IPE2011 Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 I have received similar funding offers from GSPIA, American SIS and Maxwell. All have different Pros an Cons, and I am not being able to make a decision. What would you guys do? Help! I know it is long post, but maybe you guys are interested in the list of pros and cons. You should know that I am attending this Masters so I become more competitive for admission to a PhD in International Political Economy in a few years. The pros and cons of each school are in my opinion as follows: GSPIA PROS I would attend the MPIA in Global Political Economy - Probably will prepare me best for a PhD in IPE I can take up to 15 credits per semester and 6 credits per summer for the same price. This means I would be able to take 72 credits of classes. I have the ability to cross register with the Political Science and Economics PhD programs. CONS I have reviewed the CVs of the faculty of GSPIA, and it is the one I like the least between the faculties at the three options I don't know how much value one should give to rankings.... but GSPIA is ranked # 17 by the FP ranking. American-SIS PROS It is Washington DC It is better ranked by the FP ranking - # 8 The MA in International Affairs (International Economic Relations) would also prepare me well for a PhD in IPE I like the faculty much more than GSPIA's CONS Less credits (39-42 credits) The program is less flexible than GSPIA's The Econ program at American is nit as strong as Pitt's Maxwell PROS It is better ranked than GSPIA - # 10 I think it has the most name recognition of the three I think it has the strongest faculty of the three for what I want to do More RAships are available for MA students CONS Less Credits (about 36 credits of courses + internship-3 and maymester-1) It is the most rigid of the programs (for example... I can't waiver microeconomics or statistics and take more advanced courses) I get the feeling (perhaps I'm wrong) that it's the less rigorous program, since you can complete it in 16 months. Any comments would be most appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IPE2011 Posted April 1, 2011 Author Share Posted April 1, 2011 Anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s33 Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Anyone? Since your ultimate goal is a PhD, I think the most important factor would be your opportunity to engage with faculty who could provide effective references for your PhD applications down the road. Faculty references will certainly be more important than any minor (and likely entirely inconsequential) differences in published program rankings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxwellAlum Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 (edited) Are you sure that you can't waive out of economics and statistics at Maxwell? I am a student at Maxwell and there were definitely waiver exams in August. Are they changing this policy for next year's cohorts? Edited April 1, 2011 by SyracuseStudent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IPE2011 Posted April 1, 2011 Author Share Posted April 1, 2011 (edited) Are you sure that you can't waive out of economics and statistics at Maxwell? I am a student at Maxwell and there were definitely waiver exams in August. Are they changing this policy for next year's cohorts? Hi SyracuseStudent.... Thank you for your reply.... I'm basing that assertion on the student handbook, and the fact that no waiver exams are mentioned. It says you have to take PPA 723 or ECN 601; and IRP 704 or PPA 721. There is no mention of a waiver possibility. Perhaps I'm wrong... that would make me very happy actually. As far as you know... which classes can be waived? Also... I would really appreciate it if you could tell me: 1) Is it possible to cross-register with PhD classes in other areas at Maxwell (as long as you have the pre-requisites of course)?; 2) Can you take more classes than what is needed to graduate (40 credits) from the MAIR... that is... to take more credits per semester for the same price (full student tuition); 3) Finally... am I right when I say that the MA-IR program could be less rigorous than others because it can be finished in less time? Or am I completely wrong... and it is equally rigorous but in less time? Thank you so much for your time... Edited April 1, 2011 by IPE2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxwellAlum Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 I'm fairly certain that you'll be given the opportunity to take waiver exams for statistics and economics (I can't imagine they'd change this!). I haven't ever tried to take a Ph.D. class, but I've heard a professor in the economics department allowing this for a student who had the prerequisites . It depends on the department and the professor, I believe. Tuition is per credit, so you will have to pay extra for classes that you want to take for credit. On the other hand, most professors do allow students to audit classes, which means you do all of the work for the class but you don't get a formal grade for it (I think that it does show up on your transcript). Auditing is free, and I haven't heard of this policy changing at all. If I were you, I would just call (calling is preferable to e-mail, I think) the admissions office and double check on all of these questions. In terms of whether the degree is less rigorous than other degrees that are longer, it's hard for me to say since I haven't done the other programs. (On a side note, one of the things I don't like about the IR program is that you have to pay to do your internship, since you take it for credit, but that's only 3 credits). I'm also doing a dual degree (MPA and MAIR) in part because I felt that the 12 month MPA program was too short; I just like being a student too much. You could potentially do a dual degree with economics if you wanted a longer degree - there's several people who do the dual MAIR/MA Econ. I don't think that the length of the degree means that it's easier - I have had to work hard for all of my classes. I do think it's indicative of the fact that it's a professional degree and they are catering to people who want to get back into the workforce as soon as possible. One possible disadvantage for you is that in the IR program you do not write a thesis, which would be helpful for a Ph.D. if that's your aim. There is the option of doing an independent study which basically amounts to writing a very long paper (basically a thesis), and you may wish to ask also about this possibility. Hi SyracuseStudent.... Thank you for your reply.... I'm basing that assertion on the student handbook, and the fact that no waiver exams are mentioned. It says you have to take PPA 723 or ECN 601; and IRP 704 or PPA 721. There is no mention of a waiver possibility. Perhaps I'm wrong... that would make me very happy actually. As far as you know... which classes can be waived? Also... I would really appreciate it if you could tell me: 1) Is it possible to cross-register with PhD classes in other areas at Maxwell (as long as you have the pre-requisites of course)?; 2) Can you take more classes than what is needed to graduate (40 credits) from the MAIR... that is... to take more credits per semester for the same price (full student tuition); 3) Finally... am I right when I say that the MA-IR program could be less rigorous than others because it can be finished in less time? Or am I completely wrong... and it is equally rigorous but in less time? Thank you so much for your time... JAC16 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAC16 Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 I have received similar funding offers from GSPIA, American SIS and Maxwell. All have different Pros an Cons, and I am not being able to make a decision. What would you guys do? Help! I know it is long post, but maybe you guys are interested in the list of pros and cons. You should know that I am attending this Masters so I become more competitive for admission to a PhD in International Political Economy in a few years. The pros and cons of each school are in my opinion as follows: GSPIA PROS I would attend the MPIA in Global Political Economy - Probably will prepare me best for a PhD in IPE I can take up to 15 credits per semester and 6 credits per summer for the same price. This means I would be able to take 72 credits of classes. I have the ability to cross register with the Political Science and Economics PhD programs. CONS I have reviewed the CVs of the faculty of GSPIA, and it is the one I like the least between the faculties at the three options I don't know how much value one should give to rankings.... but GSPIA is ranked # 17 by the FP ranking. American-SIS PROS It is Washington DC It is better ranked by the FP ranking - # 8 The MA in International Affairs (International Economic Relations) would also prepare me well for a PhD in IPE I like the faculty much more than GSPIA's CONS Less credits (39-42 credits) The program is less flexible than GSPIA's The Econ program at American is nit as strong as Pitt's Maxwell PROS It is better ranked than GSPIA - # 10 I think it has the most name recognition of the three I think it has the strongest faculty of the three for what I want to do More RAships are available for MA students CONS Less Credits (about 36 credits of courses + internship-3 and maymester-1) It is the most rigid of the programs (for example... I can't waiver microeconomics or statistics and take more advanced courses) I get the feeling (perhaps I'm wrong) that it's the less rigorous program, since you can complete it in 16 months. Any comments would be most appreciated. Have you made a decision yet? JAC16 and IPE2011 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IPE2011 Posted April 14, 2011 Author Share Posted April 14, 2011 Have you made a decision yet? Going to Maxwell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now