Literature BA--> Public Policy MA?

[hopes_]

So I have my degree in Comparative Literature (what can I say, I like novels. But now I need a job that pays more than $10/hr). Over the past year I've developed an interest in diplomacy work, and want to pursue IR/PP programs towards that aim.

I have several social science courses (two classes shy of doubling in Psych., last minute change), and also a few research positions as well as having worked with two international NGOs. I have a 3.4 GPA from an Ivy League school. What can I do to prepare myself for IR/PP Masters, to which I'm applying now?

I'm planning to take micro, macro, and a math course (what's the minimum math level I should take?) this spring. A prof. also recommended taking a free-standing grad course. Any suggestions?

I would love to go to Columbia, NYU, or Georgetown-- I know those are awesome schools, they're def. my "top tier."

[adaptations]

Given that it's already November, any additional prep work you do will not be reflected in your applications, so I assume you are asking about what to do in order to succeed and get the most out of your future MA program. My first thought is that this depends largely on what type of program you go with and what you want to study. I know plenty of students who were in CIR at Chicago and didn't need any additional math/econ courses for their line of study. On the other hand, I took a more IPE approach and was glad to have taken a solid foundation of econ, stats, and calc. I also took lots of classes in the Harris school which had a more quant focus, but nothing that you could manage having taken basic micro econ and calculus.

If you decide to take micro, macro, and a math course (I am assuming stats or calc) everything should be fresh in your mind when you start and you shouldn't have a problem. If you're going into a very quant heavy program you may want to try to get through multivariable calc, but I wouldn't expect that an IR MA programs would expect you to have taken this, and probably not even that many PP programs(which I am only somewhat familiar).

[GopherGrad]

I think macro would be sufficient; at some point I looked into PP master's and both SIPA and SFS both told me specifically that econ grades are important.

That being said, please make sure to spend a lot of time evaluating your career options coming from these programs. Collegeconfidential used to have a very robust IR/PP discussion and there was a lot of talk about working at Starbuck's after dropping $70K at SIPA. Jobs coming out of these programs are often still VERY entry-level and if you have good connections at the NGOs you might find it easier and less expensive to break into the field that way.

[hopes_]

Thanks Adaptations and GopherGrad! (That Starbucks horror story makes me shiver, by the way.)

I actually decided to table my applications for this year and apply next year to IR or Public Policy programs. To be honest, all this stuff is so new to me that these schools and programs are just spinning around in my head, and I don't want to jump into anything. I applied for a Fulbright next year, and if I get it, great. Either way, I have till fall 2011 to work on my GRE's and research possible programs. Maybe you guys can help me clear things up:

1) I'd eventually like to get a Ph.D in IR or Development, I'm not sure yet. My professional aim is to work in international NGOs or governmental diplomacy, creating programs on the ground or shaping policy and the national level. I also am not a huge fan of numbers. Don't get me wrong, I think economics can be fascinating, but I don't want a quant-heavy approach. What specific fields/degree programs do you guys recommend?

2) I've been doing some research online, but it's still fuzzy for me. Excuse my ignorance, but-- What's the real difference between Public Policy, International Relations, and Development?

3) Lastly-- any ways to strengthen my candidacy between now and next fall? Given my ok-not-great GPA and my (apparently) irrelevant major, I know I need to get my butt in gear. Planning on studying really hard for the GREs, taking econ/math courses at my local community college (not glam, but cheap), and maybe doing some research with professors at my local college (UC Denver). Any other ideas or people in similar positions?

Thank you in advance! : )

[adaptations]

Given your professional goals, I would not recommend striving for a PhD. If you want to work in NGOs, Non Profits, Government, etc. you really don't need a PhD. Having a masters in public policy, development, or international affairs would help you get your foot in the door, but you certainly don't need a PhD. Arguably, the additional three or four years of working on a PhD, as opposed to just a MA, would be better spent working and gaining professional experience, given your ambitions.

As for the different fields, international relations is a subfield of political science and is typically not geared toward the type of on-the-ground development work you are considering. Public policy and international development may be more applicable to the type of work you are hoping to do, but you may also want to look at international affairs programs with a focus on development. I know "affairs" versus "relations" sounds like a small change, but for graduate programs it typically represents a substantive difference. IA programs will generally be geared toward the practical or "real world" of international business, economic, and policy development, whereas IR programs pursue the study of international relations as a social science, focused more on the theoretical development and high-level analysis of the political structures, climate, security, etc. I'm oversimplifying this, but hopefully the general distinctions help.

[GopherGrad]

I agree totally with adaptations and will try and add.

1) You would be far better off doing the MA than the PhD. That being said, you might even be better off without the MA. They are expensive and do not assure good employment upon completion. As you prepare for school, also think about preparing for a career change. Start surfing development websites like Devex and apply for a few positions. Find out about development organizations and fundraisers in your area and shake some hands. Do some volunteering. One of the biggest advantages of the MA is networking time, so network without it. At the very least, you'll improve your moves for crunch time during the degree.

Look at professional and terminal master's programs as Columbia (SIPA), Johns Hopkins (SAIS), Georgetown (SFS), George Washington (Elliot), Tufts/Flethcer and IR/PS at UC San Diego for a sampling of the most prestigious. I think some people rate UC Denver's program highly, too, but I can't remember.

2) The distinction between political science and public policy is blurred and getting blurrier. In general, political scientists try to explain relationships and behavior by gathering data, theorizing and comparisons. Public policy looks more at trying to understand cause and effect of particular laws and programs.

International Relations is NOT what you want for development. It's a branch of both polisci and policy that examines the relationships between governments (and, to some extent, other groups like super-national governing bodies, large firms, insurgencies, etc.) Obviously, foreign policy can have great effects on development, but if you want to do NGO/program work, you want to study systems at local levels. How does government and the market interact?, what sorts of policies or structures are lacking to drive wealth/quality of life progress?, etc.

[hopes_]

Thanks so much for the information, that helps a lot. I'll look more into international affairs and development programs.

IA seems better suited to both NGO work as well as governmental diplomacy efforts, whereas development programs seem more targeted to only the former, am I understanding correctly?

I know for sure that I want to do NGO work, but I may also want to explore foreign service as I alluded to previously. I'll def. check out IA programs with an emphasis on development (yay for interdisciplinary stuff). That's interesting what you said about possibly surpassing an MA, GopherGrad-- you know the field better than I do, but it seems like all the non-profit jobs I've applied to so far mention MA's somewhere. Besides volunteer opportunities and job hunting (thanks for the Devex link, by the way), do you guys know of any relevant internship databases geared to students between a BA and an MA? Most of the opportunities I've found target students in one program or another.

Thanks again to both of you : )