NYU-SCPS

[London-Tokyo]

I know this topic has been discussed at least once...But, I couldn't find it, and there wasn't enough detail about it...

So, I was wondering...If someone were to go for the Master's of Science in Globar Affairs at NYU-SCPS...Is it not well-respected?

I mean, I've been hearing that NYU-SCPS is like an "adult" school or extension school...But, I was always under the impression it's a legit. NYU branch,

founded way back when. Whereas extension schools were more recent less known...

Eh, just wanted opinons on SCPS...

[keondraismyrealname]

i think it depends on what you want to do after grad school. it seems like it would be a better idea to attend wagner and do the international track. i personally don't think that an MS makes sense for the field of foreign affairs. from the point of view of a new yorker (putting my professional hat aside), SCPS is definitely seen as a less rigorous, money-making division of NYU for people who value the NYU brand but may not be competitive enough for their larger more reputable programs. in the end, no one will really know you went to SCPS. your resume will read NYU which i believe is enough to get you through.

[London-Tokyo]

i think it depends on what you want to do after grad school. it seems like it would be a better idea to attend wagner and do the international track. i personally don't think that an MS makes sense for the field of foreign affairs. from the point of view of a new yorker (putting my professional hat aside), SCPS is definitely seen as a less rigorous, money-making division of NYU for people who value the NYU brand but may not be competitive enough for their larger more reputable programs. in the end, no one will really know you went to SCPS. your resume will read NYU which i believe is enough to get you through.

Hmm---Is it too late already to switch to Wagner (Since I submitted my app. & fee for SCPS)? I'll probably leave it as my safety school...

I even went and asked an IR prof. (PhD--Georgetown)...

But, I have heard that the program is growing and would be better in the future...

Grr...

But thanks for the honest opinion...I mean, it's not an awful program right? It's still a "decent' graduate prog./school?

(I guess I'm looking for assurance more than anything else...and my main focus is getting in somewhere in the UK though)....

PS---A lot of the European IR programs end up with a Msc as well...Is that very different from an MS? I always thought they were the same...Master's of Science...)

Edited December 20, 2010 by London-Tokyo

[greendiplomat]

Hmm---Is it too late already to switch to Wagner (Since I submitted my app. & fee for SCPS)? I'll probably leave it as my safety school...

I even went and asked an IR prof. (PhD--Georgetown)...

But, I have heard that the program is growing and would be better in the future...

Grr...

But thanks for the honest opinion...I mean, it's not an awful program right? It's still a "decent' graduate prog./school?

(I guess I'm looking for assurance more than anything else...and my main focus is getting in somewhere in the UK though)....

PS---A lot of the European IR programs end up with a Msc as well...Is that very different from an MS? I always thought they were the same...Master's of Science...)

The SCPS is a school mainly dedicated to continuing education, and, as such, Keondra is right in that the program won't be as intellectual/cerebral as its peer institutions, incl. Wagner.

This said, the Wagner program's disadvantage if you're interested in international affairs is that it's very domestically-focused, and, as you'll see by exploring the Wagner website, the course offerings in international affairs are VERY limited (with the exception of international development, though offerings in this area are still comparatively sparse) and it seems to have limited success in career placement in international orgs.

As such, take a look at Wagner's website to get sense of its applicability to your goals before making any decisions, but my advice given your other posts is to apply to other IR programs [incl. MPA/MPP programs with strong international focuses, but probably not Wagner... I'll respond to the other thread in a moment ] and, as you suggested, keep NYU-SCPS as a safety.

The one aspect of Keondra's response that I completely disagree with is the significance of the degree name since,--and I'm sure you already know this if you've been looking at European Master's programmes, London-Tokyo--most taught (i.e. non-research/pre-doctoral) Master's degrees in the UK, including those in the social sciences, are MSc's. You'd write something along the lines of "Master of Science, Global Affairs" on a resume, so nobody's going to think you're a physical scientist, much in the same way that by writing "Bachelor of Arts, Economics and Environmental Science", none of my prospective employers have mistaken me for an artist.

[ETA: Not to mention that arguably the most successful program at getting graduates into the foreign service, Georgetown's MSFS, stands for Master of Science in Foreign Service]

As for the MSc/MS distinction, yes, they're both for Master of Science, the difference being that the British chose to use the first two letters of "Science", whereas the Americans chose to stick with just the first.

Edited December 20, 2010 by greendiplomat

[London-Tokyo]

The SCPS is a school mainly dedicated to continuing education, and, as such, Keondra is right in that the program won't be as intellectual/cerebral as its peer institutions, incl. Wagner.

This said, the Wagner program's disadvantage if you're interested in international affairs is that it's very domestically-focused, and, as you'll see by exploring the Wagner website, the course offerings in international affairs are VERY limited (with the exception of international development, though offerings in this area are still comparatively sparse) and it seems to have limited success in career placement in international orgs.

As such, take a look at Wagner's website to get sense of its applicability to your goals before making any decisions, but my advice given your other posts is to apply to other IR programs [incl. MPA/MPP programs with strong international focuses, but probably not Wagner... I'll respond to the other thread in a moment ] and, as you suggested, keep NYU-SCPS as a safety.

The one aspect of Keondra's response that I completely disagree with is the significance of the degree name since,--and I'm sure you already know this if you've been looking at European Master's programmes, London-Tokyo--most taught (i.e. non-research/pre-doctoral) Master's degrees in the UK, including those in the social sciences, are MSc's. You'd write something along the lines of "Master of Science, Global Affairs" on a resume, so nobody's going to think you're a physical scientist, much in the same way that by writing "Bachelor of Arts, Economics and Environmental Science", none of my prospective employers have mistaken me for an artist.

