Comparing International Education Masters Programs

[antipod]

Hi all,

As I wait for admissions decisions, I'm trying to compare International Education (IEP, IEAPA, IED etc) masters programs from a content, curriculum, general experience and reputation standpoint. Having worked in the field for a few years, I continually come across HGSE IEP grads in high places who rave about the program. I've had a lot less contact with graduates from other programs. In your opinion and experience, how do the programs compare school to school? What are your top picks and why?

Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts!

[alexchoto]

I applied to the Harvard IE Program. But I think there is no proof that this program is the best. It may be that the people who now have prestigeous positions had them before getting the degree, too, and just wanted to add a grad degree to their resume.

If you look at rankings, isn't HGSE ranked 6th in the US?

[antipod]

Thanks alexchoto... I think you make a couple good points. I keep wondering if there is any objective information out there about the IE programs but I guess given the size of the higher ed market, our program segment is pretty small. I've found some odd/interesting articles about IE programs by rummaging around google but nothing of particular substance. Anyone else want to weigh in on how you see/rate the various IE programs? Please?

[antipod]

I can't believe people don't have opinions/ knowledge about the programs... where are you all hiding?

So let's more specific: Harvard's IEP program or Stanford's IEAPA? Differences? Thoughts?

[ashley.minne]

I applied to both IED programs in New York City (NYU and TC) because if you consider opportunities to work in the field while completing your degree, there is nowhere with more diverse and interesting options than New York. I guess it depends on what you are looking for, but that was the most important factor for me. Also, in regards to the length of the program NYU's MA program is 2 years and requires an internship, while the TC program is 1 year (including summer) and doesn't have an internship requirement. Since I can finish my degree for less time AND less money with TC, it seems like the best option. Plus, they don't make you pay for internship credits like NYU does.

And sorry- I know nothing about Harvard's program! This might not help at all!

[mimimill]

I am also equally confused, I have been accepted into SIT' Program but just got a Ford Foundation International Fellowship Program which would pay for the program anywhere in the world so I am now looking for the very best. Lesley has a very attractive Internship and Second Language requirment where as NYU also has the Internship and and a very divers course offering to choose from.I already have 8yrs experience in the field working for a study abroad program in Ghana. My background is in BSc. Business Admin have a lot of voluntary service experience and have schooled in Botswana for two years any suggestions to a school that would add to my experience would be gret am particularly interested in the course content.

Thanks.

[inlleducationgal]

I am currently a candidate for an M.A. in International Education Management at the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS) in Monterey, CA. This program is very unique and of a high caliber, and I highly recommend it. I am currently in a Marketing and Recruitment course, a Campus Internationalization course, and a Finance class in addition to some really cool workshops that are very on-point. Oh, and MIIS requires language classes in addition to a professional practicum you complete when you are finished with the academic portion of the program, two parts I think are pretty relevant.

Before coming to MIIS, I worked in the field for about 3 years, and I can say without a doubt, that this program blends application/practice with theory perfectly. It's a new program, so you may not have heard about it, but I really encourage you to learn more at: go.miis.edu/iem

I was accepted into Teacher's College, Columbia, Loyola University Chicago, SIT, Lesley, and NYU in addition to MIIS. Really beyond happy with my decision. Let me know if you have any questions at all!

[2400]

I completed an MA in International Education at George Washington University and was very happy with my decision. They offered a lot of funding and grants and the location was great for me - there are a lot of organizations in DC hiring IE students. I did several internships and had a full time position in my field before I graduated. My friends are all working in the field in a range of high level positions. I know GW isn't as prestigious as Harvard or Stanford but I think everyone I know from GW are now in director level positions. I was also able to go from GW into a highly ranked Phd program. To answer your question - pick the progam that seems to be the best fit for you. I am sure Harvard opens certain doors but I think there are a lot of other great programs out there as well...

