Need help deciding between MPP, MIA, or MA

[devin_d]

I'm 26 year old with a BA in Politics, unemployed, and looking to break into a career related to my field of study. Since graduating in 2011, I've tried applying to anything remotely related to politics (policy analyst, program analyst, etc.), but have been unsuccessful at gaining employment. Many of the jobs I applied for preferred or required a Master's degree. Instead I've worked a variety of crummy jobs both domestically and abroad in the fields of IT and web marketing. Most recently, I worked as an IT analyst at UC Berkeley. I'm getting older now and feel desperate to get on track. I'm considering MPP, Master of International Affairs, and other related MA programs as a way to break into some type of analyst role with the federal government, consulting firms, or NGOs/IOs/nonprofits. 

I know many on this forum will probably suggest I get work experience before applying to a professional program, but I'm not having any luck finding suitable positions here in the Bay Area. DC seems to be the Mecca for all these policy jobs, so I'm strongly considering applying to programs there. My grades were okay in college (3.33 GPA), but I'm not the strongest test taker and my recommendations would probably be weak, so elite schools are probably out of the question. I've also considered programs abroad in Europe and Asia, mainly because my interests are more international than domestic, and I could save a considerable amount of money.

Here are my questions:

1) Will it be next to impossible to get even a modest job in the DC area after completing an MPP (or similar degree) from a non-elite school there? I would definitely take advantage of internships and networking opportunities while in school, and I'm not picky about the job or salary. 

2) For my situation, would there be any advantage of picking one degree/program over another? I've heard the MPP is more marketable in places like DC than say an MA in International Relations. Is that true?

3) I would love to save money on a degree and study abroad again (did a year abroad in Thailand during undergrad). There are tuition-free programs in Europe and inexpensive programs in Asia. Assuming I complete one of these programs and attempt to resettle to DC and look for jobs, will there be a huge stigma against a foreign degree, even if degree evaluation companies say it's equal to a US degree?

Thanks very much in advance for the help!

Edited January 4, 2016 by devin_d

[MaxwellAlum]

I have been where you are (I was working in an admin position in a nonprofit with no growth opportunities before going to Syracuse), and grad school absolutely helped me get on track.  I don't think it would help you much to wait to go to grad school.  Unless you find a dream position, waiting will just mean you are older when you are out of grad school but still generally applying for entry level positions. 

For your first question, I don't think it's at all necessary to go to an elite school to get a good position, although if you want to work in consulting a big name school is definitely an advantage.  I would check out the employment reports for the programs you're interested in - here's the one for the University of Maryland: https://www.publicpolicy.umd.edu/career-services/current-students/job-and-internship-resources/internship-and-employment-report

In terms of your second question, a few thoughts come to mind.  First, a surprising number of us at Syracuse entered the program with the intention of pursuing a career in IR (many of us did a dual degree program in public administration and international relations), but eventually took jobs in local government, often to be close to family.  Your interests and personal preferences may change as you start taking classes and later on considering different positions.  Second (but related), MPA/MPP programs often have an international track, but IR programs don't have domestic policy tracks, so the MPA/MPP is going to be a little more flexible.  An IR program may have a bit of an advantage in terms of giving you better connections for an IR career, but I am not sure it is worth the losing the flexibility of the MPA/MPP.

For your third question, going international is a bit of a risk.  If you go to a U.S. school, odds are even if it is not Harvard, prospective employers will at least be aware it is a legitimate institution.  Personally, I don't feel that a foreign degree is as valuable as a U.S. degree if you want to work for U.S.-based employers, unless it is a school with a lot of name-recognition like LSE (definitely not tuition-free).  I could absolutely be wrong about that.

Edited January 5, 2016 by MaxwellAlum

[hopeful88]

I agree with the points made my Maxwell Alum. Although I am usually the first person to tell people to get some work experience--in your case, you HAVE work experience. Just not in the field you want. Grad school is a great way for you to get on track with a career switch. I did the same (working as a teacher and then wanted to move to a policy role, although granted, ed policy is directly related to my previous work experience). I can't speak to MIA or MA programs, since I was only interested in an MPP. However, I can say that in my program there were lots of folks concentrating on international as well as domestic policy. And I specifically chose the MPP because of the flexibility it offers. I knew I could pursue a position at a nonprofit, for profit, in local government, etc. I can't speak to your third question since I'm a domestic policy person and did not consider any international programs.

[chocolatecheesecake]

Depending on what your area of interest is (because policy is a wide field after all), it may or may not benefit you to have more work experience. For example, are you most interested in environmental or educational policy? If so, you may be able to find more work directly in those fields, which would then give you some experience to draw on not to mention motivation for wanting to change policy. If you don't want to work in the field first, you still need to show the admissions committee some evidence of your prior interest in this. Whether you're fresh out of undergrad or six years out, schools want to see that you have some track record of interest and commitment, so volunteering, maybe free-lancing, or some other convincing life stories are necessary. 

