How important is it to look for a "joint" degree program for obtaining two masters degrees?

Question

Im very interested in obtaining two masters degrees, one in International Affairs and another in Urban Planning. The 1 school that has a joint degree for these is Columbia in NYC. It might be a little more $$$ than I can afford. There are 5 other schools that are highly regarded in both; Tufts, Harvard, Rutgers, Oregon, and Washington. None of those I would consider "comfort" choices, such as being close to home (Cal Poly SLO) or a city I would love to live in (Texas-Austin). So Im having trouble deciding on where all to apply. Any advice?

Answer 1

It seems like you're wondering about 2 things: the joint degree itself, and location.

First, on the joint degree. Most schools wil not say this outright, but if you apply separately to the IA and UP programs and get into both, the administration will sometimes allow you to piece together an ad-hoc joint degree program (many programs do this with MBA-MPAs, MBA-MDs, JD-MPAs, etc. Not sure about IA and UP).

However, a joint degree may not be necessary depending on what you're looking to accomplish - for example, the International Development Group in the MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning might have classes that fit your goals with just one degree. If you're interested in an international affairs degree though, see if the Kennedy School at Harvard or the Fletcher School at Tufts would be willing to accept a joint degree with MIT (both are just across town in Cambridge and Somerville in MA.) These schools are just examples; you'll need to do your own research on the schools you're interested in to see if they offer the courses and degrees you're looking for.

In addition, many schools have policies that allow you to cross-register in other departments within the schools (or may even have agreements with other schools in the area to allow you to cross-register for their courses). Therefore if you pursue one degree, you will most likely still be able to take classes for the other program (if both types of courses exist within the school). Ultimately, you need to decide if a joint degree will translate into better job placement post-graduation (as opposed to just having one degree on your resume).

Second, on location, if you're looking to be in CA or TX, perhaps you should check out the urban planning programs at UC Berkeley or UCLA, both of which are in the top 10 in the country, according to planetizen. (see below) Not sure about Texas though.

From planetizen, the top 10 programs in urban planning.

1. School of Architecture and Planning at MIT (Cambridge, MA)
2. University of California, Berkeley
3. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
4. Harvard University (Cambridge, Massachusetts)
5. University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
6. University of California, Los Angeles (Los Angeles, California)
7. Cornell University (Ithaca, New York)
8. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (New Brunswick, New Jersey)
9. University of Southern California (Los Angeles, California)
10. University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (Champaign, Illinois)

Off the top of my head, top schools in international affairs are probably (in no particular order): Fletcher (Tufts), SAIS (Johns Hopkins), SIPA (Columbia), and Woodrow Wilson (Princeton). Kennedy School (Harvard) is slightly more biased towards domestic policy.

Hope that helps. Good luck!

Answer 2

It may be difficult for you to do this together, is it necessary? You'd likely get more out of each program if you did them independently. Of course, the Columbia joint program is one thing, but as you stated, it is very expensive. (In addition to tuition, cost-of-living in New York is incredibly high. Alternatively, you will be living in an uncomfortably tiny space.)

I would start with one and then pursue the other if you still feel you are interested in it after the first. It may be that if you choose the right urban planning program, you will be able to take some international affairs courses to supplement your studies and decide whether you need the actual degree.

By the way, for urban planning, have you looked at the Univ. Illinois Chicago? It's a good program and it's an amazing city.