Rank by selectivity (MPP)

[pubpol22]

From almost everyone I've talked to, Berkeley is the strongest for quantitative work and strength lies in the policy/economic analysis concentration.

I'm not questioning this, since I really don't know enough about Berkeley to comment, but I do find it amusing that I've heard four or five different programs, including Berkeley, Georgetown, Harris, and WWS, described as the strongest for quantitative work. It seems like something that all of the programs like to brag about

Again just from word of mouth, WWS and KSG seem like probably the most selective schools. That, of course, doesn't mean that they're the best programs, since, as probably the most well-known programs, they can afford to be more selective as they receive more applications.

[xnormajeanx]

i don't know about GSPP... i'm definitely turning them down. no money!

[xnormajeanx]

erin i am a testament to the ford school admit/georgetown reject. i don't get it but i guess schools are really looking for who they deem 'fit'

therefore, w/ my own personal experience gtown seems to be picky but as i'm seeing from above posts so is princeton. i imagine ksg is also picky. i don't know why sipa would be seeing as their rank is low for mpp. anyways, good board question!

i didn't apply to sipa or anything, i just thought they would be picky because there seemed to be a lot of rejects on the results page. also, columbia is picky for pretty much everything else. they think they've got the best name ever.

[hambergrrr]

Yea, I think a lot of it depends on what you want out of the program too. I know lots of schools say their quant. program is the strongest, but just looking at how strong the strictly-quant. programs are at each school maybe gives a good indication too? For example, U of Chicago and Berkeley have VERY strong economics departments that probably somewhat feed into their MPP programs. I really don't know much about the other schools to comment, but I do know SIPA is rather weak on the quant. end.

[slickj07]

I doubt that SIPA is anywhere near the top for the MPA program. GSPP is highly selective. When I spoke to one of the admissions officers there a few months ago, she told me that they lose very, very few people to other schools. In the past year's pool of applicants who were given acceptance letters, only 1 or 2 opted for another school. From almost everyone I've talked to, Berkeley is the strongest for quantitative work and strength lies in the policy/economic analysis concentration.

Berkeley certainly is a great program, but I really don't believe only one or two people turned them down. Some of their admits must be getting into Harvard, Columbia, GTown, etc. No way virtually everyone takes Berkeley over that.

Of course admissions people are going to hype up their program.

[Paradoxex22]

WWS is easily the most selective...I heard they have something like an 8-10% acceptance rate. The money brings the apps....the reputation helps.

GSPP is so specialized, I can imagine a lot of folks don't turn them down. They accept primarily folks from CA and a few others....it's more a regional program than most admit. That said, their natural selection angle and reputation sets them up well.

Harvard must be pretty selective, but with a yearly class in excess of 200 students, they also accept a fair number of students. I think that more than anything makes them slightly less selective than some other programs.

Beyond that, I bet it's all pretty close and tightly kept among admission departments. Duke, Michigan, Chicago, Georgetown, etc....all pretty ridiculously selective.

[xnormajeanx]

Chicago's admissions dean says they admitted about HALF of applicants last year. that's not very selective. she also said most other programs besides WWS admit about that number, and that other admissions offices are inclined to tell you otherwise.

[hambergrrr]

Berkeley certainly is a great program, but I really don't believe only one or two people turned them down. Some of their admits must be getting into Harvard, Columbia, GTown, etc. No way virtually everyone takes Berkeley over that.

Of course admissions people are going to hype up their program.

You have to consider also that Columbia is a MPA program, not MPP, so can't be as fairly compared to Berkeley.

[winkatme]

gwu and american are both ranked a little higher than gtown. gtown is a fair amount harder to get into though. the rankings have little to do with difficulty.

i have a fancy assistantship at georgia now (#3), but i was outright rejected by columbia, which is in the 20s. I got into gtown without aid. gtown is pretty stingy with most its admits.

all of this was back in 2006.

it really doesn't make a huge difference where you go, the point is to do well there.

Are you going to Georgia? I got accepted but I am still waiting to hear about funding. I am pretty doubtful about receiving any but I emailed the program director and he told me that they would be able to give me more information in a few days, whatever that means.

[applicant54321]

Apparently the new USNews rankings are coming out March 29. Anyone know if they will include an updated ranking for public affairs programs? The one they have been running in the last few annual issues is way outdated (2004). With so many of these programs growing, I bet several rankings would change.

[iloveschool]

I saw this quote on Wikipeida - KSG. "The Harvard Kennedy School has received high rankings in the U.S. News & World Report list of top graduate schools of public affairs, but the magazine does not rank such schools any longer." You can interpret that however you'd like!

[Banana_1]

Hello,

Found this on the NASPAA website posted February 2008:

http://www.naspaa.org/principals/public ... .S.%20News

U.S. News Public Affairs Schools Rankings Out in March

US News and World Report has informed NASPAA that the new rankings will be out online on March 28th and in hardcopy/newsstand on March 31

[unknownscholar]

Hello,

Found this on the NASPAA website posted February 2008:

http://www.naspaa.org/principals/public ... .S.%20News

U.S. News Public Affairs Schools Rankings Out in March

US News and World Report has informed NASPAA that the new rankings will be out online on March 28th and in hardcopy/newsstand on March 31

Thanks for the update Banana, and welcome aboard!

