How to assess academic quality of a program/department?

[Narwhallaby]

I'm European and have been admitted to three master programs at good/great universities in other continental european countries. I have to make my decision soon and I feel like I have a good picture of the fit of the programmes and their faculty to my research interests,of student life in these places, and of the overall reputation of the university. However, as a foreign student and someone with no substantial network within my field yet, I have a very hard time assessing how these universities are known in my field and what their strengths and weaknesses are in it.

Sorry if this is a basic question, but how did/do you assess this when you can't ask people with more experience?

This feels like the missing piece in my decision puzzle, but is also of general interest to me. Any advice/experiences would be appreciated.

[abay91]

You could (a) look at courses offered and their syllabus if available (b) talk to current or graduated students (c) talk to your professors about the academic quality of these programs, I'm sure they would have some idea. I'm not sure if this is helpful at all, good luck with your decision!

[Narwhallaby]

I've reached out to a few current students on LinkedIn and already one is willing to have a video call to answer my questions, so that seems to work in case others have the same issue . I feel like it's very uncommon to reach out to professors for advice on this in my university/country, but maybe I'll try that as well. Thank you for the advice!

[abay91]

Ah, that sounds great! Maybe you can try dropping the school names in random conversations with professors. However, you should ask your letter writers frankly cause I did too when selecting Masters programs even though my professors in general do not advise students on which schools to opt for. Previously graduated students who had applied to similar courses from your current university could also be a good source!

Edited May 4, 2021 by abay91