How important is prestige for a MPP program, really?

[spacezeppelin]

Hello All, I'm applying for MPP programs and wanted to ask you guys what you thought about "brand name" in determining employability and earning potential. Ideally I would get into a prestigious program and have some/all of it funded. I realize that is the goal, but I'm not sure that is going to be the reality. I applied to USC which is crazy expensive (as many of you know). I'm hoping for funding, but then so is everybody else. I was recently accepted by local program that is conveniently located in my state capital and is SO MUCH CHEAPER. That being said, it has no name value at all.

 

The university isnt impressive, but I think the education would still be good. I'm not looking to teach, I just want to work in policy analysis. Obviously I would like to make as much money as possible, but policy jobs are never exactly cash cows. What do you guys think? Is are the prestigious institutions really worth the money, or should I just focus on gaining the necessary skills?

 

 

Not that it matters all that much, but I don’t have any student loans from undergrad.

Edited January 31, 2013 by spacezeppelin

[ZacharyObama]

I applied to USC too and yeah pretty much everyone is hoping for funding. I would say it depends - if you're already well-positioned for career advancement then it probably doesn't really matter too much. However, if you're on the outside looking in it can be a positive since the networking opportunities are more likely to be there. Being in Sacramento is obviously an advantage if you're looking to stay in Sacto or the Bay Area - If you're not aware, I think you can complete an MPP program for USC entirely at their Sacramento satellite campus.

[MPPgal]

Why not apply to programs that are both prestigious and are not super expensive, Michigan's Ford, Indiana's SPEA, Austin's LBJ, Wisconsin, Washington's, etc

[ridofme]

I second what dalu said.

 

I will add that it really depends on your goals. I have a friend who is currently studying public administration at a secondary campus of our state's public university system - a decent, but not remotely prestigious school. The program is actually fully-funded for all students, as it's meant to funnel people into local government positions in the region. Last summer she interned for the government of a big suburb (100k+), and was offered a job there upon graduation. So she's going to graduate with minimal debt (just living expenses in a cheap town) with a job lined up, although I imagine that the salary will be low. However, this friend of mine would never be competitive for a job at a think-tank in D.C., and would likely lose out to someone from HKS or SIPA when applying for a job at a major non-profit. The network that this school provides her doesn't extend beyond our state borders, let alone to the upper echelons of power (whatever that means in the non-profit/government world). But if you want to be a Leslie Knope type, then the program she attends is perfect.

 

I applied to schools all across the country, and with varying levels of 'prestige', and I really have no idea who (if anyone) will accept me. But if I am lucky enough to be able to make a choice, I am definitely going to look into the potential career paths that each school could provide me, beyond what they list on their websites. I think that this will mean talking to recent grads, looking into organizations where I'd love to work and looking at the career paths of the top dogs, etc. Geography here is another consideration. There's a lot of talk on these boards how Berkeley's program, while often cited as the #1 program in the country, generally leads to jobs in Sacramento or the Bay Area. That could be total BS, but it's something worth looking into before packing up your entire life and moving to California, especially if envision yourself settling somewhere else.

[plenum123]

Hello All, I'm applying for MPP programs and wanted to ask you guys what you thought about "brand name" in determining employability and earning potential. Ideally I would get into a prestigious program and have some/all of it funded. I realize that is the goal, but I'm not sure that is going to be the reality. I applied to USC which is crazy expensive (as many of you know). I'm hoping for funding, but then so is everybody else. I was recently accepted by local program that is conveniently located in my state capital and is SO MUCH CHEAPER. That being said, it has no name value at all.

 

The university isnt impressive, but I think the education would still be good. I'm not looking to teach, I just want to work in policy analysis. Obviously I would like to make as much money as possible, but policy jobs are never exactly cash cows. What do you guys think? Is are the prestigious institutions really worth the money, or should I just focus on gaining the necessary skills?

 

 

Not that it matters all that much, but I don’t have any student loans from undergrad.

For a government Job, I dont think it matters much from what I looked thru the job posting. ( they ask for experience and advance degree (from anywhere) to jump the salary grade). Private sectors with financial and technology aspects such as Google, JP, Goldman S.  (if you are not an engineer), however, restrict candidates to have MBA, JD degree ( from top schools), or CPA.  And mostly, they hire students who previously did an internship with them (of course you need MBA and JD from top program to be able to get an internship opportunity).That means MPA career path is pretty limited. But in the future if you need to switch your career choice to private sector and need to get an MBA, Top name grad school would help you in MBA admission process (providing that you have a good GPA from your previous degrees, High GMAT, know how to sell yourself on your resume, and good BS stories).

 

But if you can afford it, it's no brainer to attend  the best one.

Edited February 18, 2013 by plenum123

[lbjane]

I think it matters a lot less for MPP/MPA programs than it does for Law, MBA, etc.  If you're looking for a federal job, lots of agencies will recruit at the big policy schools and consider resumes from lots of others.  If you're looking at the non-profit/NGO side, where you went can make a difference and some schools will have closer connections to some non-profits, but it won't matter as much as it would for a law or business job.  State/local government will usually feed mainly from nearby programs, so if you really want to work in state or local government, look for decent programs near where you'd like to work or that are known for feeding into that city/state. 

