MPA: Maxwell (Syracuse) v. Fels (UPenn)

[TheShow]

Are competitive companies/organizations/firms more apt to compare Maxwell vs Fels or Cuse vs UPenn when looking at resumes and applications?  This question might depend on where you apply but overall it is probably safe to say that Maxwell has the stronger program but Syracuse has no where near the strength of name/brand as UPenn.  

 

So how does one go about trying to weigh the pros and cons of a better program but weaker school and a stronger school but weaker program?  I go back and forth because I am interested in Public Finance which both programs are strong in but UPenn has Wharton right there to backup the finance curriculum, which I would assume gives it a strong edge.

 

Any insight or thought into why someone would choose Maxwell over UPenn or vice versa (say UPenn would leave you with the same amount of loans as Maxwell)?

[TerraBit]

Maxwell has a stronger alumni network than Fels and is a higher ranked program. Within the world of government, practitioners think far more highly of Maxwell than Fels. 

[narius]

Strongly disagree with the above. The only people who pay any mind to the USNWR rankings tend to be the students of the "top ten." Outside of this narrow group, no one really cares, because most know that rankings are 1) silly anyway and 2) particularly so for public affairs, which don't even pretend to be quantitatively derived. 

 

Here's an analogue: if you had a public affairs grad from Indiana or SUNY Albany VS. a student from Brown, is the Brown student going to be tossed into the 'no' pile because it's not 'ranked' as well as USNWR? That's ludicrous. From what I hear, Fels isn't easy to get into and has a pretty rigorous curriculum - plus is very generous about cross registrations w/ Wharton/Law/Design. It's probably not the best place to go if you hope to go into IR or something (though not sure Maxwell really is, either), but the Penn name/alum network will carry far.