Sciences Po Paris & LSE Dual Master's Degree (International Economic Policy) - Please help!

[economicsgal12]

Hello all,

 

This is my first post on Grad Cafe. I am struggling right now as to what I should do following my graduation from undergrad. Some background: I just graduated with a BA in Economics from a University of California school. I have been accepted into the Sciences Po Paris and LSE dual master's degree, a 2 year program in International Economic Policy, earning two master's degrees (one from each institution). My other option, if not the degree, would be to get a job in the US right now, but the prospects are not seeming too interesting. 

 

The reason I am struggling is the reputation of Sciences Po in the US. I am a US citizen and 90% sure I will be living/working in the US for the rest of my life. I am unsure of the prestige of Sciences Po in the US, and if it will really be valuable. I know that LSE has a huge reputation here and is very credible and well known, so that helps a lot. I had just found out about Sciences Po last year, and I am shocked at how many people in the US don't know about it (even in international relations and poli sci field!). It is a very highly ranked school according to several rankings (up there with Harvard!) but I worry that the lack of recognition in the US will be a problem. I don't want to waste money for a program that will earn me little merit at home!

 

Any knowledge/experience about the program, or Sciences Po Paris in general, would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all in advance!!

[PsyDuck90]

This is definitely not my field, but even if Sciences Po isn't well known in the US, you are also still getting a degree from LSE, which you said is well known. Also, how much debt would you be in after this degree? Is it more than you can expect to be making in your first job post-grad? That would be the biggest factor for me-what is the return on investment?

[economicsgal12]

@PsyDuck90 Thank you for your response! As far as debt, I am so extremely lucky to have my parents financing this degree, so I would not have any debt. But with that being said, I want to be very careful as to spending their money and only doing it for a program that would really benefit me. For salary, I am not quite sure of this, the websites lists average starting salaries, but in Europe and the UK, which are always significantly lower. So I'm not sure how much it would translate in the US market. Currently, I could get a job at starting salary around 55-65k per year, so I would expect that with 2 master's degrees it would be at least 75k. Any thoughts on this? Or any recommendations on how to further check the data other than their website? I haven't found much about it online. Thanks again!!

[PsyDuck90]

You may get better feedback in the economics forum, as I'm a little out of my depth here. However, I would maybe start by looking at job listing for positions you would like to apply for once you graduate. What kinds of degrees do people have in these positions? What is the average starting salary? Even if you are not footing the bill, the question of whether or not the tuition cost is commensurate with expected starting salaries is still very relevant. Quite honestly, a $10k pay bump after getting the degree doesn't seem worth it to me unless the total costs associated with getting the degree were only $10-20k, so I would definitely try to get a better ballpark figure for starting salary after the degree. 

[publicpolicyispublicpeeing]

Congratulations!  Sciences Po, Paris is an elite school (and I would say it is well known in the U.S., as is LSE!). I applied to the dual Columbia SIPA/ScPo MPP/MPA program, and was rejected earlier in January (but happy I applied nonetheless.) I would say consider how badly you want this degree (and if you're ready for it now, or think you could leverage a better network after working for a year), and also consider if you're ready.

Are you burnt out from undergrad? Would you be able to leverage more funding and scholarship $$ if you deferred a year? Although your parents are paying for it, they probably would really appreciate it if you were able to leverage scholarships (and more experience can mean better chances at funding.) The job market is really hot right now in CA, so consider all options before you say yes to moving to Europe for two years (I'm in SF, and looking for jobs after 3 years out of school - UMich, and am currently interviewing for 3-4 different roles). 

[bepavera]

On 2/15/2022 at 12:20 PM, publicpolicyispublicpeeing said:

Congratulations!  Sciences Po, Paris is an elite school (and I would say it is well known in the U.S., as is LSE!). I applied to the dual Columbia SIPA/ScPo MPP/MPA program, and was rejected earlier in January (but happy I applied nonetheless.) I would say consider how badly you want this degree (and if you're ready for it now, or think you could leverage a better network after working for a year), and also consider if you're ready.

Are you burnt out from undergrad? Would you be able to leverage more funding and scholarship $$ if you deferred a year? Although your parents are paying for it, they probably would really appreciate it if you were able to leverage scholarships (and more experience can mean better chances at funding.) The job market is really hot right now in CA, so consider all options before you say yes to moving to Europe for two years (I'm in SF, and looking for jobs after 3 years out of school - UMich, and am currently interviewing for 3-4 different roles). 

go blue!!!!!just say hi!!!