<p>many here are applying to IR masters in the top programs but are there any good programs in texas?</p>
<p>Why all the way out in TX? It’s not exactly near the hotbed (aka NYC and DC where a lot of politics and foreign affairs occur).</p>
<p>well i’m from texas…looking to save money and i’m also interested in mexico…</p>
<p>i’m an URM at cornell and i dont have the gpa to aim for these top programs, i’ve yet to take GMAT/GRE…</p>
<p>i’m thinking of doing a program at a state uni in texas maybe.</p>
<p>You should probably look in to the LBJ School at UT and the Bush School at A&M. Both offer masters programs in international affairs. Both programs are pretty applied, so if you’re really interested in theory, you might be better off looking at the Government dept at UT and presumably there’s something similar to that at A&M. </p>
<p>I attended the LBJ School at UT and was very happy with my experience. I learned a lot, had two great job offers with federal agencies when I graduated, and graduated with no debt, so I didn’t feel forced in to the private sector to pay off loans. LBJ is pretty well known in Texas and in DC and has good alumni networks in both places, but if you’re looking beyond that, the network and name recognition are weaker and you’d likely be trading more on the UT brand than LBJ. UT does have an excellent Latin American Studies program and it’s possible to either take elective classes there or do a dual degree with both programs.</p>
<p>I don’t know as much about it, but the Bush School is newer and doesn’t have quite the alumni network and name recognition that LBJ does. It has a great facility, though, and Texas A&M is well known enough to provide some recognition. </p>
<p>There’s something to be said for attending school in DC or NYC, because you’ll have more internship and networking opportunities, but LBJ and the Bush School will almost certainly be significantly less expensive, which may open more doors. Also, programs in DC and NYC use a lot of adjunct faculty who aren’t really focused primarily on teaching, whereas programs outside of DC and NYC use fewer adjuncts. So you might get a professor in DC who’s done some amazing things professionally, but doesn’t put a lot of effort into teaching and is impossible to find outside of class. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>ETA: The LBJ School actually has two programs that focus on international affairs. There’s an international affairs specialization in the MPAff program and a new Master of Global Policy Studies program, which allows regional and functional specializations. I don’t know a lot about the new program since they were just talking about it when I was there, but from what I’m hearing, it sounds like it’s going through some growing pains as they figure out exactly how it’s going to be executed. So, you might want to ask a lot of questions about the pros and cons of each program in regards to what you’d like to do when you graduate.</p>
<p>I was just getting ready to mention the Bush School @ Texas A&M, but I see LBJane beat me to the punch!</p>