Institute of World Politics

[pectoraldactyl]

What can people tell me about the Institute of World Politics?  I haven't applied or anything but I came across it in my search for international relations programs in DC.  It's obviously not as reputable as Georgetown or SAIS, but I'm wondering about its value when it comes to networking and securing a job in the public sector.  On a related note, how beneficial is a degree from IWP for someone who wants to transition into the private sector?

[MD guy]

2 hours ago, pectoraldactyl said:

What can people tell me about the Institute of World Politics?  I haven't applied or anything but I came across it in my search for international relations programs in DC.  It's obviously not as reputable as Georgetown or SAIS, but I'm wondering about its value when it comes to networking and securing a job in the public sector.  On a related note, how beneficial is a degree from IWP for someone who wants to transition into the private sector?

I know an IWP grad who works at State. IIRC they have strong ties to the DC intelligence and security sectors, but much less so elsewhere in the U.S. and abroad than Gtown or SAIS. The faculty is all "adjunct" in the sense that they're practitioners who teach part-time. I don't believe it has many connections to the private sector. For that purpose, definitely the better the name the better. It's a small place, consider reaching out to the school and ask them for a couple of alumni contacts so you can get a better idea from the source. One odd thing to note – the school has a not-so-subtle ideological focus on being militarist/hawkish in a neoconservative fashion.

Edited July 5, 2016 by MD guy

[pectoraldactyl]

Thank you for the insight!  That's a good idea- I'll ask the school to connect me with some of the alumni so I can find out how a MA from IWP has benefited or hindered their post-graduation careers.