MPP or Political Science PhD (+ Profile Eval)

[askandtheanswer]

Hi all, would really appreciate some input on both a profile evaluation and advice on whether to pursue a (second) master's, or a PhD. 

Motivation: I'm a lifelong learner - have always enjoyed my time in education and just learning - and deeply driven to pursuing careers that can shape policy or drive some sort of greater systemic change and public good. Whilst I don't really have an intention to stay in academia or go into teaching, I feel like there's still so much I could gain from having a more robust theoretical foundation in politics and theory, to be able to analyse and grasp policy (as well as human rights/IR issues) with more nuance and depth. In terms of careers, I'd love to end up in public policy, government, non-profits, or perhaps Think Tanks or related research. Basically, I'd love to learn the subject at a higher level than I currently have and I think I could do well and really grow as a person and researcher, but at the same time, I don't foresee a life in teaching or academia for myself, as I don't think that's where I can make the greatest impact. I'm in my mid-20s, and feel like if I want to do a PhD (or a second Master's) then now is really the time, as I think I'd be able to easily make the mind-set shift back into academia. 

Profile:

Undergrad Institution: University College London (UCL), First-Class Honours 

Majors: Focussed on politics, legal studies, and Italian language primarily, whilst taking classes on Qualitative Thinking, Quantitative Methods, and Interdisciplinary Research Methods. 

GPA: First-Class Honours as well as a year abroad at UC Berkeley where I had a 4.0 GPA. 

Master's degree: MPhil in IR & Politics from University of Cambridge (awarded with a high Merit, 2 marks off a distinction). 

Work experience: Around 3 years professional experience. Most notable roles include Coordinator for Special Projects at a private not-for-profit University in the UK, a Fellow with an International Human Rights Programme (philanthropy related) and I'm now moving onto a role as an Analyst with a socially-minded consulting company. 

Languages: Italian (intermediate although I have an 'A' in 'Advanced Italian') and Farsi (relatively strong, terrible writing skills)

Recommendation Letters: I had a really strong relationship with a UC Berkeley professor (took 2 classes, strong marks, and frequently went to office hours) who I might reach out to, as well as my MPhil Supervisor. Unsure on the third.

Research Interests: A mixed bag. My background is in international politics (primarily in the Middle East), but I'm also interested in authoritarianism, labour activism, and human rights. 

Programs considering:

PhDs - Political Science, mostly

• UC Berkeley Political Science or even possibly Jurisprudence and Social Policy 
• Harvard Government 
• NYU Politics (particularly tempting for the 1-year Master's waiver) 
• Yale 

Master's 

• Princeton MPA 
• UC Berkeley MPP 
• Harvard MPP 

I spent a wonderful year at Berkeley, loved the professors and the atmosphere, and know they have a really strong bent towards more social causes. Harvard and Yale are also tempting because of the Carr Center and Schell Center respectively. NYU offers the 1-year waiver for Master's degrees, which is also really appealing. 

I think I'd love an MPP or MPA - I'm a practical people-person (despite my love of academia) and want to be able to build my professional skills too. I love the whole course structure of the MPP (or MPA) and think I'd learn so much. But funding is a massive issue, especially as an international student, hence why Princeton is top of the list. 

I know these are massively competitive programs and institutions - as an international student, I think global reputation/brand is unfortunately quite important to me, as is the location. Really happy to consider alternatives though. I've also paid some thought to Columbia, or Chicago.  

TL;DR: Torn between pursuing a very expensive but fulfilling second Master's degree, or a rewarding but lengthy PhD that might not be hugely helpful to my career. Advice and profile eval would be really helpful please, and happy to add/clarify anything! 

[GradSchoolGrad]

8 hours ago, askandtheanswer said:

Hi all, would really appreciate some input on both a profile evaluation and advice on whether to pursue a (second) master's, or a PhD. 

Motivation: I'm a lifelong learner - have always enjoyed my time in education and just learning - and deeply driven to pursuing careers that can shape policy or drive some sort of greater systemic change and public good. Whilst I don't really have an intention to stay in academia or go into teaching, I feel like there's still so much I could gain from having a more robust theoretical foundation in politics and theory, to be able to analyse and grasp policy (as well as human rights/IR issues) with more nuance and depth. In terms of careers, I'd love to end up in public policy, government, non-profits, or perhaps Think Tanks or related research. Basically, I'd love to learn the subject at a higher level than I currently have and I think I could do well and really grow as a person and researcher, but at the same time, I don't foresee a life in teaching or academia for myself, as I don't think that's where I can make the greatest impact. I'm in my mid-20s, and feel like if I want to do a PhD (or a second Master's) then now is really the time, as I think I'd be able to easily make the mind-set shift back into academia. 

Profile:

Undergrad Institution: University College London (UCL), First-Class Honours 

Majors: Focussed on politics, legal studies, and Italian language primarily, whilst taking classes on Qualitative Thinking, Quantitative Methods, and Interdisciplinary Research Methods. 

GPA: First-Class Honours as well as a year abroad at UC Berkeley where I had a 4.0 GPA. 

Master's degree: MPhil in IR & Politics from University of Cambridge (awarded with a high Merit, 2 marks off a distinction). 

Work experience: Around 3 years professional experience. Most notable roles include Coordinator for Special Projects at a private not-for-profit University in the UK, a Fellow with an International Human Rights Programme (philanthropy related) and I'm now moving onto a role as an Analyst with a socially-minded consulting company. 