[delight]

I'm currently in the program for TC and as a disclaimer, have only been a student for a few weeks now, so I believe I'm still in the honeymoon phase. There are various institutional aspects of TC that I'm not too fond of, but they're not major. Also, for how much ado is made of the TC / Columbia affiliation status, I feel fully integrated into Columbia and benefit from all of their resources. I understand there are a few instances in which TC grads are shafted (TA pay for undergrad core classes, etc), but otherwise, I don't see it being too much of a problem. At the moment, I'm completely enchanted with the campus (which is gorgeous), neighborhood, and city and believe I made the right choice.

I received my masters from another university before coming here and my primary reason for applying to TC International Ed. was because of the reputation of the professors. Some of them are very well known in the field. The classes so far have been great - very informative, robust discussions, classmates who literally come from everywhere and have done everything and put my own experiences to shame. Also being a larger school, they have opportunities for publication and presentations internally, which rarely happens in smaller programs. The curriculum is geared towards practice and they're flexible in terms of projects; many times, it appears, they want you to start making connections with NGOs, foundations, and other international organizations in New York and tailor your projects so that they're useful and grounded and that you graduate with a large networking pool already in place. They also seem to emphasize hard skills more than other schools that I've visited and I find this to be an asset. I don't want to be another graduate in international-something and remain lost in New York.

That being said, the class sizes are large, especially in popular courses, and you don't get nearly as much one-on-one attention as you would in a smaller school. If you're looking for strong mentoring in the masters level, this program is definitely not for you. This was sort of disappointing, but I'm starting to realize that a lot of my connections are going to start coming from my peers, many of them who are accomplished in their own ways. I had initially contacted people in New York who had interesting jobs and they had mostly graduated from this program. But again, it's easy to feel lost. It's a large school. And the advisors are non-existent and usually not very helpful.

I think there's been a lot of discussions about HGSE, TC, and even Stanford masters program being degree mills and cash cows, but I think that's mainly looking at it from an administrative perspective. I think the quality of the program, as gauged by the professors and intellectual level of peers, is great. Columbia has the muscles to put on so many different programs - as evidenced by the speakers they're bringing in on a weekly basis - and New York has a lot of resources available. And students come from all around the world. So yeah, I would recommend the program.

Edited September 19, 2012 by delight

[delight]

I should also add that I have everything paid for, including housing and health insurance, and therefore might not be as critical as some students who are taking on a small fortune to attend TC. I think, while Harvard / Stanford / Columbia is great and might give you an ego boost and strange sort of respect from random outsiders (which actually makes me really uncomfortable), it only gives you a slight edge in terms of finding a job and all advantages are erased afterwards. So if you can afford it, you should go for the educational experience itself, rather than trying to extract some pragmatic value of what it can do for your career...

[ismeress]

delight, you said that everything was paid for in your experience. I am wondering, is this through TC, which is notoriously bad at funding? I'd like to learn a bit about what the prospective funding is like at TC (I am applying for the phd-level, but any insight would be great =).

[delight]

TC did offer a scholarship; it was about enough to cover housing for a year for me. The rest I had to coin together through various other places.

A good strategy I would recommend is joining Education or International Affairs academic associations (Phi Delta Kappa is one of them). I had good luck applying for members-only scholarships. International Development doesn't have a lot of external scholarships available, so google searching for foreign language scholarships are really beneficial as well. If you're willing to study critical languages, the US government offers quite a few scholarships.

If you work for TC, they offer 12 free credit hours a year. Many doctorate students work at TAs, which probably helps. But yes, TC is notorious for funding. If I decide to pursue the phd route at TC, my goal is to land a job with one of the few foundations in New York that pay for educational expenses.

[Polibee]

Hi! I just came across this forum and was wondering what kind of academic and professional background you have and would like to know your reasons for choosing your program in international education. So far, I see that financial aid is a determining factor.

 

I will be applying to TC, NYU, GWU and American for the fall 2014 semester and would love some insight on the application process and competitiveness of these and other programs.

 

Thank you in advance. I am really glad I found this forum!