Central European University SPP

[jakemc]

Hello everyone,

So I've gotten all of my offers, and it looks like a toss up between three schools. 

Duke Sanford School: 30,000 fellowship
Virginia Batten School: Full Tuition Fellowship
Central European University School of Public Policy: Full Tuition Fellowship

Right now I'm leaning towards CEU in Budapest (due to the cheap cost of living - I have a LOT of loans from undergrad), but I'm worried about the job prospects afterwards just because I never heard of CEU until I began to apply (I want to work with an international development group such as US Gov't, World Bank, UN, etc). Does anyone know anything about CEU (good or bad), because I know it is both accredited in Hungary and in the US. Is anyone looking at this and thinking "Why would you make THAT decision?" Let me know any thoughts.

Thanks!

[coffeeandtravel]

Out of curiosity, why did you choose to apply to public policy schools instead of IR programs that specialize in development (e.g. SAIS, MSFS, etc)?

[jakemc]

I want to be focus more on policy creation, and the MPP programs I looked at were very hands on, which I find very important.

[coffeeandtravel]

Cool! Well, good luck with your decision! I don't know much about CEU or PP schools in general, but Budapest is a great city. If I were you, I'd reach out to former students to see how they have fared after graduating and if they felt that the program was well-regarded in terms of securing jobs, networking, etc. It would be hard to turn down a full tuition fellowship!

[CakeTea]

I am not a CEU student, but i got my CEU information from a CEU dual degree student and two exchange students from Budapest and Corvinus Uni. History: Founded with huge endowment from G Soros to promote democracy, citizenship and governance. Strong concentrations include EU relations, regional studies, transparency, international comparative politics and policy studies. the organisation is modelled after US schools with accreditation, board of trustees and English taught grad courses. CEU has an international vibe compared to Eastern European unis. naturally, Ceu has a neoliberal twang in its policy and economics approach. it serves as political change agent and academic beacon. Dual student recalled that some profs would refer to the neoliberal theory and its implication in practice on policy analysis. one would hear less about critical theory. some classes tend to be on the theoretical side. To be fair, CEU has some practical classes with professionals from the field. In the beginning, CEU stood out from other unis in Eastern Europe. In recent yrs, CEU has hired younger associate profs from other European countries, broadened its research base outside Eastern Europe, raised grants from the EU and attracted international students. It is very proud of its wide ranging research groups and institutes. CEU gets credits for its scholarship and research in some department rankings (QS World, European Research Council). The library is small compared to larger MPP programmes. CEU is not a professional policy school in a US tradition as CEU offers various degrees and it does not produce policy makers as its core mission. With regards to academics and professional development, CEU is not in the top tier in Europe (Ox, LSE, Geneva, SciencesPo, Hertie). interestingly, the Budapest students noticed that CEU does not cooperate with other Budapest unis in teaching/events, more stand alone. Some of CEU's work may not be the current Hungarian government's cup of tea according to my Budapest friends.

[CakeTea]

The dual degree student told me that he got asked the question 'why CEU'? He is not from Hungary, the standard and correct answer: "Specific fit with interests and funding." I cannot comment on how CEU may work for you in the US.

[jakemc]

6 hours ago, CakeTea said:

The dual degree student told me that he got asked the question 'why CEU'? He is not from Hungary, the standard and correct answer: "Specific fit with interests and funding." I cannot comment on how CEU may work for you in the US.

Thank you!

[Damis]

I absolutely love Budapest. One of my favorite cities. Can't comment much on the prospects after finishing up there, but I know there was one user here that went there to do some sort of one year degree...then went back to the US, I think Georgetown specifically, to complete another IR degree.