Harvard vs Teachers College

[windupbird]

I have been accepted into both Harvard and Columbia's Teachers College for Higher Education masters programs, and am struggling with the decision of which program to attend!

I finished my undergrad studies nearly 10 years ago. I currently work in higher education in New York, so I could attend TC while keeping my full-time job, which would allow me to avoid taking out any student loans and I would be able to complete the degree in two years. Working full-time while attending classes would be tiring, but would also give a contextual element to the theory and policy that I will be learning about in grad school.

The program at Harvard is only 9 months. However, going to Harvard would mean leaving a secure job in the field, relocating to Cambridge, and taking out at least $20,000 in student loans, but being fully immersed in the educational experience.

I guess my question is: is it worth giving up everything in NY and going into debt in order to attend Harvard?

[ZeChocMoose]

I have been accepted into both Harvard and Columbia's Teachers College for Higher Education masters programs, and am struggling with the decision of which program to attend!

I finished my undergrad studies nearly 10 years ago. I currently work in higher education in New York, so I could attend TC while keeping my full-time job, which would allow me to avoid taking out any student loans and I would be able to complete the degree in two years. Working full-time while attending classes would be tiring, but would also give a contextual element to the theory and policy that I will be learning about in grad school.

The program at Harvard is only 9 months. However, going to Harvard would mean leaving a secure job in the field, relocating to Cambridge, and taking out at least $20,000 in student loans, but being fully immersed in the educational experience.

I guess my question is: is it worth giving up everything in NY and going into debt in order to attend Harvard?

Since both options are unfunded and both are good programs, I would select the option that is the least expensive. That being said, do you think your workplace will be supportive if you decide to become a part-time student? If you are not sure-- maybe that is a good conversation to have now before you decide because working full-time and going to school part-time can be very stressful in general. I can only imagine how difficult it would be if your job isn't supportive or at least neutral about your decision.

The other thought is if you are trying to change positions in higher ed and want to explore other avenues, I can see becoming a full-time student either at TC or HGSE and exploring other areas through internships.

[windupbird]

I think you're right that the most practical option would be to attend TC. My supervisor has been supportive and told me that she would be flexible should I make the decision to attend school part-time.

I am concerned about having the ability to move from my position now to other areas in the field. I currently work as an academic advisor, but would like to segue into the arena of student affairs/student life/student conduct. Do you think with 5 years of experience in advising and a masters from TC I would be able to cross over into this? Or would I be better served to attend a full-time program and find an internship specifically in one of those areas?

Also, would attending HGSE over TC improve my chances at getting into doctoral programs? or would both degrees be perceived similarly? TC offers an MA, while Harvard's program awards an EdM.

[ZeChocMoose]

I think you're right that the most practical option would be to attend TC. My supervisor has been supportive and told me that she would be flexible should I make the decision to attend school part-time.

I am concerned about having the ability to move from my position now to other areas in the field. I currently work as an academic advisor, but would like to segue into the arena of student affairs/student life/student conduct. Do you think with 5 years of experience in advising and a masters from TC I would be able to cross over into this? Or would I be better served to attend a full-time program and find an internship specifically in one of those areas?

Also, would attending HGSE over TC improve my chances at getting into doctoral programs? or would both degrees be perceived similarly? TC offers an MA, while Harvard's program awards an EdM.

Hmmm that is a good question. My thoughts are that relevant experience tends to be important when selecting who to hire in higher ed. It would probably be easier to go from academic advising to student affairs or student life. I think it may be harder to get into student conduct without relevant experience unless you have been involved in these type of issues in your academic advising job.

Whether you should go full time or part time is a tricky decision. If it was me, I would chose to be a full time student because you have the opportunity to take advantage of all the opportunities that come up and complete internships in areas of higher ed that you haven't explored. It is a good chance to get your feet wet and see what else you enjoy. This is how I ended up in my current position after my master's degree and I am glad that I had the freedom to explore numerous experiences while in grad school. That being said, 20K is still a significant amount of money and it is tough to say how that should factor in because I don't know what your financial situation is or what your financial goals are for the future. Also, I find it hard to tell people to go in debt for a master's degree in higher ed because there are so many great programs that fully fund their master's students.

