to specific attributes about you as individual (work/volunteer experience, additional languages or special skills). The only sure thing programs like this can give you is better access to alumni networks and special events, in addition to giving you the opportunity to work in prestigious departments/organizations (coop). Atleast that's my take on it, i'm sure others have different perspectives on here as well.

Yea thats a great point! I really feel like the prestige of U of T is what draws many people (including myself) into going there, but the price is quite high in fees LOL. My end goal personally has been to work either for NATO or work on something related with national defence policy. 

[Lb1196]

4 hours ago, IR_Fan said:

Grew up just outside of Calgary and did my first year of uni in Lethbridge before transferring to Carleton. 

Oh wow! I wonder if we met! 
 

also, my status on Carleton Central has changed to “review in progress by faculty of postgraduate etc” so here’s hoping we get letters soon!

[irnerd]

i'm personally finding carleton 360 super glitchy. i've gone back to recommended for assessment.

 i'm more patient this time since i know i've been accepted unofficially, but i really am curious to see the funding amount lol (im hoping they're generous but it could be a pretty small amount)

APPLICATION PDF"

Edited March 4, 2020 by irnerd

[irnerd]

39 minutes ago, KW77 said:

I have been wondering about this as well, the school recommended that if you didn't get OSAP, OGS, or some other type of scholarship, ScotiaBank offers professional loans up to 100k if your credit history is good and if you can potentially get a cosigner (depending on if your working full time or not). In terms of the return on investment, i honestly can't say, I know some people that went to programs like Munk, LSE, Georgetown etc and never got any big private sector jobs to justify the debt they took, while on the other hand, i have met a lot of people from what would be considered "middle of the pack universities and programs" who have done exceptionally well in gov't and the private sector across North America. I really think it depends on what your end goal is in addition to specific attributes about you as individual (work/volunteer experience, additional languages or special skills). The only sure thing programs like this can give you is better access to alumni networks and special events, in addition to giving you the opportunity to work in prestigious departments/organizations (coop). Atleast that's my take on it, i'm sure others have different perspectives on here as well.

think you nailed it. your degree might open doors, but work/other attributes are equally important

i also personally feel like there's less an emphasis on brand name schools in the public sector than private sector. 

[Hawkmoon]

15 hours ago, theGoodGhosts said:

If anyone’s in Ottawa, Philippe Lagassé (NPSIA prof) and Thomas Juneau and Srdjan Vucetic (GSPIA) are releasing a book tonight at Chateau Laurier and giving out 50 free copies. The book is titled “Canadian Defence Policy in Theory and Practice” 

Damn... Just saw this... Did you go??

[theGoodGhosts]

1 minute ago, Hawkmoon said:

Damn... Just saw this... Did you go??

Yeah. Found out about it from Twitter yesterday, and totally spaced on posting it here until right before the event  Sorry!

It was pretty good. The former head of CSIS Dick Fadden gave a short talk, and I got to chat with a couple NPSIA students. 

[Hawkmoon]

33 minutes ago, theGoodGhosts said:

Yeah. Found out about it from Twitter yesterday, and totally spaced on posting it here until right before the event  Sorry!

It was pretty good. The former head of CSIS Dick Fadden gave a short talk, and I got to chat with a couple NPSIA students. 

Damn!  lol...  Ah well serves me right for not checking the events page and twitter.. 

[theGoodGhosts]

Woo! Status on Carleton Central just updated to "Review in progress by Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs"

Edited March 4, 2020 by theGoodGhosts

[Hawkmoon]

23 minutes ago, theGoodGhosts said:

Woo! Status on Carleton Central just updated to "Review in progress by Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs"

Congrats!  Mine is still stuck in "recommended for assessment"  hell......  lol

[theGoodGhosts]

3 minutes ago, Hawkmoon said:

Congrats!  Mine is still stuck in "recommended for assessment"  hell......  lol

You already got the "unofficial" acceptance email though, right?

