MPA/MA International Relations - LSE/UCL/SciencesPo/Yale/SIPA/SAIS

I have graduated from the UCL International Public Policy programme. It was very good and has helped me significantly in a professional context. The reputation of the school is very good and is amongst the best in the UK. UCL as a university is ranked as the 4th best in the world which also helps.

Hi all,

I've received an email from the department chair for MSc International Public Policy at UCL personally informing that he has recommended admissions for my acceptance. I am guessing this means I am in?

I've applied to the following programs and am still waiting for their responses: Sciences Po Master Economics and Public Policy (EPP), LSE MPA International Development, Yale MA International Relations, Johns Hopkins SAIS and Columbia SIPA.

Anyone have any opinions/experiences with any of the above programs/schools? Anything from academic quality to school reputation, admission response and life as a grad student there!

Thanks! -Wendy

Hi, Wendy. I would rank your choices in that order:

1) Yale (but ONLY if you plan on doing a PhD afterwards)
2) Columbia
3) LSE
4) Johns Hopkins

Edit: Life at the LSE is great if you're fond of books, term papers, a university which lacks a traditional campus (hated that), super-star professors, a student body overwhelmingly international and instant recognition with prospective employers. Did I mention books and term-papers?

i sat in on some classes at SIPA a few years ago...i wasn't very impressed by the general caliber of discussion...just a subjective impression, and i don't mean to be disparaging, as i'm sure there are many people who've enjoyed it, etc...

but it does have the rep of being a cash cow for the uni, as do many other of Columbia's masters programs...it's sort of an infuriating school, as it has some world class programs and profs, yet also contains so many blatantly money-grubbing programs...

Where do you think is better? UCL for International Public Policy or Sciences Po for International Public Management?

The best school for IR among them all is SAIS. Anyone who tells you differently really doesn't understand the IR field. The doors that SAIS can open for you are mind blowing. I have many friends that went to SIPA SAIS (JHU alumni myself woot!) and Georgetown and of all of them the ones at SIPA were the ones that had the hardest time getting jobs after graduation and were heavy in debt. The Yale Jackson Institute is excellent if you want to enter academia but the name Yale will not open the same doors in the IR world that SAIS LSE Maxwell WSFS SIS or Elliot will. Yale does have some impressive figures but the only school I'd suggest you apply outside of DC in the states for IR is Tufts Fletcher. No offense to the person going to UCL but telling a person to go to UCL instead of SAIS is a misinformed decision. For IR out of all your choices your first choice should be SAIS ---> LSE --> Yale --> Science po --> Sipa--> UCL

The best school for IR among them all is SAIS. Anyone who tells you differently really doesn't understand the IR field. The doors that SAIS can open for you are mind blowing. I have many friends that went to SIPA SAIS (JHU alumni myself woot!) and Georgetown and of all of them the ones at SIPA were the ones that had the hardest time getting jobs after graduation and were heavy in debt. The Yale Jackson Institute is excellent if you want to enter academia but the name Yale will not open the same doors in the IR world that SAIS LSE Maxwell WSFS SIS or Elliot will. Yale does have some impressive figures but the only school I'd suggest you apply outside of DC in the states for IR is Tufts Fletcher. No offense to the person going to UCL but telling a person to go to UCL instead of SAIS is a misinformed decision. For IR out of all your choices your first choice should be SAIS ---> LSE --> Yale --> Science po --> Sipa--> UCL

And SIPA does not really have good employment record if you want to go into the field.....there is a reason why the "required classes" are nearly all finance courses and the actually IR side is pretty confusing. If you want to do regional studies you don't actually do it at SIPA, you do it at a center such as weatherhead....even the MPA at SIPA is eh eh, for the OP if you were really interested in an MPA in the states I'd suggest you apply to Georgetown KSG Berkeley CMU in Duke JHU MPA right now just lost the directer to Stanford (Damn you Fukayama) so its not the best time to apply to SAIS for an MPA but from what I hear next year they will have a permanent guy again. PS I come from a long line of Columbia graduates and was forced to go to many up many alumni events, when I went to one my senior year and said I want to go into this field the first response I got from all the alum I talked including some SIPA guys because before I was told this I was planning on going to Columbia for my masters was don't go to SIPA go to DC or Tufts. So I'm not randomly bashing SIPA for no reason, I absolutely adore Columbia and was heartbroken to hear that because I was uber in to SIPA before.