Heinz vs Harris 2020

[MPP/MAIRHopeful2019]

Hi everyone,

I'm having a difficult time deciding between two potential options. For some background I'm interested in the application of data science to policy, specifically at some point to foreign policy.

The two offers I'm struggling between are:

Heinz MSPPM - Data Analytics - 80% tuition scholarship

Harris MPP - 25k per year tuition scholarship

 

Heinz and Harris have from what I have seen the best data policy options, but Heinz offers a more direct path with the MSPPM - Data Analytics track, and it is mostly paid for. With the impending economic fallout from coronavirus, this is more important now than ever.

Harris has more robust international policy options and has a data analytics certificate. It's difficult to dent the draw of Chicago, but they also had the opportunity to display their offering at an unperson Admitted Students Day whereas CMU didn't.  

 

My goal is to ultimately work in NYC in data analysis of policy preferably either focusing on policing or on international development and global conflict.

 

I love both schools but am unsure about which school to ultimately choose. 

 

A couple questions I have:

 

Do both offer the same degree of opportunity in NYC where neither is native to?

Can you get into an IR focused data role without an IR degree specifically?

I know CMU is more management based on Chicago more theory based, but do they offer the same quality of instruction. 

Are they both well regarded in the the policy community, and will the lack of policy oriented classes at CMU hurt me or will the less specific focus on data analysis at Chicago hurt me?

 

 

Any and all graduates please weigh in as well as anyone stuck in a similar dilemma.

 

 

[GradSchoolGrad]

1 hour ago, MPP/MAIRHopeful2019 said:

Hi everyone,

I'm having a difficult time deciding between two potential options. For some background I'm interested in the application of data science to policy, specifically at some point to foreign policy.

The two offers I'm struggling between are:

Heinz MSPPM - Data Analytics - 80% tuition scholarship

Harris MPP - 25k per year tuition scholarship

 

Heinz and Harris have from what I have seen the best data policy options, but Heinz offers a more direct path with the MSPPM - Data Analytics track, and it is mostly paid for. With the impending economic fallout from coronavirus, this is more important now than ever.

Harris has more robust international policy options and has a data analytics certificate. It's difficult to dent the draw of Chicago, but they also had the opportunity to display their offering at an unperson Admitted Students Day whereas CMU didn't.  

 

My goal is to ultimately work in NYC in data analysis of policy preferably either focusing on policing or on international development and global conflict.

 

I love both schools but am unsure about which school to ultimately choose. 

 

A couple questions I have:

 

Do both offer the same degree of opportunity in NYC where neither is native to?

Can you get into an IR focused data role without an IR degree specifically?

I know CMU is more management based on Chicago more theory based, but do they offer the same quality of instruction. 

Are they both well regarded in the the policy community, and will the lack of policy oriented classes at CMU hurt me or will the less specific focus on data analysis at Chicago hurt me?

 

 

Any and all graduates please weigh in as well as anyone stuck in a similar dilemma.

 

 

First of all, this is a 100% no brainer... go to to CMU. First of all... if you want to focus hard on data analysis, MSPPM-Data is simply the right degree. You will encounter a much broader learning of languages and to advanced data analysis methods. Harris' MPP is the most quant intense MPP, but at the end of the day the coding languages are on your own and not part of the curriculum.

Second, the easiest way to work in NYC is get a New York oriented project or work with a New York City institution on your project. That will matter more than where you went to school or what classes you took. Speaking of which, both schools have great brand names, granted Harris is marginally better. 

Either way... even if we weren't going to a recession, CMU is the right pick. Especially with recession, CMU is very much the right pick.