VT - Natl Security and Foreign Affairs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IC analysts typically have graduate degrees. Many have foreign language ability.

State Department FS does not require any specific degree.

Civil service jobs at State are usually through the Presidential Management Fellows program.

Not in my experience.

DP but in my experience a lot of analysts come in straight from the military already having the relevant training/clearance.

[Anonymous]

I have heard is that it is a degree chasing a "hot trend". As a s current think tank employee, looking to hire nothing beats a strong history/government/language (Russian, etc...) then a grad degree from SAIS. The VT is a quick hit technical degree

[Anonymous]

Sounds like a mediocre major
Do it as a minor

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have heard is that it is a degree chasing a "hot trend". As a s current think tank employee, looking to hire nothing beats a strong history/government/language (Russian, etc...) then a grad degree from SAIS. The VT is a quick hit technical degree

You are an idiot and so are the people saying that. The VT degree is a poli sci degree emphasizing national security and has a foreign language requirement. It is not a "quick hit technical degree", whatever the hell that is supposed to mean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like a mediocre major
Do it as a minor

+1 Stay away from exotic-sounding or creative-sounding majors in undergrad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have heard is that it is a degree chasing a "hot trend". As a s current think tank employee, looking to hire nothing beats a strong history/government/language (Russian, etc...) then a grad degree from SAIS. The VT is a quick hit technical degree

You are an idiot and so are the people saying that. The VT degree is a poli sci degree emphasizing national security and has a foreign language requirement. It is not a "quick hit technical degree", whatever the hell that is supposed to mean.

Yes, anyone who disagrees with you is, of course, a bona fide "idiot." How DARE they voice a different opinion!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve seen this major at Tech mentioned positively in a few other threads. Does anyone have personal experience/insight? I’ve always thought of Tech as a great school for engineering, CS, and a few other things. I would not have thought of it for a major that seems like an offshoot of political science or into relations.

I also wouldn’t have thought this would be a great major for employability after graduation (I say that as a former intl relations major) unless you are joining the military or maybe foreign service .

I’m asking because I could see my DS having some interest in this major but I’d like to know more about it before mentioning it to him.

Not what you asked, OP, but if your DS is into computers and coding, the Cybersecurity major at GMU is very hot now.

This has nothing at all to do with OP's question, which was very specifically about a certain major at VT.

What about “not what you asked,OP” do you not understand? Also, OP is clearly looking for majors to suggest to her child. She hasn’t even mentioned this one yet to her DS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve seen this major at Tech mentioned positively in a few other threads. Does anyone have personal experience/insight? I’ve always thought of Tech as a great school for engineering, CS, and a few other things. I would not have thought of it for a major that seems like an offshoot of political science or into relations.

I also wouldn’t have thought this would be a great major for employability after graduation (I say that as a former intl relations major) unless you are joining the military or maybe foreign service .

I’m asking because I could see my DS having some interest in this major but I’d like to know more about it before mentioning it to him.

Not what you asked, OP, but if your DS is into computers and coding, the Cybersecurity major at GMU is very hot now.

This has nothing at all to do with OP's question, which was very specifically about a certain major at VT.

What about “not what you asked,OP” do you not understand? Also, OP is clearly looking for majors to suggest to her child. She hasn’t even mentioned this one yet to her DS

+1. Cybersecurity is a related field. Most students get very excited about it when they learn such a major exists and that the students graduating from the program are highly sought after. Those grads can write their own tickets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have heard is that it is a degree chasing a "hot trend". As a s current think tank employee, looking to hire nothing beats a strong history/government/language (Russian, etc...) then a grad degree from SAIS. The VT is a quick hit technical degree

Would you say the same about an undergraduate degree from Georgetown SFS in “Culture and Politics” (yes, this is a real thing)? Or because VT is traditionally a technical school you are discounting it off the bat?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve seen this major at Tech mentioned positively in a few other threads. Does anyone have personal experience/insight? I’ve always thought of Tech as a great school for engineering, CS, and a few other things. I would not have thought of it for a major that seems like an offshoot of political science or into relations.

I also wouldn’t have thought this would be a great major for employability after graduation (I say that as a former intl relations major) unless you are joining the military or maybe foreign service .

I’m asking because I could see my DS having some interest in this major but I’d like to know more about it before mentioning it to him.

Not what you asked, OP, but if your DS is into computers and coding, the Cybersecurity major at GMU is very hot now.

This has nothing at all to do with OP's question, which was very specifically about a certain major at VT.

What about “not what you asked,OP” do you not understand? Also, OP is clearly looking for majors to suggest to her child. She hasn’t even mentioned this one yet to her DS

+1. Cybersecurity is a related field. Most students get very excited about it when they learn such a major exists and that the students graduating from the program are highly sought after. Those grads can write their own tickets.

