Dual Masters/ Joint Masters program

[Yanster27]

Hello friends,

 

I have been recently looking at the possibility of applying for a dual master/joint master program in different programs at Georgetown, John Hopkins and a couple others. I am finishing up my major in Political Science with a minor in French. Also fluent in Haitian Creole and somewhat fluent in Hindi. Originally from the island of Mauritius and looking to go into foreign policy-making and the different masters I looked into are combinations of Foreign Services/Diplomacy(or International Relations) + Public Policy (or Public Administration) Let me know your insights and comments for those who are planning to apply for dual Masters and those who are currently in or who have completed such programs. Thanks for your time and consideration.

[carpecc]

I think you'll find a lot of the programs cover the subjects you listed in a two year program. Specifically Tufts, Georgetown and SIPA. If by dual degree do you mean a three year program? The extra schooling might sound great on paper but watch out: One, that's an extra year of tuition, two that's one more year that you could be gaining work experience and building your career. Sometimes putting what you learn in school to use in the real world is more insightful than sitting in a classroom.

I'd really only do dual degree if the programs don't offer what you want & need in a single degree. An example would be a Public Policy and Law degree or an IR and Journalism degree.

[jph5125]

I will be starting a dual degree this fall at Indiana. MPA-MIS (Masters of Information Science for those who are not familiar with the 2nd acronym). I chose this dual degree because I want to do government work with IT. My focuses are in public finance (MPA) and information security (MIS), which I think is a decent combination to open many careers paths.

When I did my research on my combination I found that there were few schools that offered this dual options, and even fewer schools that were decently ranked/known. I of course went and visited both programs at Indiana before making my final decision and advisers at both programs indicated there were maybe 5 people in the last 3 years who got this dual title. The MIS program adviser also specifically indicated 2 of the graduates went on to work at the GOA (Gov Accountability Office), and one at the CIA with these degrees--both of which are great placements.

For me these 2 degrees are quite varied and do not overlap that much. I also must complete internships for each program, which I hope will allow me to network and get more experience. Because of this I do not feel the extra year will be detrimental and I was given a decent scholarship to cut down on costs.

As carpecc indicated though, this path is best suited if you need to pursue 2 different goals that cannot easily be met by one program. For instance at Indiana's SPEA they offer concentrations in Public Admin, Public Finance, International Affairs, and Environmental Affairs. At their program you can easily do a double concentration and still finish in 2 years with about the same number of credits. So it all depends on the school your applying to and broader career goals. For you it could go either way since the fields are so closely related and usually taught in the same school. If you are having trouble deciding between a single degree that combines elements of both or a dual program I would contact the program and ask their career services adviser or admissions person questions.

Edited July 17, 2011 by jph5125

[KJ90]

Has anyone looked into depth or in the HNC-SAIS Joint-Degree program? I'm interested but would like some opinions on it.