How well do foreign degrees do in DC and NYC circles?

[bsack]

I'm particularly interested in how employers in the United States (DC and New York especially) operating in the international relations/government sectors, as well as the private sector more broadly, view postgraduate IR degrees from outside of North America (i.e. how well do they compete against top American IR schools like SAIS/SIPA/Fletcher and how well do they generally place?). Specifically, I am curious about the following universities in the UK:

London School of Economics

University of Cambridge

University of Oxford

I know my question is broad in scope, so feel free to be as broad or as detailed as you like. I have already contacted the aforementioned schools for placement info and poked around linkedin, but I would like to get some additional thoughts and perceptions beyond that from you guys. All of the aforementioned schools rank in Foreign Policy's top 20, but unsurprisingly, info on them seems to be more scant than larger IR/public policy schools based in the United States like HKS. Also, I am aware that there are people on here applying to other foreign IR schools: I've seen Sciences Po and National University Singapore mentioned in other threads. So if you have any info or thoughts on other foreign IR schools, feel free to post to help out future readers or curious lurkers. 

Edited April 26, 2016 by bsack

[CakeTea]

Have you checked out the NYC/D.C alumni chapters for your aforementioned schools? I am pretty sure that LSE and Oxford have active alumni chapters as indicated in their alumni magazines. Alumni chapters are normally a good source and you get an idea of main employers of alumni in various regions. I was in the same boat and needed first hand info on an international program. Fortunately I reached out and was invited to a mixer. I went and met many alums.

To my knowledge, there are not many Oxford MPPs from the US (Source: Ox MPP's class profile). Reasons: It is a very young program, small class and US students make only a small percentage. MPhil International Relations is more established, highly popular with bright US students and many scholars take this course. Ox's ranking in FP is attributed to IR, not MPP. Chelsea Clinton did MPhil IR too and interned at WHO Geneva. 

[bsack]

i'm already a member of LSE's alumni associations for major northeast cities. i studied abroad there for junior year, which is why i was curious about that one. more importantly, i currently hold offers from cambridge and oxford for IR mphils (not MPP, sorry if i was ambiguous) and i am trying to decide between the two. i'm leaning towards cambridge because it is a one year program while oxford is two, but i would like to ascertain whether oxford would be worth paying the associated costs of an extra year. thanks for the advice, i'll definitely check the local alumni chapters for both schools

[kd7432]

I am contemplating between Duke's MPP and a MSc in Development Studies from LSE. So I would like to know how the LSE degree would fare in the international development circle in DC/NYC as well. Any thoughts?

[TemujinAmbition]

I am wanting to know response to this query as well. Would average DC employer know about LSE or Sciences Po (outside of British and French embassy)?

Edited May 10, 2016 by TemujinAmbition

[MD guy]

On May 10, 2016 at 3:59 PM, TemujinAmbition said:

I am wanting to know response to this query as well. Would average DC employer know about LSE or Sciences Po (outside of British and French embassy)?

People definitely know LSE in DC. Not sure about Sciences Po but it's much less likely from what I've seen

[bsack]

6 hours ago, MD guy said:

People definitely know LSE in DC. Not sure about Sciences Po but it's much less likely from what I've seen

what about oxbridge? LSE's clout makes sense given its social science/government specialization. i've heard sciences po does well in NGO and multilateral circles, dont know how well it does outside those areas

Edited May 14, 2016 by bsack

[MD guy]

On May 14, 2016 at 10:42 PM, bsack said:

what about oxbridge? LSE's clout makes sense given its social science/government specialization. i've heard sciences po does well in NGO and multilateral circles, dont know how well it does outside those areas

I have never personally met anyone from Oxbridge, but to think that people in DC or NYC have not heard of those schools is silly. How much they care for it, say, as opposed to SIPA or SAIS, is very very area-dependent and in many instances workplace-dependent. And tbh quite often person-dependent because you never know who's making the hiring decisions. As usual for public service I think the answer is to pick the cheapest option. With the right internship and connections, no doors are closed to you from these 3 schools. It just depends how you open the other ones.

Edited May 15, 2016 by MD guy