Is a great MA program worth the debt?

[mrusuani]

I accepted an offer for georgetown (Un funded MA), the program (18 credits) tuition cost $ 17802 per year. But I aslo got accepted to a funded Ma program from smaller, Regional University not well know (with tuition waivers for 9 or 12 credit and monthly stipends of $1,100* per month) My question is, Is a great MA program worth the debt?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

[GeoDUDE!]

Go with the money.

[esotericish]

For an MA, not really. What do you want to do with the MA? That might be the more important question. But that much debt is a serious burden, especially when an MA (depending on the field) doesn't make you much more hirable.

 

However I will say that a DC-based MA might be a little different. You do get lots of connections that aren't afforded to you if you attend a different school. On the other hand, a DC-based MA is actually much more expensive than the tuition would have you think because of the cost of living. It all comes down to what you want to do with the MA though.

[juilletmercredi]

Yes, I agree that this depends on what the MA is in and what you intend to do next.

 

If this is some kind of professional degree and/or your goal is eventually to work in government or international/NGO type work, the program in DC at Georgetown might very well be worth the debt.  Might.  The DC connections can help a lot, and you can do an internship during your term-time that can lead into a job.  $35K in total tuition isn't that much, either.  if the program is only 18 credits then I'm assuming that it's only a year long; if you can live on $25K in DC (which you totally can if you're single and childless) then thats about $60K total debt, which isn't outrageous for grad school.  If you have little undergraduate debt that can really work for you.  In many fields $60K is the salary you can expect to make out of grad school.

 

But.  Let's say that your MA is going to be in Spanish literature and your goal is to get a PhD in Spanish literature after the MA.  Then no, the MA is definitely not worth the debt.  Also in some fields (like social work to a certain extent, or nursing) where you get your master's from doesn't necessarily matter that much, so following the stipend is probably a better idea.