Anonymous wrote:I got my masters from GMU and couldn't be happier. Their career network is great, they have great relationships with federal agencies, private sector and non-profits. I do, however, recommend you invest your time and money and get a quantitative-based degree. I can't tell you how huge the demand is for computational social scientists. The fact that I was a pro with SPSS, MATLAB and SQL really helped me get a nice job right after grad school. I later picked up Python and Ruby on Rails.

What kind of masters did you get from GMU? What was the entry level wage? Thank you!

Anonymous wrote:DH went to Georgetown undergrad and got a JD MPP from Mason. He loved Mason grad. Bright, hardworking kids and a program ideal for part time students/parents. He actually preferred his Mason profs to his Georgetown ones.

Nice fantasy...

I got my masters from GMU and couldn't be happier. Their career network is great, they have great relationships with federal agencies, private sector and non-profits. I do, however, recommend you invest your time and money and get a quantitative-based degree. I can't tell you how huge the demand is for computational social scientists. The fact that I was a pro with SPSS, MATLAB and SQL really helped me get a nice job right after grad school. I later picked up Python and Ruby on Rails.

Look into George Mason U and their history with the Koch Brothers

I have an IR-related (area studies) MA from Georgetown so here is my 2 cents FWIW:

Assuming you are in the exploratory stage now, when you decide on applying, I'd apply to the program of interest at all the big local schools (GU, GMU, GWU, American--maybe not SAIS if you are not interested in a super quant-heavy program). It's more $$ and hassle, but you never know what the admissions pool will be like any given year and it's best to maximize your chances of getting in somewhere.

On GMU vs. Georgetown: In the long run, it probably doesn't matter too much, so if GU is out of reach financially, then you shouldn't feel like you're never going to get the job you want. However, in my experience, the school name counts in the short term, when you are applying to your first few jobs after graduation. Typically the desirable jobs have hundreds, if not thousands, of applicants, many of whom have an MA and little job experience. Employers have to narrow down pools of very similar applicants and they will typically choose applicants from top schools, all other things being equal. This means grads with GU/SAIS degrees often land the most coveted IR-focused internships/entry level jobs, which puts them on the path they want a little quicker. A few years out from graduation, experience counts much more and the name advantage diminishes significantly, though not perhaps entirely--if you're looking at extremely competitive jobs (World Bank, etc.).

Are we talking $50K+ for the Georgetown degree? If so, pass.

A former colleague of mine spent an absolute fortune for her Georgetown MBA. She was not able to find a different job upon completing her degree, and all her company offered her was a small pay raise.

For a Master's it really does not matter which school you go to. Pick the cheaper option.

Simple. Put this in google...


Site:LinkedIn.com "your masters degree" "college name" 2015


And see which profiles have jobs you want.

Get the cheaper degree.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:George Mason may not be your cup of tea politically. I'd look at American, or Georgetown, or George Washington

Sorry, chiming in after working at Mason for a bit in my career too. Its so odd there- entirely school dependent. The Law School is full of what I've heard described as "libertarian kooks" (obv. by someone not in that school) and they stay entirely separate from the rest of the school. I'm sure there is a spectrum when you are actually inside but that's the view from the outside (even within Mason). The Business school is also viewed that way sometimes, although the only faculty I know at that school is very, very much Keynsian! The OLD guard of the public policy department (now part of a larger merged school) had a more conservative lean but the faculty I know there that are under 50 are very much all over the place or left leaning. The public affairs area is actually typically more liberal leaning, like much of academia.

Very weird comment. The law school campus is in Arlington, miles away from the undergrad Mason campus in FAirfax. Of course they stay separate from the rest of the school.

The pp means away from the other grad majors/schools. No one is talking about Mason Undergrad here.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:George Mason may not be your cup of tea politically. I'd look at American, or Georgetown, or George Washington

Sorry, chiming in after working at Mason for a bit in my career too. Its so odd there- entirely school dependent. The Law School is full of what I've heard described as "libertarian kooks" (obv. by someone not in that school) and they stay entirely separate from the rest of the school. I'm sure there is a spectrum when you are actually inside but that's the view from the outside (even within Mason). The Business school is also viewed that way sometimes, although the only faculty I know at that school is very, very much Keynsian! The OLD guard of the public policy department (now part of a larger merged school) had a more conservative lean but the faculty I know there that are under 50 are very much all over the place or left leaning. The public affairs area is actually typically more liberal leaning, like much of academia.

Very weird comment. The law school campus is in Arlington, miles away from the undergrad Mason campus in FAirfax. Of course they stay separate from the rest of the school.

Anonymous wrote:The value of an MA in IR is pretty questionable so if you are going to go that route it should at least be from a top program and that would be GU and not GMU. Are you sure you really need it to get a job? Don't think that doors are going to swing wide open once you do have that GU (or GMA or SAIS, or whatever) IR MA. Maybe investigate the jobs that interest you and see if the MA is even that essential. It's a lot of money for a degree that half the people in DC seem to have.

The low value of the degree is precisely the reason to get the less expensive one.

The fact that so many people have one is precisely the reason to get one.

My first job was all mid-20-somethings fresh out of grad school. Some had GU degrees... some SAIS... some GWU... some JMU... the "prestige" of their alma mater didn't matter one bit. Everyone did the same thing, for the same money, and with the same prospects for future advancement.