Executive summary: Pursuing an MA in International Relations can be worthwhile depending on individual circumstances, but prospective students should carefully weigh the costs and benefits, have clear career goals, and ideally have some work experience before enrolling.
Key points:
Good reasons to pursue an IR MA include receiving government fellowships, earning full scholarships, or pivoting to a new career in policy.
Major costs include high tuition, opportunity costs of not working, and potentially unnecessary coursework.
Benefits include unique experiences, connections with accomplished professors and peers, and specialized knowledge acquisition.
Work experience (2-4 years) before enrolling is highly recommended to clarify goals and strengthen applications.
Students should develop a clear mission statement for how the degree supports their career objectives.
When choosing between top programs, funding should be a primary consideration, as differences in quality are often minimal.
This comment was auto-generated by the EA Forum Team. Feel free to point out issues with this summary by replying to the comment, andcontact us if you have feedback.
Executive summary: Pursuing an MA in International Relations can be worthwhile depending on individual circumstances, but prospective students should carefully weigh the costs and benefits, have clear career goals, and ideally have some work experience before enrolling.
Key points:
Good reasons to pursue an IR MA include receiving government fellowships, earning full scholarships, or pivoting to a new career in policy.
Major costs include high tuition, opportunity costs of not working, and potentially unnecessary coursework.
Benefits include unique experiences, connections with accomplished professors and peers, and specialized knowledge acquisition.
Work experience (2-4 years) before enrolling is highly recommended to clarify goals and strengthen applications.
Students should develop a clear mission statement for how the degree supports their career objectives.
When choosing between top programs, funding should be a primary consideration, as differences in quality are often minimal.
This comment was auto-generated by the EA Forum Team. Feel free to point out issues with this summary by replying to the comment, and contact us if you have feedback.