CMU Heinz MSPPM or University of Michigan MPP

[talltaleheart]

I applied for Heinz’s MSPPM-Pittsburgh track, Ford’s MPP, and Duke’s MPP. Duke gave me the lowest in terms of financial aid so I can’t consider it anymore. I received 100% funding plus $8k stipend from Heinz.  With Ford I got the Rackham Master’s Award with 100% tuition, health fees, and $23k stipend. So I’m really leaning to Ford but I think CMU has a bigger data/tech presence.   

Which school has better employment outcomes?

I’m looking for a strong quant/data curriculum & looking to make the turn to tech policy. If not tech, then a data analyst or scientist in the private sector. After graduating I’d like to work abroad or go back to California in the tech space. I know CMU has a little more placement in the private sector. 

Which school has a stronger quant program? 

I’m coming in with low quant skills, hence why I didn’t apply for the DA track at Heinz. But I was told that I could eventually work my way into it or just take as many DA classes as I can. It’s a huge tech powerhouse & I’ve spent a summer in Pittsburgh & I liked it. Lower cost of living & better, more connected public transport. (I don’t want to get a car) 

With Ford, they have the STPP & the school is also quant heavy. Also huge network. I haven’t visited Ann Arbor yet but the rent prices shocked me. I have a friend who is there right now and says Ford has more in depth data courses that CMU. 

Why don’t you apply for a MS in Data Science? 

I can’t afford to pay out of pocket for school. I did a fellowship where they offered significant scholarship for participants, but only applied to MPP/MPA programs. 

Better weather? 

I know I should go with the most money but I’m having a little sticker shock with Ann Arbor & I’ve never experienced a Michigan winter and I’m just worried about how my mental health would fare. But I know Pittsburgh wouldn’t be any better.

[woolscarves]

Congrats on a couple of great offers!

If you're not in the DA program at Heinz, you're not going to really get the foundational courses that you need to excel as a data analyst, much less as a data scientist. I understand the concern for not having a strong enough quant foundation, but if you just want to take courses from the DA curriculum, that doesn't really go away. In fact, the problem probably gets worse as you're in the classes with DA students that are taking more classes in the area and those that have some overlap in skills / material. Most flagship MSPPM students that are interested in tech will take 2ish entry-level analytics classes as electives, but they are considered stressful courses that are spread over the semesters.

I don't mean to discourage you, but I think I'm just trying to caution you against misaligning your hopes for the program with what it sounds like your proposed path might actually be able to provide.

I loved my time in Pittsburgh and did it without a car as well. The bus will generally be sufficient, but definitely make a friend with a car so you can do excursions outside of the main city!

 

[GradSchoolGrad]

15 hours ago, talltaleheart said:

I applied for Heinz’s MSPPM-Pittsburgh track, Ford’s MPP, and Duke’s MPP. Duke gave me the lowest in terms of financial aid so I can’t consider it anymore. I received 100% funding plus $8k stipend from Heinz.  With Ford I got the Rackham Master’s Award with 100% tuition, health fees, and $23k stipend. So I’m really leaning to Ford but I think CMU has a bigger data/tech presence.   

Which school has better employment outcomes?

I’m looking for a strong quant/data curriculum & looking to make the turn to tech policy. If not tech, then a data analyst or scientist in the private sector. After graduating I’d like to work abroad or go back to California in the tech space. I know CMU has a little more placement in the private sector. 

Which school has a stronger quant program? 

I’m coming in with low quant skills, hence why I didn’t apply for the DA track at Heinz. But I was told that I could eventually work my way into it or just take as many DA classes as I can. It’s a huge tech powerhouse & I’ve spent a summer in Pittsburgh & I liked it. Lower cost of living & better, more connected public transport. (I don’t want to get a car) 

With Ford, they have the STPP & the school is also quant heavy. Also huge network. I haven’t visited Ann Arbor yet but the rent prices shocked me. I have a friend who is there right now and says Ford has more in depth data courses that CMU. 

Why don’t you apply for a MS in Data Science? 

I can’t afford to pay out of pocket for school. I did a fellowship where they offered significant scholarship for participants, but only applied to MPP/MPA programs. 

Better weather? 

I know I should go with the most money but I’m having a little sticker shock with Ann Arbor & I’ve never experienced a Michigan winter and I’m just worried about how my mental health would fare. But I know Pittsburgh wouldn’t be any better.

