Is the cost of an American MA worth it? (Over Canadian)

[devynlyn]

I recently received admissions offers from two really great MA Programs, One being the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs (NPSIA) at Carleton University in Ottawa (largely considered the best program in Canada), and the other being Johns Hopkins SAIS (with a year in Bologna and a year in Washington).  At either, I'm looking to specialize in their variation of the international organizations / law stream.

 

Does anyone have any opinions on whether the American schools like Johns Hopkins are worth the higher costs in terms of the overall reputation of the program upon graduation.  There's quite a cost difference between the $40,000 + in tuition per year without any funding at SAIS and a funding offer at NPSIA that would cover tuition and then some, and I'm trying to weigh this against the future career opportunities that SAIS would allow me.  I know that NPSIA has a great reputation here in Canada, but am wondering how it stacks up internationally?

[newpollution]

Hey devynlyn,

 

I am more or less in the same dilemma. I am trying to decide between NPSIA with more or less full funding and LSE with no funding. NPSIA is a fantastic program, it really fits my interests and it offers up some exclusive co-ops with the government. That being said its reputation isn't particularly international. If you are looking to have an international career then I'd imagine a degree from SAISs and LSEs of the world are much more valuable. Another thing to consider is the location of each program. It's a bit unfair to stack up Ottawa to cities like London and DC. Living in cities like that would be unbelievable so that is definitely tempting. But that definitely comes with a cost as rents in London are insane while Ottawa is around ~$550 a month. At LSE, I'd likely be in debt of around $50,000 by the time I graduate. While at NPSIA I'd have the opportunity to graduate with little to no debt.

 

I'd be interested in hearing anyone's opinion on this.