altenative plans-NYU' MA, STEM programs, or MPP?

[kawhi]

Hi, all ! 

I am waiting to hear back from the only phd program where I have been wait-listed. 

As a poli sci major, I have been thinking about Plan B and Plan C. I will appreciate if you guys can give some thoughts.

Plan B: I received an admission from NYU' MA in poli sci program. I would like to know if this is a cash cow program where core faculties are seldom involved, or it is actually a good program, although it is costly to go to NYU.

Plan C: I intend to apply Chicago Harris's Master of Science in Computational Analysis and Public Policy next year. Because it is a STEM program and I am quite interested in coding. Are there any other STEM graduate degrees out there, related to data science for social science majors?

Plan D: So I am considering to apply some MPP programs. I notice that many MPP programs are too general. JHK and Harris have much more specialized programs. Please let me know what programs appear in your mind.

[ugurcanevci]

I'm a student at NYU's MA and I'll update here today with some more info. 

[kawhi]

37 minutes ago, ugurcanevci said:

I'm a student at NYU's MA and I'll update here today with some more info. 

ty

[studentized]

Stony Brook's two MA programs have core faculty teaching courses (e.g., Feldman, Huddy, Jerit, Krupnikov, Barabas, DeScioli, Lahav).

[ExponentialDecay]

12 hours ago, kawhi said:

Plan C: I intend to apply Chicago Harris's Master of Science in Computational Analysis and Public Policy next year. Because it is a STEM program and I am quite interested in coding. Are there any other STEM graduate degrees out there, related to data science for social science majors?

Just for my own edification: in what sense is this a STEM program? I looked at the curriculum, and it seems like a typical MPP with some big data electives. Do you mean that it would be considered STEM in H1B terms?

[kawhi]

58 minutes ago, ExponentialDecay said:

Just for my own edification: in what sense is this a STEM program? I looked at the curriculum, and it seems like a typical MPP with some big data electives. Do you mean that it would be considered STEM in H1B terms?

Is CAPP a STEM program? Yes, MSCAPP is federally recognized as a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) degree, as a STEM program listed on the US Department of Homeland Security's STEM designated degree program list. This designation qualifies graduating MSCAPP students for the optional practical training (OPT) STEM extension. You can find out more about the OPT program under the University of Chicago STEM OPT Extension guidelines. 

[ExponentialDecay]

Niiiiiice, look at them getting that underserved market niche. Uchicago is truly world leader in cashcow MAs. Good to know OP

[ugurcanevci]

This is what I wrote somewhere else. 

"

Hi all! These are some answers that I sent to someone who is considering the MA Program at NYU. I thought it could be beneficial to submit the same information here. 

 

• Answer about funding: I came here as a Fulbright Scholar, and when you have some external funding, GSAS waives the tuition fee. But other than that, I believe that some people did act as graders, although I do not know how much as the pay. Lastly, there were RA positions available (I was indeed one) but they are extremely scarce. Like, the first year there was only one opportunity, and the professors were seeking for two RAs. I got lucky because they were looking for someone who is interested in the ethnic conflict in Turkey and well, I am Turkish. Therefore, I would not rely on a RA expectation. It was 12 hours per week, and $20 per hour, although I wasn't paid due to my Fulbright stipend.

• NYC Answer: Not dangerous at all (Except some areas that you would never go anyways :)). You just have to be street savvy, but if you lived in a big city, you'll be fine. It's very fun here, all kind of food, bars, entertainment... Literally, you can find everything you want. Any kind of opportunity. Any type of music, art, conference, UN events... It's quite impossible to capture everything that's about NYC in a single message. Also, being an international here is extremely easy because everybody treats you as if you were a local. 

• It is very expensive. Rent is quite high. A room in Manhattan would be around $1300 to $3000. If you go to Brooklyn and Queens, you can also find expensive rooms, but there are others available for as low as $800. You'll also need a metro card in that case, which is $120. For the rest of the costs, you can try to have a look at numbeo.com. It is mostly accurate in terms of prices.

• Answer: Nicole Simonelli is going to be your advisor. There are no topic specific advisors. You pick your thesis advisor later. It can be anyone who approves to be your advisor. Including the faculty members. But, you have to have a good explanation on why you want to work with them, and it is better if your subject is something quantitative. 

• Answer: Professors get along well, but the problem is that the core courses are taught by the adjunct faculty. So, many people in our program actually end up taking no single class from a faculty member, but they only met adjunct people. Their advisors are also the adjunct faculty members. You can see the link below, some of the classes are only open to MA students, and some others (including Przeworski, yes) are open to both MA and PhD. However, I believe that no single MA student could take his class because it required extensive knowledge on game theory. 

  http://politics.as.nyu.edu/object/ma.scheduleFall2016

  As an RA, I was working with two faculty members. They were super helpful, and now they are also my thesis advisors. They were indeed the best thing happened to me in this program. I am sure that other professors would also be willing to advise you, but you have to have a very specific idea that why you wanted to work with them, and how is your subject is in line with what they do. Because it is very likely that you will end up not taking any courses from them, and they won't know you. So, it will be your task to convince them to advise you even if they don't know you. "

[guest56436]

Well what is the point of these plans? What do you want to do?

If you want to do a Ph.D. I am not sure any of these options are going to improve your chances significantly.

Also, I don't necessarily think going straight into a MPP type program is going to help you professionally.

All these options seem to be potentially extremely costly with little reward.

 

[Afrique]

Hey, 

I am joining the MA Politics program in NYU as a Fulbright student. I would like to know who has an idea what the stipend for Fulbright students in New York is and how that amount compares to the cost of housing and general living.

[ugurcanevci]

On May 2, 2017 at 11:26 AM, Afrique said:

Hey, 

I am joining the MA Politics program in NYU as a Fulbright student. I would like to know who has an idea what the stipend for Fulbright students in New York is and how that amount compares to the cost of housing and general living.

I was a Fulbright Scholar at NYU MA. The stipend is $2k. It's barely enough even if you live far enough in Brooklyn or Queens. Rent for a room in Manhattan can easily be higher than the stipend.