<p>I'm obviously doing my own research into this issue, but I thought I'd also throw it to the CC crowd and see what came back.</p>
<p>The Situation:
I just graduated from college and will be starting law school in the fall. My application plan from the beginning was to deal with law school first, but to also apply for an MPP/MPA program during 1L to avoid the complications of running two application processes simultaneously. Things worked very well on the LS side and now I'm looking for well-regarded policy programs at schools that allow joint degree candidates from law schools affiliated with different universities. So far, the best two options seem to be WWS or KSG, but I'd be interested in seeing if anybody out there knows of other good programs that would be amenable to a multi-university joint degree. (Just to be clear, I'm looking for programs offering a true joint - i.e. 2.5 years in LS / 1.5 in the policy program - rather than a dual degree involving a full 3/2 setup)</p>
<p>My Stats:
Undergraduate work at Stanford
3.846 overall GPA
B.A. in Economics and Political Science
B.S. in Mathematics
Will be attending Yale Law in the fall
GRE: 710V, 800Q (just took it, so I'm waiting on my AW score)
Policy Interests: Education, Economics, Voting</p>
<p>Yeah. I've looked into the YLS side of things. They're pretty much okay with any joint degree proposal for which a student is able to make a rational argument as to how the combination of degrees would be beneficial. The problem is then finding other universities that will allow a multi-university joint. The Princeton's WWS and Harvard's KSG both allow such a program, but it would be nice to find others, particularly since each of those is quite difficult to get into. The YLS counselors basically said they would consult with me when I get to campus, but it would be great to get a leg up on the process during the downtime between the end of my summer job and law school orientation.</p>
<p>As an update, the folks at Columbia, NYU, and Georgetown have made comments in the nature of "We don't offer multi-university joint degrees of that sort", so that takes three viable candidates off the list.</p>
<p>I would still try and apply to Harvard and Princeton's schools when you start your law program at Yale. Just be optimistic. You may gain admission into one or both public policy schools. Yale Law is more competitive than both schools combined.</p>
<p>Oh, I'm definitely applying to both WWS and KSG, but I'm just looking for additional alternatives. I wouldn't necessarily say that they are less difficult to get into than YLS. They are just differently difficult, particularly for somebody like myself without any post-graduation work experience. Still, I'm staying optimistic and hopefully I'll end up at one of them.</p>
<p>You will need to contact your Yale Law advisers if they will allow you to enroll in a joint MPP/MPA degree outside the Northeast or Ivy League schools.</p>
<p>These are the top 25 public policy schools in the country:</p>
<pre><code>* 1) Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University
* 2) Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
* 2) School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University Bloomington
* 4) Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University
* 4) School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Georgia
* 6) Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley
* 7) Department of Public Administration at the University of Kansas
* 7) Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan
* 7) School of Policy, Planning, and Development at the University of Southern California
* 10) Heinz School of Public Policy and Management at Carnegie Mellon University
* 10) Sanford Institute of Public Policy at Duke University
* 10) Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University
* 10) Harris School of Public Policy Studies at the University of Chicago
* 14) School of Public Affairs at American University
* 14) School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University
* 14) Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration at The George Washington University
* 14) Public Policy Institute at Georgetown University
* 14) Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy at the University at Albany, SUNY
* 14) School of Public Affairs at the University of California, Los Angeles
* 14) Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota
* 14) School of Government at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
* 14) Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin
* 14) Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington
* 14) Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
* 25) School of Public Affairs at Arizona State University
* 25) School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, College Park
</code></pre>
<p>What kind of things can one do with a joint MPP/JD degree. I am considering it too, instead of MPP/MBA combination. But while I have been quite successful in my international business career, I am not sure what kind of opportunities exist in the government for people with public policy degrees. It seems many MBAs such as Wharton already offer a public policy concentration. </p>
<p>But NONE of these schools clearly say where or in what kind of roles their students went. They just give the names of recruiters. Private firms such as McKinsey etc aside (for that I'd just do an MBA!) what kind of roles can an <em>international</em> student expect in US government places? E.g., </p>
<ul>
<li>FBI (what kind of roles?) </li>
<li>Being a faculty member at West Point </li>
<li>IFC or World Bank</li>
<li>UN secretariat for European relations or something </li>
<li>Energy policy type roles at Shell</li>
<li>Tobacco policy type roles at Philip Morris</li>
</ul>
<p>...etc. Are these realistic for an <em>international</em> student with no present work authorization in the US to gun for? Some of them like Shell etc can be anywhere, but for the other public sector jobs in the US, where can I find more information? </p>
<p>I have tried contacting schools. But many of the "top" schools such as Yale, Princeton, Harvard are so hideously technically-deficient that my emails to adcoms or even program coordinators have amounted to squat. </p>
<p>If you want to be a lawyer, get a JD and pass the bar exam. If you don't want to be a lawyer, don't do it cause it's a waste of money (very expensive) and you will look very unfocused. </p>
<p>Do you want a management, consulting, or finance career? Get a MBA from a top-ranked school. The financial rewards will be tremendous unlike the JD.</p>
<p>Do you want to work for the government or think tank? MPA/MPP will work although it's possible to enter the front door with just a MBA with a higher starting salary if you take the right amount of policy electives. </p>
<p>I do beileve the MBA/MPP dual degree might be a better fit for you.</p>
<p>Thanks tenisghs. You have confirmed what I already knew, but sometimes we need a wise nudge and a kick in the dark places to believe what we know. MBA MPP sounds like me. </p>
<p>One final question: do you think MPP degree is as respected as the MBA? Or even as flexible? Or should I just stop fidgeting and do an MBA? (It just seems to me that an MBA is a bit dated and, um, commoditized, whereas MPP still has that cachet)</p>
<p>I am a strong proponent of dual degrees (I plan to do one in the near future when I return to graduate school) as long as it fits your career objectives. It allows you to take an extra year of courses to make you more favorable to potential employers and increase your knowledge in a field you enjoy. Key word: ENJOY. If you can see yourself taking all the courses in both programs, enroll. </p>
<p>As far as whether the MPP degree is respectable, I believe it depends on industries. The MBA by far is the more well-known and has a higher starting salary. The MPP makes perfect sense if you are considering only government and think tank work. I believe the MBA is more flexible because you can move between public and private sectors. Even non-profits need people who have business/management backgrounds. While the MBA core courses could be intense and leave little room for electives, you can select another degree (MPP, MSW, etc.) to get the best of both worlds.</p>