King's College London or University of Edinburgh for my Masters?

Graduate School
1

Hi!

I’ve received offers to do an MSc International Relations program at the University of Edinburgh v. an MA Public Policy at King’s College London and I want to ask about which program would be a better fit for what I want to do and my priorities!

My first main concern is job prospects. I aim to find work in either policy and/or govt/IR in Europe right after graduating. I don’t really have a preference on whether it would be public policy or international relations but I do like international relations slightly more in terms of my career. However, I feel that a degree in public policy would give me interchangeable skills and is “safer” when it comes to finding employment. Let me know if this is true or is it equal when it comes to acquiring work in either field. This is an especially huge concern for me since I am not an EU citizen and I am aware that it is harder for us to find work there since I do want to remain there after my education.

Secondly, I am slightly confused by which university is better overall and have a better reputation both inside and outside the UK since rankings on websites can sometimes be inaccurate or misleading.

It would be extremely helpful if you guys could give me some advice for this and which I should go for!
Thank you for your time.

2

Neither degree will be ‘safer’ for getting a work visa for Europe- it is going to be a huge stretch. Your putative employer has to demonstrate that there is nobody else in the EU that can do the job- a tough standard for a newly minted graduate.

Both KCL & Edinburgh are top-20 in the UK, with Edinburgh just pipping KCL at the post. On the other hand, your opportunities in London for meeting people relevant to potential work / internships etc is higher. On the other, other hand Edinburgh is a fantastic college town and a lot less expensive.

But, imo, you would be best served by looking at the specifics of the course. Read the fine print- scrounge around the websites and find out about the exact courses you will take, how you are assessed, etc. I imagine you will be doing a thesis: look at who you might have as a thesis advisor. Is there somebody whose work you find particularly interesting? Your supervisor is key key key to your degree- and what you do next.