I would agree that econ has the potential to have more impact than a development studies degree, but neither program is an econ program. (Maybe that specific MPP has a lot of econ content, but MPP programs in general do not, and if this one does I would not know.)
If you are going to work for an international organization, either the MPhil or MPP would be fine but the MPhil might open more doors through name recognition.
Alternatively, there are a few master’s programs out there that really focus on tech-ing people up. For example, USF has an applied economics and an IDE program that are well-regarded. A bunch of master’s programs are trying to distinguish themselves on quantitative skills and I don’t expect all of them to require an econ background, so maybe it’s worth looking around more.
Even working for a year and applying to more quantitative programs saves you a year over doing two masters.
I would agree that econ has the potential to have more impact than a development studies degree, but neither program is an econ program. (Maybe that specific MPP has a lot of econ content, but MPP programs in general do not, and if this one does I would not know.)
If you are going to work for an international organization, either the MPhil or MPP would be fine but the MPhil might open more doors through name recognition.
Alternatively, there are a few master’s programs out there that really focus on tech-ing people up. For example, USF has an applied economics and an IDE program that are well-regarded. A bunch of master’s programs are trying to distinguish themselves on quantitative skills and I don’t expect all of them to require an econ background, so maybe it’s worth looking around more.
Even working for a year and applying to more quantitative programs saves you a year over doing two masters.
Definitely, there are some degrees here in the UK that act as economics conversion courses, so I might look into those. Thanks for all the advice!