Teachers College vs. NYU Steinhardt

[arktoura]

Hi everyone!

 

I'm in a bit of a pickle. I still haven't made a decision (shameful, I know) between Columbia Teachers College and NYU Steinhardt. I applied rather late to both schools. Both are for an MA in Teaching of English + Initial Cert.

 

Steinhardt has offered me a scholarship that comes out to about 40% of tuition (around 15k), while Teachers College has only given me a third of that. To attend either school, I am going to have to take out significant student loans.

 

I would like to eventually (not right away) go on to get my PhD as well so I am trying to make the best choice for both a future career and any future education. 

 

Is Columbia worth the extra cost? Is one school significantly better than the other? Any other advice for me?

 

Thanks

[babycakes]

I was offered 16k and I turned down Columbia; if you're going into the classroom you really don't really benefit from the 75k or so you sink for the 50k degree plus about ~25k living expenses. A lot of people find that they love what they do, or worst case scenario are "stuck" in their situation and it's not like the kids or your coworkers will give a damn where you got your degree from. 

 

If you are absolutely dedicated to high ed later, I'd say Columbia but you have to go out on a limb to kiss up and make an impression on a few professors within the one year you're there because there's many accusations of the school being a "diploma mill" and classes being taught by graduate students (little to no benefit to you). 

[naomi6]

If you want to pursue a PhD, go with columbia (it is more known nationwide compared to NYU).  Graduate students are not allowed to teach classes at teachers college (just grade papers and such). 

 

You could probably applied for other scholarships that would help you offset the cost. You can also find some type of assistantship. 

[ab2015]

I'm in the same boat regarding Teachers College vs. NYU Steinhardt for an MA in International Educational Development (TC) and International Education (Steinhardt). They seem to be very similar programs and I was wondering if anyone has any experience with either school. I was originally more drawn to NYU but it's hard to turn down a diploma from an Ivy League school. 

[nycres]

I'm in the same boat regarding Teachers College vs. NYU Steinhardt for an MA in International Educational Development (TC) and International Education (Steinhardt). They seem to be very similar programs and I was wondering if anyone has any experience with either school. I was originally more drawn to NYU but it's hard to turn down a diploma from an Ivy League school. 

 

The IED Department at TC is in shambles - some of their best professors have left in the last year or so. But, quite frankly, it's a masters program, in which case your career outcome is less dependent on your professors than say a Ph.D, and if you're planning on doing international work, Columbia has a much better reputation than NYU. 

[Counterpointer]

People keep saying Columbia is worth the cost if ultimate goal is PhD.... but I wonder why?? If we're discussing TC as a 'diploma mill', then admission committees may see it as that too.. Logically speaking NYU would provide more individual support and attention. I don't really see why TC would be good in long run if applying for PhD... just good because it's Ivy league? 

[nycres]

People keep saying Columbia is worth the cost if ultimate goal is PhD.... but I wonder why?? If we're discussing TC as a 'diploma mill', then admission committees may see it as that too.. Logically speaking NYU would provide more individual support and attention. I don't really see why TC would be good in long run if applying for PhD... just good because it's Ivy league? 

 

Yes, brand name matters - though I think the difference between NYU and Columbia, especially within education, is relatively miniscule. I might be wrong however. There's a lot of discussions about name value within academia if you want to join the conversation: https://chroniclevitae.com/news/929-academia-s-1-percent 

 

In a doctoral application, recommendation letters and research experiences often carry a lot of weight. TC - while it admits a lot of students and usually doesn't fund them, hence the diploma mill reputation - has professors that are the top of their field. Having a well-known professor vouch for you can greatly benefit you. The trick is to not get lost in these programs - which is entirely possible, considering there is 100+ students in the masters program -  and might actually be worse than attending a lesser known school.   

 

Ultimately, I think you should look at fit, money (and for me, institutional resources) when it comes to NYU and Columbia. For International Education, there's various subfields you can specialize in - literary education, peace education, education policy, education in emergency, monitoring and evaluation, human rights, environmental education, assessments, curriculum & teaching, etc - and you want to make sure there's classes being offered in that field while you're there. You don't want to go too much into debt - so factor in scholarships, work opportunities, etc. And look at institutional resources - I had the opportunity to organize panel discussions on inequality and educational opportunity with some of the top economists / political scientists / education scholars while at Columbia, which I found to be a hugely rewarding experience. 

Edited March 13, 2015 by nycres

[ab2015]

Yes, brand name matters - though I think the difference between NYU and Columbia, especially within education, is relatively miniscule. I might be wrong however. There's a lot of discussions about name value within academia if you want to join the conversation: https://chroniclevitae.com/news/929-academia-s-1-percent 

 

In a doctoral application, recommendation letters and research experiences often carry a lot of weight. TC - while it admits a lot of students and usually doesn't fund them, hence the diploma mill reputation - has professors that are the top of their field. Having a well-known professor vouch for you can greatly benefit you. The trick is to not get lost in these programs - which is entirely possible, considering there is 100+ students in the masters program -  and might actually be worse than attending a lesser known school.   

 

Ultimately, I think you should look at fit, money (and for me, institutional resources) when it comes to NYU and Columbia. For International Education, there's various subfields you can specialize in - literary education, peace education, education policy, education in emergency, monitoring and evaluation, human rights, environmental education, assessments, curriculum & teaching, etc - and you want to make sure there's classes being offered in that field while you're there. You don't want to go too much into debt - so factor in scholarships, work opportunities, etc. And look at institutional resources - I had the opportunity to organize panel discussions on inequality and educational opportunity with some of the top economists / political scientists / education scholars while at Columbia, which I found to be a hugely rewarding experience. 

Thank you so much for the help! My concentration is peace and human rights education. Hoping to work as part of an NGO or even the United Nations in the future. Still factoring in financial aid and I received a $9,000 scholarship from Columbia. I don't have any student loans from my undergrad and have money saved up (received an almost full scholarship for the four years) so I feel pretty lucky in that sense. Still waiting on NYU though but I'm happy to read a positive take on Columbia's program. 

[nycres]

Thank you so much for the help! My concentration is peace and human rights education. Hoping to work as part of an NGO or even the United Nations in the future. Still factoring in financial aid and I received a $9,000 scholarship from Columbia. I don't have any student loans from my undergrad and have money saved up (received an almost full scholarship for the four years) so I feel pretty lucky in that sense. Still waiting on NYU though but I'm happy to read a positive take on Columbia's program. 

 

Do you have a regional focus? Human rights education is a big part of TC, but as far as I know, the only tenure-track professor that specializes in it researches Africa. There's also a bunch of lecturers and visiting scholars that teach human rights. There used to be a professor who taught human rights education in India, but she left.