[Hawkmoon]

6 minutes ago, theGoodGhosts said:

You already got the "unofficial" acceptance email though, right?

Yeah got the email so that's good.   Really need to get a handle on funding soon tho..  Did you get a specialization??/

 

Edited March 4, 2020 by Hawkmoon

[ElleG]

40 minutes ago, Hawkmoon said:

Yeah got the email so that's good.   Really need to get a handle on funding soon tho..  Did you get a specialization??/

 

Mine still have no specialization. Did you get yours? 

[Hawkmoon]

2 minutes ago, ElleG said:

Mine still have no specialization. Did you get yours? 

Not yet... sigh... lol

[Boudibou123]

I have a question for NPSIA applicants, current students or alumni's.

I see that the program is 5 credits, and courses are normally 0.5 credits, for a total of 10 courses. I was wondering how much time does it actually take to complete the program for a student that takes the coursework option.

 

how many classes do students usually take per semester? Am I right when I say that you can complete the MA in 2-3 semesters, taking4-5 courses each? Is that realistic? I am still trying to correctly figure out the structure of the program.

[theGoodGhosts]

17 minutes ago, Boudibou123 said:

I have a question for NPSIA applicants, current students or alumni's.

I see that the program is 5 credits, and courses are normally 0.5 credits, for a total of 10 courses. I was wondering how much time does it actually take to complete the program for a student that takes the coursework option.

 

how many classes do students usually take per semester? Am I right when I say that you can complete the MA in 2-3 semesters, taking4-5 courses each? Is that realistic? I am still trying to correctly figure out the structure of the program.

I suppose, but I think then you'd miss out on the co-op program. Also, the workload might be a bit hefty.

EDIT: Missed the question about how many classes per semester. I believe the standard is 3. Obviously they're a little more intensive than undergrad classes, but there's also the issue of TAships and RAships that take up a lot of time and energy in their own right.

Edited March 4, 2020 by theGoodGhosts

[Hawkmoon]

10 minutes ago, theGoodGhosts said:

I suppose, but I think then you'd miss out on the co-op program. Also, the workload might be a bit hefty.

EDIT: Missed the question about how many classes per semester. I believe the standard is 3. Obviously they're a little more intensive than undergrad classes, but there's also the issue of TAships and RAships that take up a lot of time and energy in their own right.

From what I've been told if you do no co-ops, no TA-ing, and do summer courses etc, you would be able to finish within a year.  But one of the reasons I chose NPSIA is the networking and co-op opportunities there.   10-11 course in a year at a masters level would be difficult for me.   

[Boudibou123]

I get it. Still, it seems to me that 10-11 classes in 3 semesters are pretty manageable (I already have a master on my end so I've done it before). I'm also pretty sure you would be able to network and all during that time, but hey, that's just me!

[Hawkmoon]

1 hour ago, Boudibou123 said:

I get it. Still, it seems to me that 10-11 classes in 3 semesters are pretty manageable (I already have a master on my end so I've done it before). I'm also pretty sure you would be able to network and all during that time, but hey, that's just me!

Hey if you can pull it off, good luck!   Depending on funding I'll probably have to work part time...

[ElleG]

2 hours ago, theGoodGhosts said:

I suppose, but I think then you'd miss out on the co-op program. Also, the workload might be a bit hefty.

EDIT: Missed the question about how many classes per semester. I believe the standard is 3. Obviously they're a little more intensive than undergrad classes, but there's also the issue of TAships and RAships that take up a lot of time and energy in their own right.

Do you know if they set a limit as to how many you can take? Or what is the minimum to be considered a full-time student. 

[theGoodGhosts]

@ElleG the minimum for full-time is 1.5 credits. Not sure what the upper bound is, but in undergrad, it was 2.5 (but you could overload to 3 if your grades were high enough). While you're on a co-op term, the most you can take is a single 0.5 credit class.

Edited March 4, 2020 by theGoodGhosts