Masters in Both Security and Strategic Studies Overdoing It?

[S. A. Yeadon]

First, I plan to discuss this issue with Intelligence Community recruiters when they come back to my campus.

I am hoping to one day join the Intelligence Community, private contractors, or think tanks as a military analyst or a researcher. I will be applying to internships and scholarships as soon as I am accepted into a graduate program. However, I have a possibly crazy notion: That the combination of a strategic studies masters program and a security studies masters program will make me a better analyst and more competitive when I apply for positions and get a job position. Is this thinking correct? Or am I missing something huge here? I already have a B.A. in Political Science, and I am applying for and should be competitive at American, Johns Hopkins, and such from my research. But smaller more specialized programs like UTEP, ASU, and UCF are appealing as well.

Thank you for any reply in advance.

[went_away]

Just asking that question hurts you. It's like asking if you should get a two master's degrees, one in international relations and the other in international affairs. 

[S. A. Yeadon]

Good that I asked it here then to avoid looking foolish. I had thought that strategic studies, the study of the use of government power, was different from security studies, a subset of IR that seems based on issues, history, and theory.

[went_away]

You can get either or, more likely, both of those focuses in any number of IR or security studies grad programs. All of the programs are wildly overpriced, but Georgetown's master's in security studies is the best for your needs. Apply for internships early. Clearances, even low level ones, can take up to a year (sometime much more) to process. SAIS and Fletcher also have decent programs. Finally, joining the military as an officer will do far more for you in this field than any of these programs. Better yet - Military officer ------Kennedy School ------ Profit!!!

[S. A. Yeadon]

Hmm, thank you very much for your advice!

Unfortunately, while I would love to be a military officer, I have a disability that prevents service. However, I still want to help the troops closely and contribute to defense in a time of war.

That said, you are absolutely right that Georgetown is the best program for me. Just browsing the courses gave that away. The issue though, is that I feel very constrained with only 12 courses, some of those core. The problem is that my research interests are fairly broad, and I am intrigued by so many aspects of security studies. Then again, I really don't want to go for a PhD, as I know that a dissertation is not what I want to do at this point in time.

Do you have anything that you recommend for someone who wants a ton of graduate coursework in security studies but doesn't want to do a PhD? I guess that is the real question at the base of this thread now that you set my jargon straight.

Edited December 7, 2017 by S. A. Yeadon

[S. A. Yeadon]

Scratch my last question. I understand from an IC recruiter that what I want are graduate certificates in more specific academic areas of security studies such as terrorism studies. I was told a graduate certificate in a specific field or the self-taught ability to write a term paper in that specific field would prove useful to showing I can be an analyst in a field of study. I now aim for a graduate certificate on top of my Masters and eventually I may get a PhD if security studies interests me that much. 

Edited December 7, 2017 by S. A. Yeadon

[DevinMiles]

Good decision for the graduate certificate. Besides terrorism studies, there are a few out there that you could pick up after your master's such as cybersecurity (UMUC) or geospatial intelligence (Penn State) fairly easily from other universities.

For master's programs in security studies, Georgetown and SAIS are certainly outstanding. GWU is close to the same level and worth applying if you are interested in DC schools. Outside of the DC area, Korbel in Denver also has an outstanding program that is actually more demanding than many others. And GSPIA at Pittsburgh is well known for security studies. Avoid American University and Fletcher for anything related to security studies. Good luck.

[S. A. Yeadon]

 

29 minutes ago, DevinMiles said:

Avoid American University and Fletcher for anything related to security studies. Good luck.

Whoa, American's Masters in IR program was one of the programs I liked the most. It seemed to give versatility. I must have discerned wrong. Could you explain why AU's program is lackluster, at least that will teach me what to watch out for?

[tairos]

I don't think there's anything wrong with American in general.  It just isn't known for security in particular.  How much does that really matter in the professional world?  Not much I'd expect.  We're talking about a little known pecking order within a little known pecking order.  Your internships/experience count for a great deal more.  The main way I could see it mattering significantly is if you're planning to go on to a PhD, or perhaps in certain small niches (certain think tanks, consultancies etc).  It might also matter for networking purposes -- different programs attract different crowds.  AU definitely has more of a peace corps/bernie bro vibe, even in the security-focused programs.

Edited December 8, 2017 by tairos

[S. A. Yeadon]

9 minutes ago, tairos said:

I don't think there's anything wrong with American in general.  It just isn't known for security in particular.  How much does that really matter in the professional world?  Not much I'd expect.  We're talking about a little known pecking order within a little known pecking order.  Your internships/experience count for a great deal more.  The main way I could see it mattering significantly is if you're planning to go on to a PhD, or perhaps in certain small niches (certain think tanks, consultancies etc).  It might also matter for networking purposes -- different programs attract different crowds.

Thank you. That's all true. The government recruiters are much more interested in the courses and content I get, which at AU is a top ten IR school, compared to where I get my degree.

I also talked to at least one PhD program in security studies, and they said a MAIR from AU ought to be make me very competitive. The only problem I have is that some PhD programs want M.A. Thesis credits, but what IR programs have those apart from arguing it is provided in my capstone?

I now realize that I was prioritizing things a little off. I was so excited about applying to AU, as their admissions told me I was very competitive, that I forgot I still need to write my essay for JHU. I love the lack of GRE there with an essay assigned to instead show your smarts off. I have my thesis and some research done though. As far as I can tell from the courses, JHU's SAIS is much more my speed than AU's SIS. Of course Georgetown would be best, as stated earlier, but going through their admissions data, I doubt I would be competitive there. Even then, I need at least some scholarship money to attend. 

[DevinMiles]

Tairos said the same thing I would have said: AU is not known for security studies. Neither is Fletcher. If you are interested in USAID or NGOs, those might be good places to head. But of course, you do not have to focus on security studies or go to a top-ranked security studies program. In fact, you would save a lot of $ to go elsewhere, but you mentioned Georgetown so I thought you were only aiming at the top schools. Also, for graduate certificates there are some affordable IR-related ones at the Bush School at Texas A&M also. Good luck.

[S. A. Yeadon]

I mention in the OP that I am open to other cheaper schools like ASU, UCF, and UTEP. Thanks for the warning about money, and I'll check out Texas A&M. Honestly, without funding there is no way I go to an expensive school. I'm hoping there are fewer, and better funded for it, applicants this year. Thanks for the help!

[tairos]

9 hours ago, DevinMiles said:

Tairos said the same thing I would have said: AU is not known for security studies. Neither is Fletcher. If you are interested in USAID or NGOs, those might be good places to head. But of course, you do not have to focus on security studies or go to a top-ranked security studies program. In fact, you would save a lot of $ to go elsewhere, but you mentioned Georgetown so I thought you were only aiming at the top schools. Also, for graduate certificates there are some affordable IR-related ones at the Bush School at Texas A&M also. Good luck.

I will say that my supervisor at a (very much security related) internship was a Fletcher grad, while being an AU attendee myself.  There's at least one other AU grad pretty high up in my current (also very much security related) office.  I don't dispute the point that these aren't the gold standards of security studies, but I do think it's important to keep the importance of minor variations between the perceived stature of graduate programs in perspective.  I'd say it's a minor factor in career outcomes overall, mainly a tiebreaker when qualifications are otherwise comparable.  I think this forum has a tendency to get mired in over-analysis about these things to an extent that's mostly divorced from real world results.

Edited December 8, 2017 by tairos

[DevinMiles]

For more affordable Security Studies programs, the Bush School at Texas A&M is a great choice. George Mason University's program also comes up quite often since it is in the DC area and you can do an internship while studying there.