 

I tend to beat this drum a lot on here, but I don't think it's worth a ton of debt to get a top tier MPP/MPA degree unless you're really sure you want to go in to consulting.  Even then, I'm not sure it's entirely worth it.  If you want to work for federal/state/local government or a non-profit/NGO, you're probably not going to be making big money when you graduate.  A GS-9 federal job pays about $50-67k/year in DC, which is manageable in DC if you're single with relatively little debt, but can quickly become unmanageable if you've got a family and/or a lot of debt from undergrad or grad school.  You'd probably be earning less if you worked for a non-profit or state or local government. 

 

I work in the federal government with people with degrees from all over the place and so far, I haven't noticed a huge difference in how quickly people get promoted or getting better assignments because of where they went to school.  I'm a few years out of grad school and am still very happy with my decision to go to LBJ and not have a ton of debt, even if it's not a top-10 program. 

[awphenomenally]

I was lucky to interview for UPenn (Fels) yesterday with an alumnae who graduate in 1963 and spent his entire career in public administration. He made a point that really made me think (mind that he has a bit of bias). Schools like Brandeis, GW, etc. are regionally know, whereas big name schools Harvard (Kennedy), Princeton (WWS), etc. are nationally and globally known. As much as we wish that didn't matter, it does.

[cptdelorean]

I was lucky to interview for UPenn (Fels) yesterday with an alumnae who graduate in 1963 and spent his entire career in public administration. He made a point that really made me think (mind that he has a bit of bias). Schools like Brandeis, GW, etc. are regionally know, whereas big name schools Harvard (Kennedy), Princeton (WWS), etc. are nationally and globally known. As much as we wish that didn't matter, it does.

 

Like people have said before, this all depends on what you want to do. Why the hell does it matter if some dude in China or Russia has heard of Harvard and Princeton if you just want to work for your city/state's government?

[lbjane]

Like people have said before, this all depends on what you want to do. Why the hell does it matter if some dude in China or Russia has heard of Harvard and Princeton if you just want to work for your city/state's government?

 

That, and after your first job or two, prospective employers are going to be much more concerned with what you've done in your last job or two than where you went to school, at least in my experience.  A big, brand name school may get noticed, but what you've done since graduating is probably what will get you the job. 

 

You do want to look at what alums go on to do, especially right out of school, since that will affect your options after graduation and if everyone in a program goes in to state/local government and you want to do international affairs, that won't be the best fit.  Alumni networks can matter as well, but most of the decent schools will have a network in DC and at least a few other major cities. 

 

Also, ask a lot of questions about starting salary, places that hire grads from a program, etc.  Some programs have a fair number of students who are sent by their employers to get a degree and that will affect their starting salary (potentially skewing the averages reported by schools) and whether or not a student without previous connections to a particular employer is likely to actually get hired by that employer.  Pay attention to who they trot out at admitted student days and ask the students at those days more questions about job and internship hunting, who was sent to grad school by their employer, etc. 

 

Finally, a big name school definitely carries some advantages, but you also have to weigh those advantages with the disadvantages which is usually higher student loan payments.  You have to decide whether the extra $200/mo, $500/mo, or even $1000/mo is really worth the extra bump from a super-well known school.  How many doors will that school open vs. how many doors will the loan payments close because you can't afford to live in an expensive city or take a lower-paying but really interesting and fulfilling job at an NGO or in government?  It's a personal decision based on your tolerance for risk, where you think you're likely to live, what you're likely to actually make after graduation, whether you've got other debt, whether you've got a family, etc. 

 

In my opinion, the financial payoff for going to a better known school is unlikely to really make enough of a difference to offset a much larger loan payment, especially if you're going in to government or non-profit work, but might offset a slightly higher loan payment.  For most government jobs, the starting salary is usually some formula of education + years of work experience = X salary, which is the same salary if your grad degree is from Harvard, LBJ, Maxwell, UPenn, UMD, or Unheardof University.  For non-profit work, it's not likely to make too much difference since salaries are lower to begin with.  If you want to do consulting, it's a different equation and I'm not as familiar with the salary differences in that sector to say much about it.  My guess is that it makes more of a difference, but still might not be big enough to offset a much larger loan payment. 

[cptdelorean]

lbjane, if you see this, i  sent you a message it says you havent read ( if you wouldnt mind)

[lacanadiense]

lbjane - I'm interested in how you got your first job in DC coming out of LBJ? Did you intern in DC during the summer between your two years? Did you just apply off of a website, or have some kind of connection? Had you worked in DC previously?

[lbjane]

I did intern in DC in between the two years and I also worked in Texas during my second year at LBJ.  I had not worked in DC before LBJ and I applied through the normal application process for my department in the federal government.  Many of my classmates did the same or worked through recruiters who came to LBJ and/or UT.