Languages: Italian (intermediate although I have an 'A' in 'Advanced Italian') and Farsi (relatively strong, terrible writing skills)

Recommendation Letters: I had a really strong relationship with a UC Berkeley professor (took 2 classes, strong marks, and frequently went to office hours) who I might reach out to, as well as my MPhil Supervisor. Unsure on the third.

Research Interests: A mixed bag. My background is in international politics (primarily in the Middle East), but I'm also interested in authoritarianism, labour activism, and human rights. 

Programs considering:

PhDs - Political Science, mostly

• UC Berkeley Political Science or even possibly Jurisprudence and Social Policy 
• Harvard Government 
• NYU Politics (particularly tempting for the 1-year Master's waiver) 
• Yale 

Master's 

• Princeton MPA 
• UC Berkeley MPP 
• Harvard MPP 

I spent a wonderful year at Berkeley, loved the professors and the atmosphere, and know they have a really strong bent towards more social causes. Harvard and Yale are also tempting because of the Carr Center and Schell Center respectively. NYU offers the 1-year waiver for Master's degrees, which is also really appealing. 

I think I'd love an MPP or MPA - I'm a practical people-person (despite my love of academia) and want to be able to build my professional skills too. I love the whole course structure of the MPP (or MPA) and think I'd learn so much. But funding is a massive issue, especially as an international student, hence why Princeton is top of the list. 

I know these are massively competitive programs and institutions - as an international student, I think global reputation/brand is unfortunately quite important to me, as is the location. Really happy to consider alternatives though. I've also paid some thought to Columbia, or Chicago.  

TL;DR: Torn between pursuing a very expensive but fulfilling second Master's degree, or a rewarding but lengthy PhD that might not be hugely helpful to my career. Advice and profile eval would be really helpful please, and happy to add/clarify anything! 

Speaking to the MPP/MPA angle, a lot of the course work you will be focused on will be data analysis. You touch theory, but you don't exactly focus on it. If you feel like data analysis is what you want to get out of your 2nd Masters and be able to use it for more data focused roles, then doing such a 2nd Masters make sense. If you don't care for data analysis and want to focus on more qualitative analysis (which your 1st masters should have prepared you plenty well for) then there is no real point to the 2nd masters. 

As for PhD - i'll let you the PhD people speak to that.

[askandtheanswer]

6 hours ago, GradSchoolGrad said:

Speaking to the MPP/MPA angle, a lot of the course work you will be focused on will be data analysis. You touch theory, but you don't exactly focus on it. If you feel like data analysis is what you want to get out of your 2nd Masters and be able to use it for more data focused roles, then doing such a 2nd Masters make sense. If you don't care for data analysis and want to focus on more qualitative analysis (which your 1st masters should have prepared you plenty well for) then there is no real point to the 2nd masters. 

As for PhD - i'll let you the PhD people speak to that.

Hey thanks so much for this! I'm definitely more practically-oriented as a person, and am more tempted by the data analysis and practical skills I'd gain in an MPP/MPA rather than a degree that's solely theoretical, which is why I'm slightly hesitating over the PhD. Definitely loved my MPhil but I worry that pure theory feels a little detached to me. I'm interested in going into policy but sadly don't have a policy background, and so I wonder if the 2nd Masters would help in that regard, alongside giving me more practical skills like data analysis and better preparing me for a public service career. 

Just hesitating over the fact that I already have a Masters, and I really can't afford an MPP/MPA in the States without substantial funding! Do you think my profile is competitive enough to possibly have a shot at good funding/scholarships for top universities (i.e. Berkeley, Harvard, Princeton, or anywhere else you'd suggest)? 

[GradSchoolGrad]

5 hours ago, askandtheanswer said:

Hey thanks so much for this! I'm definitely more practically-oriented as a person, and am more tempted by the data analysis and practical skills I'd gain in an MPP/MPA rather than a degree that's solely theoretical, which is why I'm slightly hesitating over the PhD. Definitely loved my MPhil but I worry that pure theory feels a little detached to me. I'm interested in going into policy but sadly don't have a policy background, and so I wonder if the 2nd Masters would help in that regard, alongside giving me more practical skills like data analysis and better preparing me for a public service career. 

Just hesitating over the fact that I already have a Masters, and I really can't afford an MPP/MPA in the States without substantial funding! Do you think my profile is competitive enough to possibly have a shot at good funding/scholarships for top universities (i.e. Berkeley, Harvard, Princeton, or anywhere else you'd suggest)? 

What I'm getting at is do you event want to be a policy data analyst type job (AKA: a more traditionally policy school career)? Don't get me wrong, going to an MPP/MPA can open you up to new skills. However, in the job market, about 60% of what you are currently eligible for now (excluding the "campus hiring" status bump) is what MPP/MPAs will go after. The remaining 40% are more analysis oriented jobs whereby you'll just be plowing through data and going through insights (more or less). If you really really think you want to go the data analysis route, that 2nd masters might make sense. If you are cool with being in operational and relationship oriented roles, then what you currently have is fine (although MPA does do a bit more on teaching you management activities).

As for competitiveness, for those top schools there are 3 things they care about.

1. Ability to graduate - do you have sufficient quant background + overall academic success to indicate that you can graduate (don't know how you are with quant)

2. Ability to succeed professionally - have you shown a long line of success in your career

3. (The big distinguisher) - do you bring diversity to the program (and I say this broadly as this includes considering ethnicity, academic interest, background, and etc.). If you don't bring diversity, your chances of getting scholarship + admission shrinks.