Suggestions on Quant-Heavy Programs?

[DCA-John]

Against all better wisdom, I'm looking at applying to an MPP program in 2010, despite already having an MBA from a second-tier school. I've been working in int'l development for 6 years at a manager level for a couple of NGOs and a development consulting firm. Also have 2 yrs teaching English in Asia before B-school.

I'm 30 now and hadn't planned on going back to school, but am realizing I'm going to be at the same level I'm at now for another 5-10 years without an Econ PhD. While I seriously considered it, I just couldn't do 5 more yrs of school. So, I started looking at the MPA-ID program at HKS, which has been described as a PhD-lite. I'm also thinking of applying to:

- Princeton, mid-career MPP (focus on econometrics and other quant coursework)

- SAIS, MA international econ

Are there any other programs I should be looking at? I don't really need the softer courses (got plenty of that in B-school), I'm strictly interested in the econ / quant coursework

[younglions]

You might want to look into strict economics/statistics programs. I'd suggest Columbia's MA in Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences. You could also go over to the UK for a year and get a MSc in Economics/Econometrics from a school like LSE, SOAS, etc. There are lots of US terminal econ programs, but they're generally considered weak. I don't know if the reputation is actually warranted though.

If you prefer a traditional MPP or IR program, Berkeley and Chicago are reputed to be quant-heavy, especially if you take the more rigorous courses. Unfortunately, there's going to be required soft courses.

[junebug62]

Don't do the SAIS MA Econ. Its a joke. Basically undergrad econ for those who never took it. It does not compare to some of the other programs listed here.

[DCA-John]

If you prefer a traditional MPP or IR program, Berkeley and Chicago are reputed to be quant-heavy, especially if you take the more rigorous courses. Unfortunately, there's going to be required soft courses.

Thanks for the suggestions - much appreciated. I will take a look at the columbia program. Right after B-school I was on the wait-list for Sachs' sustainable development PhD there - haven't really looked at the school since though

Are Berkeley and Chicago more domestic policy-focused? Would there be any development slant to the coursework?

[Stephen33]

Current Chicago (MPP) student here. In answer to your question, I would say that Chicago definitely has a more domestic focus than, say, schools like Columbia or Johns Hopkins. There is certainly opportunity to take several IR courses (primarily through the Political Science Department), but for development I don't think the offerings are very extensive.

As for "soft courses", you can avoid them pretty much entirely if you wish. Several of the more "quant-focused" students take the advanced stats sequence, and report it to be very challenging. Also, you can test out of the standard economic theory sequence and move on to advanced courses, both within the policy school and in the Economics Department proper. Some of the MPP students are taking the PhD economics price theory course (which I believe Gary Becker still teaches) this fall. I think pretty much everyone finds that sufficiently "challenging".

Other than stats and econ, the only other substantial requirements are the political economy sequence, which I found very interesting (and by no means "lightweight" or "soft").