<p>Hi, I'm a current undergraduate at a small liberal arts college. Would it be more advantageous to apply for a five year joint degree program in Law(JD) and International Relations(MA) or go for an MA in IR and continue on for the PhD? And has anyone here been accepted to/attended a joint degree program?</p>
<p>The answer to that question depends entirely on what you want to do. If you want to practice some sort of international law, then the former...if you want to do research, the later. </p>
<p>Oh also, joint JD/MA-IR programs are generally four years, not five.</p>
<p>Thanks samonite16. I wanted to use the degrees to boost my chances of acceptance into the Foreign Service and the overall pay rate/rank I would be able to recieve.</p>
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Thanks samonite16. I wanted to use the degrees to boost my chances of acceptance into the Foreign Service and the overall pay rate/rank I would be able to recieve.
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<p>Even though these things are bureaucratically determined, I am almost sure the much bigger issue than what degrees you have is how quickly and into what roles you get promoted. The folks I know in the foreign service who have gotten fast-tracked are all to a t very smooth, well-educated, and stars. Three of them have master's degrees and one has a BA. They went to elite schools: Stanford, Yale, Berkeley, SAIS. Beyond getting your BA -- or maybe MA from a place like SAIS -- I wouldn't look to adding on degrees like law or a PhD unless you specifically know that this will get you in line for a position you really want -- i.e. in policy planning at State (a non FSO job, I believe) or legal counsel for State (also non-FSO I believe). Doing it for salary reasons alone seems idiotic, to be blunt.</p>
<p>I see your point BedHead. I don't know what position I would want to get into, but I do plan on attending an elite school (SAIS is my 1st choice for IR) to recieve my MA. I considered the additional JD because SAIS has a recognized JD Program with Stanford Law and I'm interested in studying International Law as well as IR. I feel like I would be able to intergrate both aspects of the degrees in a career as an FSO, as of yet I'm not sure how.</p>
<p>^^^^</p>
<p>Good answer. That seems more sensible. I just wouldn't view it as a way to get a higher salary or boost likelihood of acceptance into the FS. And my comments, though perhaps a bit harsh, were meant more than anythingg to spur further research on your part. I have a friend who had a PhD from SAIS and didn't make it through the FS selection process. I think there are personality types that do well with it and others that don't; it's certainly not primarily credentials-based. </p>
<p>Personally, I'd sit for the exam as quickly as you can....to give yourself practice. I found the written exam to be extremely easy, but I can't comment on the orals since I backed out. I think that's the real proving ground, though, and it seemed to favor people who were very smart and at the same time had a certain bland affability, others might say apparent even keel.</p>
<p>Going for the joint degree program with Stanford (or other law schools SAIS works with) would stand you in good stead for a lot beyond the FS. And given the number of friends I've had who were in the service for awhile before backing out of it, I think it's good to have other well-developed skills or credentials.</p>
<p>One other thing to consider, </p>
<p>Scholarships for law school are, while not non-existant, fairly hard to come by. You need to think about how much sense it makes to potentially take 100k in debt for a law degree to help you get a job where the starting salary is around 50k. Most of the top IR schools are have strong placement records at the State Dept. The MA will make you more than competitive and is, at least in my opinion, a much more sensible investment for someone with your career goals.</p>
<p>FSO,</p>
<p>Look, it's hard to tell anyone who has assessed their future and feels they need certain KNOWLEDGE not to pursue it. Law programs offer a very uniqie and specialized type of education, one that can be beneficial for a wide variety of careers, both as a resume builder and as a method to increase the quality and range of your work.</p>
<p>That said, I am a practicing attorney considering returning to school to study IR. I also did an internship with State. I would strongly caution against a dual MA/JD in your situation. You've received two very sensible pieces of advice. Considering that State is very selective about personalities, you may find yourself without employment there despite your efforts. Then what? Would you rather follow an IR track or a legal track? Since there are relatively few IR jobs that can support an attorney's debt, you have made yourself MUCH less mobile by taking it on; effectively pricing yourself out of many of the jobs you'd otherwise want. In other words, while it's cool that you're planning for an ultimate goal, you don't want to ignore contingency. </p>
<p>Also, it bears mentioning that the real cost of law school is much higher than simply the debt; we haven't counted the two additional years of lost work opportunity. 66K in extra debt plus 100K in lost wages ... from the perspective only of earning, is that JD going to make up for the 166K (plus interest) in your salary in a State Dept type career? </p>
<p>I really don't know, during my internship with State, my DCM held a Boston College JD. He was relatively young, but he was also married to a woman from the host-nation and extremely good at his job.</p>