[ETA: Not to mention that arguably the most successful program at getting graduates into the foreign service, Georgetown's MSFS, stands for Master of Science in Foreign Service]

As for the MSc/MS distinction, yes, they're both for Master of Science, the difference being that the British chose to use the first two letters of "Science", whereas the Americans chose to stick with just the first.

Thanks for the extended analysis---Safety school (SCPS).

But, it would be nice if the MS for Global Affairs could develop into its own school, under the Center for Global Affairs.

It'd be like...NYU--CGA. Who knows, it could happen one-day...

[greendiplomat]

Thanks for the extended analysis---Safety school (SCPS).

But, it would be nice if the MS for Global Affairs could develop into its own school, under the Center for Global Affairs.

It'd be like...NYU--CGA. Who knows, it could happen one-day...

Well the best thing for NYU would be for the Global Affairs degree to be absorbed by Wagner, so that Global Affairs can benefit from the Wagner name-brand (and Wagner benefits by becoming more international). It seems like a no-brainer, but apparently intra-university/inter-school politics are preventing it from happening (i.e. the Global Affairs program is a pretty significant revenue stream for SCPS, so they don't want to give it up). In my mind, the happy middle-ground would be to do something along the lines of what SIPA does with Columbia's School for Continuing Education, where they have the actual degree programs at the former, with certificate programs (i.e. "Critical Issues in International Relations Certificate Program", "United Nations Studies Certificate Program") in the latter... (yes, I'm biased as a Columbia alum going to SIPA ).

[London-Tokyo]

Well the best thing for NYU would be for the Global Affairs degree to be absorbed by Wagner, so that Global Affairs can benefit from the Wagner name-brand (and Wagner benefits by becoming more international). It seems like a no-brainer, but apparently intra-university/inter-school politics are preventing it from happening (i.e. the Global Affairs program is a pretty significant revenue stream for SCPS, so they don't want to give it up). In my mind, the happy middle-ground would be to do something along the lines of what SIPA does with Columbia's School for Continuing Education, where they have the actual degree programs at the former, with certificate programs (i.e. "Critical Issues in International Relations Certificate Program", "United Nations Studies Certificate Program") in the latter... (yes, I'm biased as a Columbia alum going to SIPA ).

But imagine the difference if NYU could develop Global Affairs....

It'd be like the Elliott School at GWU or SFS at Georgetown...

[greendiplomat]

But imagine the difference if NYU could develop Global Affairs....

It'd be like the Elliott School at GWU or SFS at Georgetown...

I don't see your point. Sure, having a separate IR school would be like the Elliott or SFS (or Fletcher at Tufts or SAIS at Johns Hopkins...), but having a policy school with a strong international focus would be like SIPA at Columbia, HKS at Harvard, WWS at Princeton, etc. etc. Both have their merits, but I'd say it's much easier to build upon the resources and reputation that Wagner already has, than to build an entire school from scratch. From a purely budgetary perspective, having 2 separate schools or departments costs more to the university as well (unless, of course, the case can be made that having the two as separate schools, as opposed to two programs/tracks within the same school, would bring in enough students to offset those additional costs).

Edited December 22, 2010 by greendiplomat

[London-Tokyo]

I don't see your point. Sure, having a separate IR school would be like the Elliott or SFS (or Fletcher at Tufts or SAIS at Johns Hopkins...), but having a policy school with a strong international focus would be like SIPA at Columbia, HKS at Harvard, WWS at Princeton, etc. etc. Both have their merits, but I'd say it's much easier to build upon the resources and reputation that Wagner already has, than to build an entire school from scratch. From a purely budgetary perspective, having 2 separate schools or departments costs more to the university as well (unless, of course, the case can be made that having the two as separate schools, as opposed to two programs/tracks within the same school, would bring in enough students to offset those additional costs).

To each their own I guess, I just finished finals today---So, don't really bother explaining.

Doesn't mean I'm saying your wrong either though

[brooklynandbeyond]

Just wanted to write a post for all of you people still trying to decide. I just graduated from the Center for Global Affairs at NYU and wanted to let you know that you should not believe all the hype out there about the program somehow being inadequate. Indeed, I also believe that it should be its own school or at least moved to Wagner or GSAS and out of SCPS, but on another note the program essentially has its own building and is truly a center with its own resources and events, computer labs and such, so I often forgot that it was even in SCPS. Secondly, it IS NYU and that in itself is enough to provide the prestige some of you are looking to add to your C.V.

As far as the quality of the classes and education - I couldn't be happier with what I learned now 2 years later coming out of this program. They have tons of different fields for you to pursue in the IR field - environmental policy, human rights, international law, peaceubuilding, international security, private sector and it is continuously growing and changing because of the relative newness of the program (less than 10 years). I also had professors who had real world experience in a variety of specialties and organizations - U.S. and foreign governments, think-tanks, the U.N., the ICTJ, and so on which means that they have a lot of knowledge and expertise in their fields (and connections to say the least). Another professor was also an instructor at SIPA and she said the quality of the students (and their work) was the same over there at Columbia.

Do I have a job yet? No, but the caveat is that I have not yet applied to a single one since I have prior summer obligations (an internship out of the U.S. with a big NGO and a U.S. gov. sponsored seminar) which limits my immediate availability. Do I think that I will be able to find a job - most definitely when I actually start applying.

Does CGA have some negatives - of course it does but every school does! I honestly believe that how you perform, the contacts you make, the networking you do, and what you intend to get out of your graduate degree will be the best indicator of your future career prospects.

Hope this helps some of you!