[went_away]

I wholeheartedly agree with about everything above. It sounds like getting into school would be a good move for you at this point while you're still relatively young. Don't sweat the specifics of the degree too much - sounds like an MPA or MIA would both serve you for your needs (I don't get the sense that it's international relations or bust for you, but more of a general focus on politics and policy). If you want to work in DC - then by all means come here. You may be overestimating how hard it is to break into the job market here. I'd recommend you target a few decent schools, get into classes and start utilizing the connections at school and your new friends to find internships and entry level positions. GMU and UMD strike me as schools that would particularly suit your needs. I'd caution you somewhat against GWU as its level of eliteness does not seem to be commensurate with its cost. Plenty of people in DC are making loads of money in their chosen field - the eliteness of your degree has less to do with that than sticking with a particular field and working your way up. 

[sp108]

3 hours ago, went_away said:

I wholeheartedly agree with about everything above. It sounds like getting into school would be a good move for you at this point while you're still relatively young. Don't sweat the specifics of the degree too much - sounds like an MPA or MIA would both serve you for your needs (I don't get the sense that it's international relations or bust for you, but more of a general focus on politics and policy). If you want to work in DC - then by all means come here. You may be overestimating how hard it is to break into the job market here. I'd recommend you target a few decent schools, get into classes and start utilizing the connections at school and your new friends to find internships and entry level positions. GMU and UMD strike me as schools that would particularly suit your needs. I'd caution you somewhat against GWU as its level of eliteness does not seem to be commensurate with its cost. Plenty of people in DC are making loads of money in their chosen field - the eliteness of your degree has less to do with that than sticking with a particular field and working your way up. 

Can you elaborate on what you mean by GWU "as its level of eliteness does not seem to be commensurate with its cost"?

 

[went_away]

19 hours ago, sp108 said:

Can you elaborate on what you mean by GWU "as its level of eliteness does not seem to be commensurate with its cost"?

 

In my perception, the 10k annual drop-off in full freight tuition between SAIS/Fletcher (42k/year) and Elliot (32k/year) is less than the drop in prestige/quality/organization/focus of the parent institution. As a result, student satisfaction at SAIS/Fletcher seems much higher than at GWU Elliot. I've never met an Elliot student who raved about their experience and the institution seems to have more of a box-checking, evening/professional school feel to it than an intentionally created life-changing experience (I have observed similar sentiments from students at another GWU graduate school). The caveat here is that Elliot students go on to very similar careers and many of the same employers as students at other leading international affairs schools, but I do think Elliot grads are - on the average - slightly disadvantaged career-wise in addition to the student and academic experience mentioned above. 

In any event, I'm not convinced that full tuition price can be justified at ANY of these schools for someone from a non-upper-class background. 

 

Edit - not to be too harsh on Elliot - notwithstanding the issues I have observed, it is still unquestionably one of the world's most powerful schools of international affairs. 

Edited January 7, 2016 by went_away

[sp108]

5 hours ago, went_away said:

In my perception, the 10k annual drop-off in full freight tuition between SAIS/Fletcher (42k/year) and Elliot (32k/year) is less than the drop in prestige/quality/organization/focus of the parent institution. As a result, student satisfaction at SAIS/Fletcher seems much higher than at GWU Elliot. I've never met an Elliot student who raved about their experience and the institution seems to have more of a box-checking, evening/professional school feel to it than an intentionally created life-changing experience (I have observed similar sentiments from students at another GWU graduate school). The caveat here is that Elliot students go on to very similar careers and many of the same employers as students at other leading international affairs schools, but I do think Elliot grads are - on the average - slightly disadvantaged career-wise in addition to the student and academic experience mentioned above. 

In any event, I'm not convinced that full tuition price can be justified at ANY of these schools for someone from a non-upper-class background. 

 

Edit - not to be too harsh on Elliot - notwithstanding the issues I have observed, it is still unquestionably one of the world's most powerful schools of international affairs. 

Ah shoot, I have the GWU MPP program at Trachtenberg on my mind, didn't know you meant Elliot! Do you have any comments on the MPP program?

[devin_d]

I wanted to thank everyone for their responses so far, this is incredibly helpful. I'll be looking into GMU and UMD's programs... thanks for the tip, went_away. 

[went_away]

16 hours ago, sp108 said:

Ah shoot, I have the GWU MPP program at Trachtenberg on my mind, didn't know you meant Elliot! Do you have any comments on the MPP program?

Any professional school at GWU should provide you with a solid - albeit overpriced - education and a vital introduction to the DC job market. I don't run in MPP circles, so can't get any more specific than that.