Cybersecurity can be a great major for those so inclined, but let's not get carried away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like a mediocre major
Do it as a minor

+1 Stay away from exotic-sounding or creative-sounding majors in undergrad.

"National security" is like the antithesis of creative/exotic lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have heard is that it is a degree chasing a "hot trend". As a s current think tank employee, looking to hire nothing beats a strong history/government/language (Russian, etc...) then a grad degree from SAIS. The VT is a quick hit technical degree

You are an idiot and so are the people saying that. The VT degree is a poli sci degree emphasizing national security and has a foreign language requirement. It is not a "quick hit technical degree", whatever the hell that is supposed to mean.

Yes, anyone who disagrees with you is, of course, a bona fide "idiot." How DARE they voice a different opinion!

They are idiots not because they disagreed with me but because they expressed an idiotic opinion that showed they had not even bothered to read the requirements for the degree program, and then they threw that “quick hit technical degree” nonsense in there to cap it off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have heard is that it is a degree chasing a "hot trend". As a s current think tank employee, looking to hire nothing beats a strong history/government/language (Russian, etc...) then a grad degree from SAIS. The VT is a quick hit technical degree

You are an idiot and so are the people saying that. The VT degree is a poli sci degree emphasizing national security and has a foreign language requirement. It is not a "quick hit technical degree", whatever the hell that is supposed to mean.

Yes, anyone who disagrees with you is, of course, a bona fide "idiot." How DARE they voice a different opinion!

They are idiots not because they disagreed with me but because they expressed an idiotic opinion that showed they had not even bothered to read the requirements for the degree program, and then they threw that “quick hit technical degree” nonsense in there to cap it off.

I guess it's par for the course for people on DCUM to use terms like "idiot" and "idiotic opinion" -- so much nastiness on this board. You could have chosen to point out in a civil tone that the degree requirements for the major show that it's not a "quit hit technical degree" but that wouldn't have been nearly as satisfying as personally denigrating the other person, would it? And there's nothing "idiotic" about opining that a grad degree from SAIS is of preeminent value in the intelligence community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have heard is that it is a degree chasing a "hot trend". As a s current think tank employee, looking to hire nothing beats a strong history/government/language (Russian, etc...) then a grad degree from SAIS. The VT is a quick hit technical degree

You are an idiot and so are the people saying that. The VT degree is a poli sci degree emphasizing national security and has a foreign language requirement. It is not a "quick hit technical degree", whatever the hell that is supposed to mean.

Yes, anyone who disagrees with you is, of course, a bona fide "idiot." How DARE they voice a different opinion!

They are idiots not because they disagreed with me but because they expressed an idiotic opinion that showed they had not even bothered to read the requirements for the degree program, and then they threw that “quick hit technical degree” nonsense in there to cap it off.

I guess it's par for the course for people on DCUM to use terms like "idiot" and "idiotic opinion" -- so much nastiness on this board. You could have chosen to point out in a civil tone that the degree requirements for the major show that it's not a "quit hit technical degree" but that wouldn't have been nearly as satisfying as personally denigrating the other person, would it? And there's nothing "idiotic" about opining that a grad degree from SAIS is of preeminent value in the intelligence community.

So is the degree that is the subject of this thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have heard is that it is a degree chasing a "hot trend". As a s current think tank employee, looking to hire nothing beats a strong history/government/language (Russian, etc...) then a grad degree from SAIS. The VT is a quick hit technical degree

You are an idiot and so are the people saying that. The VT degree is a poli sci degree emphasizing national security and has a foreign language requirement. It is not a "quick hit technical degree", whatever the hell that is supposed to mean.

Yes, anyone who disagrees with you is, of course, a bona fide "idiot." How DARE they voice a different opinion!

They are idiots not because they disagreed with me but because they expressed an idiotic opinion that showed they had not even bothered to read the requirements for the degree program, and then they threw that “quick hit technical degree” nonsense in there to cap it off.

I guess it's par for the course for people on DCUM to use terms like "idiot" and "idiotic opinion" -- so much nastiness on this board. You could have chosen to point out in a civil tone that the degree requirements for the major show that it's not a "quit hit technical degree" but that wouldn't have been nearly as satisfying as personally denigrating the other person, would it? And there's nothing "idiotic" about opining that a grad degree from SAIS is of preeminent value in the intelligence community.

Is it though? The intelligence community is huge - and in fact, a lot of it is dominated by current or former military. I feel it is silly to say that any one degree or oath is “preeminent” in such a broad field.