Careers in International Affairs, Eighth Edition

5 Choosing a Graduate School

5 Choosing a Graduate School Candace Faber Candace Faber is a 2007 graduate of the Master of Science in Foreign Service (MSFS) Program at Georgetown University, where she served as editor-in-chief of the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs. She is a Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellow with the U.S. Department of State and began her career in the Foreign Service in September 2007. She holds a BA in political science and a BA in Russian from the University of Washington in Seattle. ‘‘IAM A STUDENT in the Master of Science in Foreign Service Program at Georgetown University.’’ These sixteen words, whether they have been spoken or written, have opened more doors in the past two years than any other sixteen words in my vocabulary. Attending graduate school is still one of the best ways to broaden your horizons, develop your professional network, and gain invaluable experience in a short period of time. As a graduate student I have had more opportunities than time to explore them. The decision to come to Georgetown was the most significant of my life so far—and one of the best I have ever made. But it was also very stressful. As a prospective student, you are about to spend two years of your life and thousands of dollars to earn an advanced degree that will take your professional career to the next level. Most people only earn one advanced degree—and the decision about where to do it is critical. During the past two years I have come to realize just how significant this decision was for my personal, social, and professional life. This chapter is the product of my own experiences as well as conversations with current and newly admitted students about what graduate school really means and how to make the best decision. The obvious starting point for assessing the quality of a graduate school is the academic curriculum, but graduate school is about far more 42 Choosing a Graduate School • 43 than that. In the field of international affairs, equal or perhaps greater weight should be given to a number of other factors, including the quality of extracurricular and professional opportunities that will be available to you and—what, I believe, is most important—how well the program fits you personally as well as professionally. It is never enough to know the programs inside and out if you do not know yourself as well. Academics Most of the careers described in this book require a specific kind of graduate education—a professional master’s degree in international affairs, much like that offered by the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown. Joint degrees in business or law can also serve you well in such positions, as can backgrounds in fields like economics, engineering, or computer science, depending on your interest. Some careers are a good fit for those who have studied international affairs exclusively; other careers require a graduate degree to build on the professional or vocational skills developed in undergraduate education and professional life. The best starting point for exploring international affairs programs is the Association of Professional Schools in International Affairs (APSIA). All these schools offer two-year master’s degree programs that are focused on academic and professional preparation for top careers in international affairs. To meet membership criteria, APSIA programs must be diverse; specifically, at least half the students must be female and 30 percent must be international; have an impressive faculty composed of both scholars and practicioners; and offer a multidisciplinary program focused on applied concepts. APSIA recognizes the importance of the makeup of the student body and the faculty for the overall educational experience, and this should inform your decision as well. There are twenty-nine member schools in APSIA, eleven of which are overseas in either Europe or Asia, and several affiliate members. All meet rigorous criteria and send graduates to top positions in their fields, and all are worth considering. The programs are high in quality but do differ in their focus and character. Although I am finishing this chapter during a year when my own program was ranked number one among its peers by a group of respected intellectuals and practitioners in Foreign Policy magazine, I caution against relying too heavily on rankings when choosing a school. Rankings may tell you how far a program’s reputation will take you in policy circles, 44...