JD vs MPP

Graduate School Law School
1

Hi all,

I am an undergrad majoring in Sociology and Political Science and minoring in Chinese. I am debating whether to go for a Master in Public Policy or JD in law school. I read a lot on this topic and everyone seems to be saying different things.

Background Info: I am generally most interested in areas of immigration, women’s rights, domestic violence, human trafficking, and LGBT rights. If go to law school, I would like to do immigration law or international law (prob immigration seeing how competitive and broad international law is). If I do an MPP, I am thinking of becoming a policy/program analyst but do not know what field yet. I would like to work in something I am interested in that pays around $60,000-$80,000 per year. It seems that immigration law and certain policy analyst jobs provide that sort of $, but please correct me if I’m wrong.

Questions:

  1. Many comments say that a J.D. will give you skills that an MPP wont, and vice versa. What are the specific skills one will gain by doing each degree that one couldn’t obtain doing the other degree?
  1. I can find a lot of information about job prospects for law grads but not MPP grads. If anyone got an MPP, around what percentage of your class got jobs in related fields? How competitive is it to get a related job compared to lawyers?
  2. Are there certain personality traits or working styles that would be more suitable for one type of career than the other?
  3. How do the hours, work/life balance, and pay of a policy/program analyst compare with lawyers (especially immigration lawyers)? Does the average MPP grad make less, more, or equal to around $60,000-80,000 a year?

Any insights would truly help. Thank you so much!

2
  1. J.D.s don't really give you any skills other than how to read cases. Most of lawyering is learned on the job. No idea about MPPs. Probably best to ask on the appropriate forum, though maybe someone here will know.
  2. No idea.
  3. Not for lawyers. Don't know about MPPs.
  4. Are you under the impression lawyers make 60-80k? Because they don't.
  5. Answers to questions you didn't ask, but you should have: Yes, you should definitely see what careers are generally held by people with JDs and MPPs. You should go intern with each to see what life is actually like. You should also look into immigration specifically (your interests section was a massive red flag. You should see why after doing some research). You are right to disregard "international law" because it is not a real thing.
3

Thanks Demosthenes49! I looked at payscale and some other websites for immigration lawyers in the cities I am interested in working and the range of pay reported was around 60-80k. If you believe this is misleading would you let me know how much lawyers actually make?

Thanks!

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*by lawyers, I mean immigration lawyers

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Read [url=<a href=“http://www.nalp.org/salarydistrib%5Dthis%5B/url”>http://www.nalp.org/salarydistrib]this[/url]. That’s the latest state of the entry legal market in terms of salaries. The mean hovers in the 60-80k range, but that’s because it’s skewed between the two peaks. In reality, you’re either making big firm money or you’re making 30-50k.

6

If you want to be am attorney practicing in those fields you probably will at least start working for a public interest law firm or a nonprofit organization. Your salary is likely to be around $ 35-40,000 at best. you might (or might not) make more if you go later out on your own or with a small firm.

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Thank you so much for this!

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Thanks for the link!

9

I will preface by saying that my H and I are both attorneys but that the profession isn’t for everyone. I have never practiced immigration law but have learned some peripherally in connection with the work that I do. You might want to try interning or working with a government agency that handles immigration issues. In addition, if you do decide to pursue a JD, working with the government is a time honored way of getting the experience that will allow you to go out into your own practice. Many criminal defense attorneys have started out as assistant district attorneys and I would bet that at least some immigration attorneys in private practice began with the government.

Good luck.

10

techmom99, thank you for your advice! Could you go into more detail of what kind of person law is for vs not for? Also, do you know of any immigration attorneys due to your profession and have heard anything about their experience?

Thanks!