<p>Dear friends,
I am an international student from India. I have an offer from UCSB, Vanderbilt and AU for MA in Economics. Which is an overall better place to study and why?</p>
<p>As an international student where can I expect to land a decent job after completing the masters?</p>
<p>A Masters in Economics is not a terminal degree (the Ph.D. is), so that where you earn it is not a big issue. The big advantage at AU is its focus on international and development economics, and all the contacts you can make in DC. Santa Barbara is hardly the center of the international economics world (but there are fantastic beaches!)</p>
<p>Well, since you’re posting this in an AU forum, you’ll likely get a biased answer. But I would go with Vanderbilt, primarily because it has a pretty strong economics department–it has a pretty exciting graduate program in economic development if that’s what you’re into. They also have a GREAT alumni network, so getting a job would not be too hard. Location-wise, Nashville is an amazing city, so you’ll definitely have a great time.</p>
<p>Good luck on your final decision</p>