Lastly, doctoral degrees. What do you want to do with your doctoral degree? If you are interested in staying in administration (that is sense I am getting from your posts), then years of work experience become more important as it helps you advance in the field. Usually people with this end goal will work full time and attend school part-time as doctoral students and possibly as master's students. As for which degree is better for doctoral placement? I don't think it matters really. I have met both master's alumni from TC and HGSE in Higher Ed PhD programs so I don't think one is necessarily better than the other. It seems to me that both programs do a fine job but you should probably ask current faculty what their placement numbers are. If you do want to pursue the doctoral degree (however), I would suggest getting research experience in your master's program.

Also, I won't worry about whether you earn a MA or MEd. At one point, the MA was more research intensive and the MEd was more practitioner focused, but now they are used interchangeably. As long as you have had a stats course and a research methods class you should be all set with a MEd.

[windupbird]

Thanks! You're right, the full time option would add a new dimension to my experiences and resume, and perhaps make me a more marketable candidate for positions in student affairs. I would like very much to have the opportunity to explore some new areas of interest to me. However, because I am an older student, I hesitate to throw the security of my job and financial situation out the window in order to gain these experiences at such a hefty cost. Naturally, I'm also concerned about the job market I will be facing coming out of the full-time program. My goal is to work in NY after completing my degree, but I don't plan on staying in NY long term. I'm wondering also if it would make more sense to continue my career in NY or if attending Harvard would establish just as strong of a network in the field.

As far as doctoral studies go, I am more interested in pursuing the administrative track in student affairs (although I may switch gears after being in school and gaining some exposure to research in the field!) In that case, I wonder which might benefit me more: to have the years of experience in my current job or the diversity of different experiences which would be gained through the full-time program and internship?

[ZeChocMoose]

Thanks! You're right, the full time option would add a new dimension to my experiences and resume, and perhaps make me a more marketable candidate for positions in student affairs. I would like very much to have the opportunity to explore some new areas of interest to me. However, because I am an older student, I hesitate to throw the security of my job and financial situation out the window in order to gain these experiences at such a hefty cost. Naturally, I'm also concerned about the job market I will be facing coming out of the full-time program. My goal is to work in NY after completing my degree, but I don't plan on staying in NY long term. I'm wondering also if it would make more sense to continue my career in NY or if attending Harvard would establish just as strong of a network in the field.

As far as doctoral studies go, I am more interested in pursuing the administrative track in student affairs (although I may switch gears after being in school and gaining some exposure to research in the field!) In that case, I wonder which might benefit me more: to have the years of experience in my current job or the diversity of different experiences which would be gained through the full-time program and internship?

I am going to lean towards years of experience in your current job will be more important because usually that translates into increased responsibility i.e. managing professional staff, creating and maintaining an office budget, making semi-autonomous decisions on tricky academic policy issues, etc. When looking for higher level student affairs positions, usually hiring managers/search committees look for those skills along with the number of years AFTER your master's degree. (Personally, I thought this was an odd requirement esp if you chose to delay going back to school, but I have seen it come up a number of times in job postings. Not sure if this is a trend or what...)

Early 30s (I am assuming here) might make you older than some of your cohort mates, but I don't think it is going to be that unusual. My master's cohort had people who ranged from 24 - 36. That being said, how you think about debt is definitely different compared to your early 20s!

Yea, it is so uncertain what the job market is going to do especially in student affairs positions. It might make sense to leverage your degree and your years of experience at your current job to get a title change, increased responsibilities, etc than doing multiple internships as a full-time student. Unfortunately, student affairs positions tend to be the first ones cut during budget short falls and the last one filled when the economy picks up again-- unless the unit is financially solvent like development, residential life, or admissions.