Grad Programs in Higher Ed and the Economy

[tsgriffey]

Hi, All!

 

I'm thinking about pursuing a career in education research, specifically in higher education policy in relation to the economy and job market. I am looking for info about good grad programs that deal with this intersection and the job prospects outside of academia such as educational think-tanks, etc. (although I wouldn't dismiss academia--I just know the odds).

 

A little more about me: I graduated from UCSB in 2014 with majors in psych and religious studies. Applied and got accepted to masters programs in the study of religion at Oxford, UChicago, and Edinburgh, but turned them down due to a combination of a waning interest in the subject matter and the very discouraging employment outlook of trying to be an academic in the humanities.

 

It seems to me that a career in education research might be a great way to blend my passion for higher education, love of research and writing, and practicality of having a job that will actually make me money and impact the world in a concrete way.

 

UPenn's GSE has been persistently recruiting me because of my GRE scores (162 V, 154 Q, 4.5 AW). How is the program there? (Considering the higher ed. or education policy programs.)

 

Thanks for any info and advice that you can provide,

 

Taylor

[COGSCI]

University of Toronto's faculty of education (OISE), UCL, and Teachers College (Columbia) are some of the top education research institutions in the world 

UPenn is a good school too! 

[graciasadios]

@tsgriffey Just curious, how are they recruiting you? I have good GRE scores and haven't heard from any schools recruiting me.

[tsgriffey]

@tsgriffey Just curious, how are they recruiting you? I have good GRE scores and haven't heard from any schools recruiting me.

 

When I took the GRE I gave ETS permission to release my information to interested schools. Penn, along with a several other schools, have kept emailing me and inviting me to apply.

[tsgriffey]

Can anyone shed some light on the value of a masters in Higher Education that would cost me about 40K in loans (even after financial aid) at Penn? What is the return on investment looking like for these types of degrees?

[so_it_goes]

Can anyone shed some light on the value of a masters in Higher Education that would cost me about 40K in loans (even after financial aid) at Penn? What is the return on investment looking like for these types of degrees?

 

I graduated from Penn's higher ed master's program, and I would say the answer is yes and no. On the one hand, the policy world respects academic notoriety for hiring and expertise, so, if your aim is to enter that world immediately afterwards, it could give you a leg up. Yet, the issue with Penn's master's programs are that they are one-year. This significantly limits the amount of coursework you can take in topical areas and, of equal importance for your career interests, in methodology courses.

 

On an aside, I would also tell you to consider other programs with faculty that specifically study the intersection between higher education and the economy, such as Michigan, Illinois, and UGA (there are others, but those three immediately come to mind). Likewise, as someone with similar interests in policy, I would also suggest looking at public policy programs that either have higher education specialities or allow for taking classes in a higher ed department. 

 

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

[nashville0808]

Personally, all one-year Master's programs are revenue-generating programs for schools. One year or 9 months is not enough for students to understand their field even at high-ranking schools such as Harvard, UPen, and Stanford. In education policy, there is a strong trend toward quantitative data analyses but you cannot learn quantitative skills well in a one-year program. You will end up with taking general courses without enough research or practical experiences. I'm not so sure if these programs really help you deepen your understanding. Yet, just in terms of job, going to UPenn may give you more options than going to local state schools. But, again, I'm not sure if it is worth $40K loan. 

 

I prefer a two-year program to a one-year program. Public policy programs are usually two years. They cost more but give you more rigorous training. Alternatively, you may work for a while (3-7 years) and apply for Ph.D. programs. You are likely to get some funding and avoid loans. In retrospect, this is what I would have done. I went to a three-year master's program (not three year but required 60 credits) at one of the high ranking schools. The program gave me a lot of research experience, which helped me get a research analyst job right after graduation and then get admission offers from top schools but it cost me a lot. Not sure if the master's program was worth it because I see many students in my program coming from local state schools, which cost much less.

 

In terms of recruiting that you are referring to, it appears to me that it is a generic recruitment e-mail sent to many more prospective applicants.

[ZeChocMoose]

I agree with so_it_goes and nashville0808.  You'll need several courses in statistics and research design to be competitive for education research/policy jobs directly after your master's.  They are right that generally a 1-year program is not going to be particularly helpful because it doesn't give you enough time to take the courses that you'll need.  Ideally, you'll also want to have an internship/assistantship in a research/policy centered position because the datasets that you use in class are not the ones that you'll encounter on the job and you'll want to learn good data cleaning, coding, and management skills with raw data.

 

I don't think you necessarily need a higher ed master's, though, to do education research or policy.  I have seen people get these jobs with just solid methods backgrounds (economics, political science, psychology, statistics, or public policy) and work experience in either education or higher education.  If you do go the higher ed master's route, I would do a two year program that requires you to take at least two courses in statistics and one course in research design.  There are not a lot of programs like that - most of them focus on student affairs - but so_it_goes mentions a couple.  I would also look at Vanderbilt, Penn State, and Maryland.    

 

I went into institutional research directly after my higher ed master's, but I took 3 courses in statistics, one in research design, and one in qualitative research methods.  I felt that my methods training made me sufficiently prepared for my job interviews and working on the job doing analyses.

[tsgriffey]

Very helpful responses, thank you! I am going to look into the programs of the schools listed.

 

Say I'd like to forego a master's degree, what kind of jobs should I look for (and obviously qualify for with a research-based psych degree) at an entry level that would lead me to a career in higher ed. policy research?

[ZeChocMoose]

Say I'd like to forego a master's degree, what kind of jobs should I look for (and obviously qualify for with a research-based psych degree) at an entry level that would lead me to a career in higher ed. policy research?

 

This would be hard to answer without knowing more about your skill set and experience.  Which statistical programs do you know right now ( R, STATA, SPSS, SAS)? How well do you know them?  How advanced is your statistical knowledge (i.e. what models can you run)?  Usually, bare minimum is multiple regression, but now I am also seeing psychometric  and econometric models wanted in certain types of entry level job postings usually measurement for psychometric models and policy analysis for econometric models.  How much experience do you have translating statistical analyses into language that anyone can understand? Essential at any level, but really important as an entry level analyst.  What type of research experience did you have in undergrad and how closely does that relate to education research?  If you worked in a psyc lab that is probably not going to be particularly helpful unless you were the one running the data because the research skill set can be quite different.  (I worked in a neuroendocrinology lab in undergrad -- not particularly helpful to the educ policy research I do now.)

 

If you are not able to answer most of these questions - I would say forgoing the master's degree is probably not possible/advisable.  Typically, most people will have just finished their master's that are looking for an entry level educ research/policy jobs.  (You also will see some PhDs too looking for entry level positions in more competitive areas as well.)  

[nashville0808]

There are many routes to eventually land in a higher education policy job. If I were you, I would first consider higher education administrative positions at universities/colleges. This is a very important experience and even if you don't do any research at these positions, this experience will give you a deep understanding about higher education. You will learn many things about student affairs, remedial education, financial aid, admissions, financing, online courses (MOOCS), etc. Administrative positions at community colleges would be also valuable, as people are recognizing the importance of  community colleges for low-income students. And while working as an administrator, you can earn a master's degree in higher education administration or policy with financial assistance from your school. This way, you can save a lot; at the same time, you earn a master's degree and valuable practical experience. So you may work for about 5-7 years. If I were a faculty member in a Ph.D. higher education program, I would recommend this kind of applicants for the Ph.D. program. I know some students who took this route and started a Ph.D. program at top schools.

 

You may also consider state education agencies, College Board, Education Trust, and other policy-oriented organizations but probably not hard-core academic research organizations. You won't qualify for positions at these research organizations.