Grad Schools Abroad

[ryzzofoshizzo]

Hi all,

I was wondering what you all think about the reputation of Irish grad schools in the United States.

The reason I ask is because my fiancee is applying for Irish citizenship, we both have strong family ties to the country, and are considering moving there at least for a year or so and seeing how things go. If we really love living there then I could see us staying indefinitely, but who really knows how things will go and would could, of course, end up moving back to the States. In that case I would want to be sure that the Master's degree I would be working toward in Ireland would be viewed positively by employers in the States.

I know that the Irish have in recent years invested a lot into education, and that an increasing amount of U.S. students are going abroad for post-grad education. Additionally if anyone is aware about the reputation of Irish universities in the rest of Europe (UK, France, Spain) that would be good to know too.

For some background, I would be pursuing something along the lines of an International Relations/International Development degree, potentially even Latin American or South Asian studies. I've lived and worked in Washington for over 5 years now so I have a lot of work experience (supervisors gave me a lot of responsibilities), so I just want to make sure that I am able to continue growing and making myself more marketable in the workplace while finding a way to better enjoy my life by spending some time abroad.

Any thoughts are much appreciated, thanks!

[katanianQ]

I'd say it depends on the school.

TCD has an excellent reputation in europe and in the us among academic circles as well. (although if you ask non irish non academics in the us, they will have no idea what/where the school is). i got my masters there and was very very fortunate in that I got a teaching job almost immediately upon returning to the states. this might have been kind of flukey- but anyway the rep is quite good.

UCD also has a solid rep but isnt seen as 'prestegious'- im not saying it isn't a better school but it lacks the history, architecture, big name etc that trinity has, so it wouldn't be as recognizable to people outside of ireland.

If you said which schools you are considering, I might be able to give you a better idea..

Good luck w the whole process- if you have any questions about moving to ireland, the adjustment, schools etc please feel free to send me a private message.