The University of Sydney?

[mranderson]

Hello all,

 

I recently applied to The University of Sydney's Master of International Security program.

 

I applied because the coursework looks very interesting, it's a one-year program, and the school is highly ranked.

 

Does anyone know how reputable the program is and/or whether or not career prospects would be favorable?

 

Upon searching for The University of Sydney in the forums, there wasn't a single hit...

 

Thanks in advance.

Edited April 3, 2014 by mranderson

[Gov2School]

It depends on what your career goals are (and where you hoped to be located).  If you're an American and you want to eventually work in America or for American organizations, U.S. employers will be confused about why you went to the University of Sydney unless there's some strongly compelling reason like your spouse had to move to Australia, or you're an Australian citizen, or you wanted to study Asian-Pacific security issues in the Asia Pacific region.  If your goal is to work for governments or programs in Australia and/or Asia after graduation, studying in that hemisphere could help you get your foot in the door. 

Edited April 3, 2014 by Gov2School

[wolfie53]

Basically what Gov2School said. It is also worth noting, especially if you're not Australian, that Australian Universities are VERY expensive to attend if you are not a national. On top of that, cities in Australia are very expensive to live in these days and Sydney ranks as the most costly. You can expect the cost of living to be higher than in New York or DC. If you have the funding or if you qualify for merit aid than by all means go for it if it fits your interests. Just be wary that overseas education can be cheaper in some realms, but Australia is definitely NOT one of them.

[mranderson]

I am American but do not have a geographical preference in terms of career.

 

I'm not particularly interested in the Asia-Pacific region, but love the coursework, and economically, it is less expensive (by quite a margin) than American schools. Additionally, given that the program is one year in duration, this would further reduce the cost of attendance.

 

Furthermore, the university is ranked 38th in world, so I would hope that employers would be aware that I received a quality education.

 

Do you think employers would simply be befuddled by my choice, or would they actually look down upon my choice?

Edited April 3, 2014 by mranderson

[wolfie53]

I am American but do not have a geographical preference in terms of career.

 

I'm not particularly interested in the Asia-Pacific region, but love the coursework, and economically, it is less expensive (by quite a margin) than American schools.

 

Furthermore, on the global scale, the university is ranked 38th in world, so I would hope that employers would be aware that I received a quality education.

 

Do you think employers would simply be befuddled by my choice, or would they actually look down upon the choice?

 

Hate to jump in since Gov2School seems to have more expertise in this, but I think employers would be rather indifferent towards the rankings or prestige of your school and would rather care about what applicable skills you have. I think what he meant was employers would be confused if you were to go to school overseas only to end up working back in the United States. Economically, it is not a very sound decision given transportation costs.

 

Otherwise it shouldn't "hurt" you by any means. Its just that if you think you are likely to end up working in the States, odds are it would make your life easier to attend a University in the States. The logistics are simpler and the networks are more connected with where you want to be.

Edited April 3, 2014 by wolfie53

[Gov2School]

Wolfie is correct.  It has nothing to do with the University of Sydney being a bad school (it's obviously a great university, though I have no opinion about how strong its international affairs faculty is), but if you go to grad school there you won't be able to build professional contacts in the US, or do internships with US organizations, or gain experience in the US field.  If you already have a strong professional network and extensive experience then it doesn't matter so much, but if you don't, then it will be harder to get a job back in the US without a strong network.  People tend to like to hire people who have worked for them before or who have worked for people or organizations that they know. That's true in pretty much every field, not just international affairs.   No one hires anyone just because of their degree. It's the combination of degree, experience, skills and oftentimes personal connections that help you land the position.  So if you're serious about wanting a career in international affairs (though it seems like your interests are still very broad?), you should be strategic about your graduate program.  Unless you can afford to go back to grad school as many times as you want.  

[mranderson]

Good points, Gov2School. I certainly cannot afford to go to grad school more than once (let alone at all). Thanks a lot!

[samiam]

I'm pretty familiar with the Australian university system, although not particularly with The University of Sydney or this program.

I'd be very wary of doing this in place of a US degree from a top or mid-tier school. Australia doesn't have a long history of professional masters programs, so many of them are much more like an MA. In general, they have very little quant content, which you may or may not care about. There's usually much less teaching by practitioners than in the US, partly because there's far less of a culture of individuals moving between practice and academia. The Australian security community is small, and much of it is based in Canberra, rather than Sydney, which would further hinder your access to practitioners. That's on top of what others said above about making connections for jobs.

Sydney is indeed a good school, and it's a fun city - although expensive to live in. If you want to live there for some other reason, and have the money, go for it. And for someone who wants to work in the Australian security community, and is paying local tuition rates, this course is probably a good plan. But in general, there's no way I'd pay US-level tuition fees for an Australian public affairs-related degree.

[mranderson]

Samiam, excellent advice and insight! Thank you!