USC or Pitts U or Northeastern U? For MPA/MPIA

[mtzh4]

Hi, everyone:

 

Just to ask a decision question for my wife's  She applied to professional degrees like MPA, MPP, MPIA, IPPAM, etc. (all related to fields like public policy, public administration or international affairs ). She got the following admissions, and she was wondering which to go:

 

1. IPPAM at USC:  Master of International public policy and management, an 18-month executive degree, most classmates will have working experience (my wife only has internship experience), the program coordinator claimed there would be plenty of internship opportunities in LA, but H1B is not guaranteed (she is an international student)

 

2. MPIA at Pitts U: Master of public and international affair concentrating in international political economy, two year program, many Chinese students, most graduates go back to their home country, some internship opportunities, but wonder if it is possible for an international student to find a job at Pittsburgh?

 

3  MPA at Northeastern U:  Master of Public Administration, two year program, include mandatory 300 hrs of internship, they recruit around 120 people each year and most of them are part-time, plenty of internship opportunities in Boston area.

 

In terms of field-specific reputation, GSPIA at Pittsburgh ranked around 30th, though the Price school at USC ranked in top10, but this program is not as good as the regular MPA/MPP (I wonder if anyone knows the difference?), Northeastern ranked 60th in MPA.

 

 

Her career goal it to find a admin-related job (or other job types) either at an NPO or a private company in US, at least with sponsorship so she can stay in US. Without considering the tuition cost (may vary depending on how many courses you take), but just take into account the location,  the goodness of the program itself, Can anyone give me some suggestions?    Thanks

[mtzh4]

Anyone who can give even a little bit suggestions?   : (     

[sherpa07]

Is there a region in the US where she'd prefer to live?  That's the big thing that sticks out when I see her three options.  Each feeds heavily into its geographic region.

[ZacharyObama]

I'm biased - YMMV.

 

I think the difference between the IPPAM and the other two options is that it's not the basic program at the school. She must have substantial internships, be a special case, or have some other type of related work experience? Also, I just looked and doesn't it start this summer already or do they give her the option to wait until Fall: http://priceschool.usc.edu/programs/masters/ippam/

 

I also am no expert on our immigration laws, but I'm not sure how far her student visa goes in terms of getting a work visa albeit she could take unpaid internships without one. I'm not sure how you've concluded she wouldn't need a work visa to get a job anywhere. That part of your post doesn't make sense to me, but again, I'm not an expert. I don't recall any of my international friends in undergrad getting any jobs on campus or otherwise. If her goal and your goal is live in the US for an extended period you should take a long hard look at the likelihood of that working out ASAP. And let's be honest, our job market here isn't that great right now unless you're in a few select fields like energy development/mining.

 

It's also hard to respond to this post without any indication of if $ is a factor in these decisions. Was she offered any scholarships? How important is that? If all things are equal I would say take the best cool with the best climate. The other thing you might consider is the size of immigrant communities from your country (?) in the city.

 

Hope that was helpful.

[mtzh4]

Is there a region in the US where she'd prefer to live?  That's the big thing that sticks out when I see her three options.  Each feeds heavily into its geographic region.

 

There is no region preference for us as long as that program is good and may help her find a job. That's the reason we are hesitating, say, it is easier to find a job in Boston or L.A., but U Pitts seems to have a better program in this field. 

Edited April 1, 2013 by mtzh4

[mtzh4]

I'm biased - YMMV.

 

I think the difference between the IPPAM and the other two options is that it's not the basic program at the school. She must have substantial internships, be a special case, or have some other type of related work experience? Also, I just looked and doesn't it start this summer already or do they give her the option to wait until Fall: http://priceschool.usc.edu/programs/masters/ippam/

 

I also am no expert on our immigration laws, but I'm not sure how far her student visa goes in terms of getting a work visa albeit she could take unpaid internships without one. I'm not sure how you've concluded she wouldn't need a work visa to get a job anywhere. That part of your post doesn't make sense to me, but again, I'm not an expert. I don't recall any of my international friends in undergrad getting any jobs on campus or otherwise. If her goal and your goal is live in the US for an extended period you should take a long hard look at the likelihood of that working out ASAP. And let's be honest, our job market here isn't that great right now unless you're in a few select fields like energy development/mining.

 

It's also hard to respond to this post without any indication of if $ is a factor in these decisions. Was she offered any scholarships? How important is that? If all things are equal I would say take the best cool with the best climate. The other thing you might consider is the size of immigrant communities from your country (?) in the city.

 

Hope that was helpful.

 

For USC, yes, that program usually starts in summer, but the committee has allowed her to start in Fall...(she had plenty of internship experience before). Like what you said, we just feel though the program is under Price School, it is not the basic program like MPA, and we doubt getting this kind of degree would not be worthwhile for her if she wanna stay in US.

 

For all international students, they need a H1B sponsor in order to work full-time, I know it is very hard, especially for non-science/tech degrees like this. But we will still try out, that's why we have to consider the school (program), the location, and the job opportunities. 

 

For money issue, neither schools give her any scholarships and the tuition fees are not quite different (Northeastern is a little bit lower), thus this won't be a major issue to concern. For the size of immigrant communities from my country China: L.A.> Boston > Pittsburgh   .  Climate would not be a big factor for us, for sure, L.A. is the best in terms of weather....