Comparative Education/Education Policy Postgrad Program Advice
Hi everyone,
I'm seeking insight/advice about which grad school I should attend for my postgrad in Comparative/International Education.
I've applied to the following programs:
1. Education, Policy and Society MA at KCL
2. Comparative Education MA at UCL
3. MSc Comparative Education and International Development (CEID) at University of Edinburgh
All of the programs and universities seems so wonderful, and I'm having a hard time deciding what school to go to. Here are some of the factors that I have to take into account:
1. I will likely go on to pursue my PhD.
2. My career goal is to work as an education policy consultant and specialize in supporting immigrant children and reforming work-abroad programs such as JET/EPIK/NALCAP.
3. I want to stay out of the United States permanently, so attending a uni that has a good reputation and job prospects in the UK/abroad in general is really important to me.
4. I am paying for grad school myself and would love a TA/GA position if possible.
Being from the United States, I don't really have a pulse on which uni is considered most prestigious from a UK perspective in terms of an MA in education (outside of Oxbridge). I am interested in living in London, but I am a little worried about the city being overwhelming. If anyone has advice or experience to share, I would love to hear it!
Thank you so much for reading my post and for any insight you can offer!
I'm seeking insight/advice about which grad school I should attend for my postgrad in Comparative/International Education.
I've applied to the following programs:
1. Education, Policy and Society MA at KCL
2. Comparative Education MA at UCL
3. MSc Comparative Education and International Development (CEID) at University of Edinburgh
All of the programs and universities seems so wonderful, and I'm having a hard time deciding what school to go to. Here are some of the factors that I have to take into account:
1. I will likely go on to pursue my PhD.
2. My career goal is to work as an education policy consultant and specialize in supporting immigrant children and reforming work-abroad programs such as JET/EPIK/NALCAP.
3. I want to stay out of the United States permanently, so attending a uni that has a good reputation and job prospects in the UK/abroad in general is really important to me.
4. I am paying for grad school myself and would love a TA/GA position if possible.
Being from the United States, I don't really have a pulse on which uni is considered most prestigious from a UK perspective in terms of an MA in education (outside of Oxbridge). I am interested in living in London, but I am a little worried about the city being overwhelming. If anyone has advice or experience to share, I would love to hear it!
Thank you so much for reading my post and for any insight you can offer!
Reply 1
Original post
by stargazer1215Hi everyone,
I'm seeking insight/advice about which grad school I should attend for my postgrad in Comparative/International Education.
I've applied to the following programs:
1. Education, Policy and Society MA at KCL
2. Comparative Education MA at UCL
3. MSc Comparative Education and International Development (CEID) at University of Edinburgh
All of the programs and universities seems so wonderful, and I'm having a hard time deciding what school to go to. Here are some of the factors that I have to take into account:
1. I will likely go on to pursue my PhD.
2. My career goal is to work as an education policy consultant and specialize in supporting immigrant children and reforming work-abroad programs such as JET/EPIK/NALCAP.
3. I want to stay out of the United States permanently, so attending a uni that has a good reputation and job prospects in the UK/abroad in general is really important to me.
4. I am paying for grad school myself and would love a TA/GA position if possible.
Being from the United States, I don't really have a pulse on which uni is considered most prestigious from a UK perspective in terms of an MA in education (outside of Oxbridge). I am interested in living in London, but I am a little worried about the city being overwhelming. If anyone has advice or experience to share, I would love to hear it!
Thank you so much for reading my post and for any insight you can offer!
I'm seeking insight/advice about which grad school I should attend for my postgrad in Comparative/International Education.
I've applied to the following programs:
1. Education, Policy and Society MA at KCL
2. Comparative Education MA at UCL
3. MSc Comparative Education and International Development (CEID) at University of Edinburgh
All of the programs and universities seems so wonderful, and I'm having a hard time deciding what school to go to. Here are some of the factors that I have to take into account:
1. I will likely go on to pursue my PhD.
2. My career goal is to work as an education policy consultant and specialize in supporting immigrant children and reforming work-abroad programs such as JET/EPIK/NALCAP.
3. I want to stay out of the United States permanently, so attending a uni that has a good reputation and job prospects in the UK/abroad in general is really important to me.
4. I am paying for grad school myself and would love a TA/GA position if possible.
Being from the United States, I don't really have a pulse on which uni is considered most prestigious from a UK perspective in terms of an MA in education (outside of Oxbridge). I am interested in living in London, but I am a little worried about the city being overwhelming. If anyone has advice or experience to share, I would love to hear it!
Thank you so much for reading my post and for any insight you can offer!
Hi! I've applied to UCL for comparative education. I got the qualification check email 2 days ago so hoping that's a good sign I'll get the offer.
UCL's institute of education is ranked #1 in the world for education on some metrics and definitely has the most prestige/clout for education specifically. UCL itself is also generally quite prestigious, however, anecdotally I've heard some negative opinions that it is becoming a bit of a 'cash cow' and not fully delivering on its reputation. I've heard similar things about other Russell group unis (aside from Oxbridge) including King's though, so take it with a pinch of salt.
Personally I chose UCl because of the faculty professors - Paul Morris and Jan German Janmaat in particular have produced the research which has influenced my career and introduced me to comparative education as a discipline. If you're interested in immigration I know there are some specific modules relevant at UCl - I can't remember the Kings and Edinburgh module list off the top of my head.
There's pros and cons to life in London as with any big city - it depends what kind of balance you like. The good thing about London is it's really easy to rent/live in the surrounding areas and commute in - you get the best of both worlds really.
The advice I've gotten from all my friends who've done masters is to focus on the programme when you're choosing, so it depends which modules you're interested on each university's course.
As the first in my family to get a bachelor's, let alone a masters, the career prospects are also important to me. I think all 3 unis you applied to are fairly comparable on that front (again, that's through-the-grapevine though - you could research actual stats on postgraduate careers at each). I thought about Edinburgh but it's too far away for me .
Wishing you good luck!
(edited 1 year ago)
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