Georgetown SSP (part-time) vs. SAIS (full-time)

[SportsFan]

I figured the one thing we all needed was another "either/or" thread, so here goes!

I am having a hard time deciding between Georgetown Security Studies part-time, while working at a government agency, or going to SAIS full-time.

Financially, SSP is better because I can keep my job, but a fellowship at SAIS has made it more competitive.

Professionally, it makes more sense to do SSP in the short-term, but SAIS could pay off more in the long run with its strong econ and language focus.

My focus would be in US National Security / American Foreign Policy, with electives in Chinese History and Foreign Policy (and Mandarin at SAIS).

Is there a case to be made for SAIS in this situation? I would love to hear any thoughts!

[yabanci]

I figured the one thing we all needed was another "either/or" thread, so here goes!

I am having a hard time deciding between Georgetown Security Studies part-time, while working at a government agency, or going to SAIS full-time.

Financially, SSP is better because I can keep my job, but a fellowship at SAIS has made it more competitive.

Professionally, it makes more sense to do SSP in the short-term, but SAIS could pay off more in the long run with its strong econ and language focus.

My focus would be in US National Security / American Foreign Policy, with electives in Chinese History and Foreign Policy (and Mandarin at SAIS).

Is there a case to be made for SAIS in this situation? I would love to hear any thoughts!

I'm not attending/going to attend either of those schools, but am somewhat familiar with working with government agencies, so I'll chime in. Admittedly, I don't know much about either school's programs, and I think it depends on what you want to do with your degree. Are you getting the degree to get language skills in Mandarin? Or is this degree something that will get you a promotion with your current job, assuming you go to Georgetown? Basically, are you working in intelligence/national security already, and want to get a degree to make you more competitive for promotions, or are you trying to get into the national security arena after your degree? If you did go to SAIS, you'd have to go through the government's cumbersome hiring process again to get a job, although of course you'd be more marketable with your past work experience and new degree. If you're aiming for the private sector, I can't really comment on that, but the econ and language focus at SAIS sounds like it could help with that. Is there any way you can get your current employer to pay for attending Georgetown, at least partial tuition? That could certainly tip the decision in Georgetown's favor. Either way, good luck with your decision, and congrats on getting accepted to both schools!

[SportsFan]

I'm not attending/going to attend either of those schools, but am somewhat familiar with working with government agencies, so I'll chime in. Admittedly, I don't know much about either school's programs, and I think it depends on what you want to do with your degree. Are you getting the degree to get language skills in Mandarin? Or is this degree something that will get you a promotion with your current job, assuming you go to Georgetown? Basically, are you working in intelligence/national security already, and want to get a degree to make you more competitive for promotions, or are you trying to get into the national security arena after your degree? If you did go to SAIS, you'd have to go through the government's cumbersome hiring process again to get a job, although of course you'd be more marketable with your past work experience and new degree. If you're aiming for the private sector, I can't really comment on that, but the econ and language focus at SAIS sounds like it could help with that. Is there any way you can get your current employer to pay for attending Georgetown, at least partial tuition? That could certainly tip the decision in Georgetown's favor. Either way, good luck with your decision, and congrats on getting accepted to both schools!

Thanks for the feedback, yabanci! I'm currently in the national security realm, so SSP would just be reinforcing my strengths and/or helping with promotions. SAIS would allow me to gain a much wider range of skills and understanding of the world, but at the risk of leaving work for a few years. To answer your last question, I could get a little tuition assistance from my employer, so that's definitely a plus for SSP. Tough call! Anyway, thanks again for responding, and good luck to you as well!

[HandsomeNerd]

I think your question begs another: how satisfied are you with what you're doing and the opportunities for advancement within your field? If you're satisfied and fulfilled, SSP sounds like a safe bet: steady income while staying competitive for promotion. If, on the other hand, you're interested in a career change or the possibility of a PhD later on, then SAIS might be worth it. It might be worth it to try to quantify how much you (and prospective new employers) would value the horizon-broadening education you'd get from SAIS. The demanding econ proficiency from the mandatory Int'l Econ concentration seems for example, seems like a fantastic skill-set to develop.

The language proficiency, on the other hand, just seems onerous. Iirc, USDA offers free language classes at night. Why would you want to burden yourself with having to demonstrate language proficiency while completing a demanding MAIR program when you could take some free classes and demonstrate proficiency at your own leisure? While the econ aspect of the SAIS degree is impressive and unique, the language requirement just seems like something extra to puff up the reputation of the degree/program.

Your proposed concentrations at each program seem similar. US Nat'l SecPolicy at SSP and American Foreign Policy at SAIS. Have you compared the concentration courses from each program? Compared possible SAIS electives with SFS electives? Is US SecPolicy at SSP broad enough to accommodate electives in Chinese History/Chinese Foreign Policy? Int'l Security?

Either way, they both seem like great programs. I doubt you'll be hurting for employment if you do decide to take time off and go SAIS full-time.

[SaraDC]

Iirc, USDA offers free language classes at night.

Not free - but not as expensive as comparable courses elsewhere (375-ish for 10 weeks, once a week). Also, I still call it USDA, but officially it's "The Graduate School" now - they went private a couple years ago. Term schedule here.

More to the point, HandsomeNerd, I think you were right on with your question about whether or not the OP is looking for career advancement or a career switch.

Edited to add: For those in the DC area, it's also a good place to fulfill stats prerequisites or brush up on some econ

Edited April 1, 2011 by SarahL

[SportsFan]

Not free - but not as expensive as comparable courses elsewhere (375-ish for 10 weeks, once a week). Also, I still call it USDA, but officially it's "The Graduate School" now - they went private a couple years ago. Term schedule here.

More to the point, HandsomeNerd, I think you were right on with your question about whether or not the OP is looking for career advancement or a career switch.

Edited to add: For those in the DC area, it's also a good place to fulfill stats prerequisites or brush up on some econ

Hey guys, I really appreciate your feedback. It's funny that you mentioned USDA, because that's exactly what I plan to do for language studies if I go to SSP. You can't beat the $375 price tag when a Georgetown language course is $4700 and even the SAIS Summer Language Institute is $2100. Of course, the quality of instruction will likely not be as good, but still probably worthwhile.

As far as the US National Security concentration at SSP vs. American Foreign Policy at SAIS, the curriculum and electives I would want to take are actually very similar. SFS has some excellent electives on China that mirror the offerings at SAIS. My ONLY concern with SSP is that it seems very military-oriented. I am just wrapping up 6.5 years as a US Army officer, so I am concerned about retreading old ground when I could really expand my horizons at SAIS. At the end of the day, I think the concentrations would really not differ all that much, but it's still a concern in the back of my head.

I don't really want to switch careers per se, but I would like to eventually work in the broader foreign policymaking community (ideally NSC or State), rather than be pegged to my current strengths of the Middle East and South Asia (hence the interest in China electives and Mandarin). I think both options would provide the background I need; SSP is the safer route (keep the job), while SAIS is the more appealing academic route (study full time, learn additional skill sets).

Thanks again for your thoughts!

[mcgov36]

I don't know exactly how it works, but in chats the SSP have mentioned that you can take language classes at Georgetown for free, though they are for credit and not audited. Not entirely sure if this means that they count against your 12 courses or not, but I don't think they necessarily do. The word 'free' was used again and again. Of course, they could be during the day which would make it difficult if you were attending part-time.