[USF_Rockstar]

Does anyone know about the College of William and Mary's MPP program? It says on their site they only admit 25 students per year which would lead me to believe they have pretty tough admissions standards but I've never seen anything on here about it.

[zetterberg]

I am a recent graduate of the Georgetown Public Policy Institute, having received my MPP last year. I was also admitted to the Harris School at the University of Chicago and GWU.

First of all, DO NOT make the mistake of relying on the U.S. News rankings to make your decision. I conducted significant research into MPP programs on my own behalf, and I assure you that the U.S. News rankings for schools of public affairs are absolute garbage. For example, I'm originally from the Midwest, and so began my search for a grad school in that region. The U.S. News rankings place both Indiana and the Ford School at the University of Michigan in the top 5 for public affairs - both Georgetown and Harris are in the teens (13th and 15th, approximately). Insane! Both Georgetown and Harris-UC are dramatically better programs than Indiana and Michigan. While both GU and Harris are more selective than UM and Indiana, that's not really the basis for my argument. It's more that Georgetown and Harris really focus on offering intimate learning environments with absolute top-notch faculty and lecturers - perhaps this is where reputation and location really do make a difference. Indiana is at best average.....they don't really offer many intangibles. The Ford School is weak......no thesis requirement, average faculty, and they just don't seem too invested in their students. (I had a difficult time just trying to arrange to speak to some of their administrators and faculty)

Regarding the question of selectivity raised by several posters - Georgetown has an acceptance rate of about 20% for its full-time MPP program. I believe that only the Kennedy School, the Wilson School, and possibly Berkeley have lower acceptance rates(can't speak to Columbia - which is a little different). Harris-UC accepts about a third of applicants, and GW takes about half. Hope this is helpful for some of you out there......best of luck (and of course, I highly recommend Georgetown )

[xnormajeanx]

Georgetown's acceptance rate is actually around 50%. You might be fooled by the fact that there are 20 spots for every 100 applicants, but that does not suggest a 20% acceptance rate.

[DefinitelyMaybe]

The Ford School is weak......no thesis requirement,

So a school is weak because they don't have a thesis requirement?

I didn't apply to Ford, but I got into Indiana and they don't have a thesis requirement either.

Personally, as someone who is in the workforce now and plans to be in the workforce permanently after I finish my MPA and who has absolutely no interest whatsoever in getting a PhD, I am SO GLAD they aren't gonna waste my time with a thesis. :roll: They instead have a capstone project that you do with another group of students, and I prefer that WAY more. I purposely did not apply to schools that have thesis requirements. A thesis is completely irrelevant to my life plans post graduate school. Give me something practical I can take into the workplace, thanks.

What is a thesis going to do for me in a job interview? Absolutely nothing.

[Utkarsh Amitabh]

Which is the best Masters in Public Administration / Public Policy Program out of the following 1) London School of Economics 2) University of Chicago 3) University of Michigan 4) Sciences Po 5) Hertie School of Governance 6) CMU?

I have admits from them

[smirrah]

Which is the best Masters in Public Administration / Public Policy Program out of the following 1) London School of Economics 2) University of Chicago 3) University of Michigan 4) Sciences Po 5) Hertie School of Governance 6) CMU?

I have admits from them

To the best of my knowledge, those schools are all good names in different spectrum of public policy, so you need to get a little more specific to really say which ones are better. What industry are you trying to go into and where are you trying to work? If you want to work in Europe, LSE, Sciences Po and Hertie will have better prospects. If you want to work in the States, then Chicago, Michigan and CMU are better. If you're looking for employment elsewhere in the world, I would argue that Chicago, LSE and then CMU/Sciences Po would be better, but that's just my speculation.

I would say that if you're trying to work for an international organization vs local government vs private sector would all make a big difference, not just in the course offerings but also in the global rep of the schools. From my perspective, trying to work in international economic policy anywhere (US, Europe, Latin America, etc...), I would say LSE, Chicago or Sciences Po - that could change dramatically depending on which industry and continent you want to work.

Edited March 30, 2012 by smirrah

[Eclectic4]

Its also important to look at the domestic versus international focus.

For example, Columbia Sipa is supposedly ranked in the 20's in Us News.

But in international affairs it is ranked by Foriegn Policy as #5, right behind Sais, Harvard, etc.

[JAubrey]

On 4/12/2012 at 8:58 PM, Eclectic4 said:

Its also important to look at the domestic versus international focus.

For example, Columbia Sipa is supposedly ranked in the 20's in Us News.

But in international affairs it is ranked by Foriegn Policy as #5, right behind Sais, Harvard, etc.

The rankings are ridiculous. SIPA while not as selective as HKS or WWS, is still most assuredly a top tier program, albeit a cash cow. If you can afford it, you will not go wrong attending SIPA.