MPA at Indiana SPEA vs. MPPA at Northwestern

[politicalpianist]

I was recently accepted into the University of Indiana and Northwestern University and could really use some advice on which to pick! Here are the factors I'm considering:

• Concentration. Hoping to get involved in health policy, specifically Title X or Medicaid, with the ability to learn more about quantitative analysis (love SPEA for its ability to customize the concentration)
• Flexibility/Placement. Not sure exactly what career I want to do, whether it's to go back into the nonprofit world, government, or private sector (leaning gov't)
• Location. I have friends in Evanston and Chicago and a spouse in Springfield. While we don't want to end up in Springfield, he might be there for a little while longer and I wasn't sure whether Northwestern had an edge on placement for gov't jobs in Springfield over Indiana. After a few years there, we hope to end up somewhere in the midwest.
• Cost. Am I reading correctly that Indiana is significantly more expensive than Northwestern? I applied just before the final deadline (May 1) and assume I may have missed my shot at a fellowship, or any financial aid.
• Prestige. It seems like Indiana has the better reputation in some areas, but on the surface Northwestern sounds prestigious...? 

Any advice/suggestions is appreciated--I'm torn!

[GradSchoolGrad]

23 hours ago, politicalpianist said:

I was recently accepted into the University of Indiana and Northwestern University and could really use some advice on which to pick! Here are the factors I'm considering:

• Concentration. Hoping to get involved in health policy, specifically Title X or Medicaid, with the ability to learn more about quantitative analysis (love SPEA for its ability to customize the concentration)
• Flexibility/Placement. Not sure exactly what career I want to do, whether it's to go back into the nonprofit world, government, or private sector (leaning gov't)
• Location. I have friends in Evanston and Chicago and a spouse in Springfield. While we don't want to end up in Springfield, he might be there for a little while longer and I wasn't sure whether Northwestern had an edge on placement for gov't jobs in Springfield over Indiana. After a few years there, we hope to end up somewhere in the midwest.
• Cost. Am I reading correctly that Indiana is significantly more expensive than Northwestern? I applied just before the final deadline (May 1) and assume I may have missed my shot at a fellowship, or any financial aid.
• Prestige. It seems like Indiana has the better reputation in some areas, but on the surface Northwestern sounds prestigious...? 

Any advice/suggestions is appreciated--I'm torn!

So lots of things to unpack here, but I think I want to go to the heart of the issue.

Do you care more about

A: diving deep into policy and landing a policy oriented job (either as career pivot or boosting your career straight from undergrad)

or

B: Getting any old graduate degree for the purpose of checking the box and get some brand prestige?

If you care about A, then you should go to Indiana SPEAs, especially since they are highly regarded for their domestic policy and there is a drastic shortage of people in health policy (and likely still remains true with a recession + COVID). AKA: You are pretty much guaranteed a job if you try. I remember at my policy school graduation, the people that go the best paying jobs outside of consulting went into health policy. Sadly, some of the lowest performing were in that bucket as well because they went into health policy. This is because SPEA is actually structured to be a holistic policy program with a full litany of comprehensive school offerings. Plus it really helps that you have PhDs, undergrads, and masters all under one house because that = comprehensive range of resource access.

If you really care about B, then you should go to Northwestern MPPA. They are part of the latest trend of schools leveraging their brand names to make cash on the side by having "professional studies schools". You might actually have a pretty diverse education, and they do indeed leverage Northwestern resources + give you Northwestern diploma. HOWEVER... I'm not so sure you would really acquire the Northwestern network. Additionally, you have to realize that at the end of the day the MPPA program is essentially a high brow diploma mill and your classmates will range greatly. I kind of view as similar to Stanford MPP or Harvard A.R.T. program. The University is really prestigious, but people in the industry know that the program in particular is rather blah. 

 

 

 

[politicalpianist]

Definitely definitely A--I've been in the health care industry for a few years but have been hoping to learn more/switch careers to a policy-focused position. I had no sense of how well-regarded Northwestern's program is, so I appreciate your candid response about their program.

I had been leaning towards Indiana but this seals the deal. Thank you!!

[SherryGhazi]

Hi, 

I am also interested in finding an online public policy program and came across Northwestern and Indiana.

To be honest, I am more inclined towards Northwestern as the course content seems more extensive with options to specialize in different areas. It is also significantly cheaper than Indiana (46k vs 64K). I want to understand exactly how 'big' of an issue is that the Northwestern MPPA is offered by their Professional school? I have read about this issue on multiple forums but I am not sure if its a 'personal choice' or does it have a major impact on future prospects etc. 

A little bit about myself: I work in the UN and have had an international career for the last 6+ years. My undergrad was totally unrelated (Business admin) and I feel I am really interested in both aspects of public policy - the development of policies as well as their implementation by state authorities. My goal is to find a program which can help me pivot from a Program/Project Management role to a more policy focused one.