What do you want to do coming out of grad school. If you are more interested in State & Local politics, Ford wins hands down. If you are more into national and tech, Heinz has the edge. Another thing you should think about is that Ford is a much older school with a deeper alumni base (granted there will be a disproportionate amount of it in the mid-west. Also, if you want to have a more quant focused/quant requiring job, Ford should win. If you care about a more interdisciplinary school experience, Ford should win (U. Michigan has pretty much all the top grad schools and its easy to play with all of them. CMU can get better with grad school interoperability from what I hear. 

If you are afraid of quant and want to run away from it period - go to Heinz. That being said, I will say that being quant heavy has helped me out tremendously career wise. 

[Altagracia]

On 3/18/2022 at 4:50 PM, woolscarves said:

Congrats on a couple of great offers!

If you're not in the DA program at Heinz, you're not going to really get the foundational courses that you need to excel as a data analyst, much less as a data scientist. I understand the concern for not having a strong enough quant foundation, but if you just want to take courses from the DA curriculum, that doesn't really go away. In fact, the problem probably gets worse as you're in the classes with DA students that are taking more classes in the area and those that have some overlap in skills / material. Most flagship MSPPM students that are interested in tech will take 2ish entry-level analytics classes as electives, but they are considered stressful courses that are spread over the semesters.

I don't mean to discourage you, but I think I'm just trying to caution you against misaligning your hopes for the program with what it sounds like your proposed path might actually be able to provide.

I loved my time in Pittsburgh and did it without a car as well. The bus will generally be sufficient, but definitely make a friend with a car so you can do excursions outside of the main city!

 

Hello Woolscarves! I’ve been following your posts on this forum for quite a while. I applied for MS in Healthcare Analytics and IT at Heinz college and I’m yet to receive my decision. I’ve searched all through this platform trying to find information on the program but it seems everyone only applies for the MSPPM program. Do you know anyone that did this program? Can you please give me some information on the program? TIA

[woolscarves]

On 3/20/2022 at 11:22 AM, Altagracia said:

Hello Woolscarves! I’ve been following your posts on this forum for quite a while. I applied for MS in Healthcare Analytics and IT at Heinz college and I’m yet to receive my decision. I’ve searched all through this platform trying to find information on the program but it seems everyone only applies for the MSPPM program. Do you know anyone that did this program? Can you please give me some information on the program? TIA

Yes, I was close friends with ~3 students that did it my year. It's a very solid program and is very similar to the MSPPM-DA program, just subtracting the policy courses, adding a sprinkling of healthcare ones, and a couple of additional analytics requirements. My friends that did it all ended up with super cool opportunities (one in an IT rotational program at a big pharma, one as an analytics manager at one of Walgreens / CVS, and one as a data scientist at one of the mega hospitals in Boston). The program seems well run, but can be restrictive given the number of required courses and the fact that you have a much smaller selection of capstone projects in relation to most of the rest of Heinz students. 

[Altagracia]

8 hours ago, woolscarves said:

 

 

8 hours ago, woolscarves said:

Yes, I was close friends with ~3 students that did it my year. It's a very solid program and is very similar to the MSPPM-DA program, just subtracting the policy courses, adding a sprinkling of healthcare ones, and a couple of additional analytics requirements. My friends that did it all ended up with super cool opportunities (one in an IT rotational program at a big pharma, one as an analytics manager at one of Walgreens / CVS, and one as a data scientist at one of the mega hospitals in Boston). The program seems well run, but can be restrictive given the number of required courses and the fact that you have a much smaller selection of capstone projects in relation to most of the rest of Heinz students. 

 

8 hours ago, woolscarves said:

Yes, I was close friends with ~3 students that did it my year. It's a very solid program and is very similar to the MSPPM-DA program, just subtracting the policy courses, adding a sprinkling of healthcare ones, and a couple of additional analytics requirements. My friends that did it all ended up with super cool opportunities (one in an IT rotational program at a big pharma, one as an analytics manager at one of Walgreens / CVS, and one as a data scientist at one of the mega hospitals in Boston). The program seems well run, but can be restrictive given the number of required courses and the fact that you have a much smaller selection of capstone projects in relation to most of the rest of Heinz students. 

Thank you for your reply! I’m happy to know the program is up and running because there’s literally no information about it on the internet except the school website. I’m still awaiting  my decision though, it’s taking so long I was expecting it last week. Thank you

Edited March 22, 2022 by Altagracia