<p>Can somebody tell me what is better for a long future with a NGO (preferably the UN) between an International Relations major and a Development Studies major?</p>
<p>Depends what you're really interested in. If you want to work in a development related field then do that, otherwise maybe IR is better.</p>
<p>Though a lot of IR related jobs require, or at least are helped by, a masters so it might be better to do somethng broader undergrad and specialize later.</p>
<p>Thnx josephine! Can you tell me the scopes for both the fields?
Thnx again!</p>
<p>First, I think relatively few schools have development studies undergrad and truthfully I wouldn't specialize that early, your interests might change or you might discover that the job you want requires a different emphasis. </p>
<p>Second, development is things like global poverty, globalization, post-
colonialism, immigration, environmental policy, health policy, state and market formation and economic development. There are certainly jobs in this field both with NGOs and the UN. In fact, I have a relative who works for the UN in Africa doing this kind of stuff. But beware if you want to work abroad in this field that means the Third World and that is not for everyone. Again I think this sort of study is best done at the graduate level. Not all such jobs require a masters but many do and it certainly never hurts. Most of the good IR schools will have a program in development so finding one isn't really an issue.</p>
<p>IR more generally can cover a range of things from conceptual concentrations to regional ones. This isn't exclusive to development, which is a concentration within IR at the grad level. Some schools (for instance, GW) offer some concentration undergrad but usually specialization is done later. I think it is a good idea to have a broad knowledge of IR stuff prior to doing something narrow, it is an overall knowledge asset and also a job asset because it will offer more flexibility. (And I believe the UN requires a test as part of the consideration process for jobs and having a good background will help with this.) There are lots of good IR schools but beware many require economics background so do it undergrad if you want persue a masters.</p>
<p>Hey that's really helpful! Thnx a lot. This is for my gf by the way who is away at Laos at the moment. Suppoe she does IR at undergrad, would it be easy for her to to do ds at grad. At the moment she got into Queen's university for DS, and U of toronto for IR and is waiting for McGill's reply and she applied for DS there.</p>
<p>Yeah, if she does IR undergrad., she could easily do DS grad, and I think that would be a good trajectory. I don't know that much about Canadian universities so I cannot really comment on the strength of those programs but I have heard good things about McGill.</p>
<p>Thnx again! So what did ur relative who does the development planning or urban planning in Africa for the UN, do for undergrad and grad? And what do you do urself? Thnx a lot josephine. This has been really helpful!</p>
<p>I don't remember what my relative did for her undergrad major but she did grad work in development at George Washington University, where I go. I'm not in the IR school at GW though, I'm a history major. But I will entering a masters program in IR at Uchicago next year. I also have been interning since September at a think tank here in DC where I research, edit, and write policy papers, which has been an amazing experience and really convinced me that IR was a good career path for me. I don't really do development myself, my focus in grad school will probably be Europe (my history specialty is modern European history so that follows) but my internship has given the opportunity to learn a lot about regions and issues that I don't normally study. </p>
<p>Glad I could help.</p>
<p>Wow dats so cool! Thanx a lot for ur help again Josephine. I'm a lil sad today actually cuz my gf said even her parents think she should go to Queen's and she said she knows she wants to do DS (in fact she knew this since middle school) as she grew up in developing countries like Sri lanka, brazil, etc.. She's Canadian though. I'm happy for her actually! but sad because since I wanna do engineering I think Toronto or Waterloo are better than Queen's for that. So now I'm gonna have to prove that Queen's is better to go to Queen's!! We really wanna go to same uni and at the same time to a uni dat wud be best for our future. SO DAT'S HARD!! haha sorry for this personal stuff! I wonder if you know anything about Worchester Polytech uni, and Illinois Institute of Tech, as I already got accepted their as well but I've no clue if they're even good. Anyways would it be possible for you to ask ur relative or if not then it's okay, you've already helped a lot!
Anyways take care and thnx!</p>
<p>This is really random but this was the exact info I needed THANXSSS!!! I am also majoring in IR and I have a strong interest in International Development Studies. Josephine, I was wondering if you could tell me what the possibility of entering the Master's program for International Development in GWU are for a George Mason graduate. I am a senior and though I was accepted to the IR program in GWU and American I cannot attend because they gave me limited financial aid. George Mason gave practically a full ride but I am worried that it won't provide me with great opportunities. How did you come by that opportunity at the DC think Tank?? I would really appreciate your insider info =D thanks.</p>
<p>You should definetely consider the undergraduate program at McGill University (Montreal, QC). They offer both international relations and international development studies. IDS concentrates on the developing world and offers some amazing internships with NGOs. Actually, I plan to pursue the IDS honours program, and find that the internship sponsors involve interns with more "dirty" work, whereas American sponsors have interns running around like guinea pigs doing menial administration work. McGill also suggests that undergrads become fluent in a second language, which is useful during field projects. The staggering amount of courses offered is also another draw. </p>
<p>International Relations deals more with political science, although IDS incorporates a good deal of polisci. However McGill IDS is interdisciplinary, meaning you can take courses offered by other faculties, such as environmental sciences, social work, etc. This means you could be taking courses like "Global Perspectives on Food" and "Policy and Practice for Refugees." You can't beat the international perspective.</p>
<p>Don't overlook Queen's University, University of British Columbia, and other Canadian institutions, which also offer great development programs in diverse classroom environments.</p>
<p>sorry, I overlooked the "graduate" specification. For others, keep the North in mind!</p>
<p>nichols,that sounds great!!!, do you attend McGill? I can't believe I overlooked Canada =0!!! Do you know anything about the graduate program</p>
<p>I love you ash :D</p>
<p>hehehe ="=</p>
<p>bornconfused, I can't tell you for sure what your chances to get into a master's program in International Development at GW are since you don't know your GPA, GREs, etc yet.
You said you were accepted (undergrad. presumably) but didn't get enough financial aid. I'm sorry to say that may be true of grad too. I got into GW for a masters (in European and Eurasian Studies though) but I was offered WAAAAAY more money at UChicago (where I'm going).
However, I think if you have a good record in IR at George Mason, especially if you have some good experience, you have a pretty good shot at GW. I also suspect that International Development is not necessarily the program they get the most apps for, which may help you. Finally, if they accepted you undergrad that means you were a good candidate and should be able to do well in university.
So, as for your question about my internship. The answer is very simple, I saw a listing for the internship on GW's database of jobs, applied, and got it. Now I've been there almost eight months and I'm working at the New York office this summer.
There are lots of think tanks and other agencies that hire interns, I've met some interns elsewhere through inter-think tank activities or the many events that the different think tanks and agencies have. I don't get paid (unfortunately!) but the experience has been worth more than anything I could have been paid. Some think tanks do offer stipends though and you can probably get school credit for the internship (that's what I did last semester.) The key is to keep an eye out for listings for internships, do some research on the institutions that exist, and watch out for events that are open to the public, they can be great for networking.
Well this is long enough already. If you have any other questions or need me to elaborate on something, just ask.</p>
<p>Thank you Josephine, that was exactly what I needed to know. Congratulation on UChicago! I will definitely follow your advice on the the internships. I have been worried about my internship opportunities at George Mason so this was very helpful. Again thank you for the info and good luck in grad school!</p>
<p>ashashash -- Not to plug my own school or anything, but I was basically wondering the same thing 9 months ago. I know some people already mentioned it, but check out GW's Elliott School of International Affairs. Within the IR major, you choose a specific concentration, one of which happens to be International Development Studies. The ability to choose from several concentrations within the major itself as an undergrad (and the opportunity to intern at NGOs in DC) was something that attracted me to the school and that I was unable to find anywhere else.</p>