I found all of the cheap Masters in IR programs... Now help me choose!

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by cskib21, Jun 12, 2016.

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  1. cskib21

    cskib21 New Member

    I am having a difficult time making a decision as to which program I want to enroll in. I found 5 programs that all cost around 10-12k (cheapest I could find that still has a decent program), now I have to decide!

    My first issue is that the European programs only have 4 modules, and there is not a great deal of information on what they include. The U.S. programs have 8 or more modules. I'm sure the Europe programs are a bit more in-depth, but it is hard to be sure.

    With that being said, I am guessing that the University of London online program will be more internationally recognized than the other programs, so all else being the same, I would go with them.

    If I were simply to choose based on the course descriptions, I would go with APU. I'm just slightly worried about investing in a school that lets anyone in, and relies heavily on you learning by discussing and learning with your classmates...

    Anyway, which program would you choose?

    Europe Based:
    Global Diplomacy (MA) | University of London International Programmes
    International Relations

    U.S. Based
    Advisement Guide
    Online Master's Degree in International Relations and Conflict Resolution | American Public University
    https://www.stmarytx.edu/academics/graduate/masters/internationalrelations/#
     
  2. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    The big question is, what do you want to do with the degree?
     
  3. AsianStew

    AsianStew Moderator Staff Member

    Further to that, a degree is a degree, being RA and a well known institution for Adult learners, I would recommend APUS over the other US ones you have listed.

    As for a UK degree, for employers, they'll wonder why you chose another country to take your studies. Moreover, you may want to check your calculations again on the tuition.
     
  4. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    First things first. I seriously question whether you have actually discovered all the available "cheap" IR programs. I say this because it took me about 10 seconds to find one that you missed. You need to establish a cost ceiling . . . "I won't go above xdollars total cost (or per credit)"

    Master's and doctoral qualifications

    But beyond that issue the question is "How do I make the decision?" You do it based on your personal values. If, for example, you value saving money over everything then you will just choose the cheapest program out there. Typically you'll have a handful of criteria that you're using to judge a program. Cost, reputation (that's a slippery one), methods of instruction, specific courses required, thesis v non-thesis, specific instructors. One important question to ask is "What do I want this degree to do for me"? How does that translate into things you can measure? Make a list. Make a spreadsheet. Do your homework.
     
  5. Stanislav

    Stanislav Well-Known Member

    There may be some employer bias. Then again, "why did you go to an international school for International Relations degree" is a bit of a silly question, don't you think?

    It is prudent to check the exchange rate, yes.
     
  6. cskib21

    cskib21 New Member

    This university was on my list at first, but after reading a lot of complaints about the program, I strayed away from it.

    I guess my priorities are a 1) Under 15k 2) A rigorous program 3) (if possible but not critical) well known name.

    I hope to work on international engineering projects one day, and I am really interested in international affairs after living abroad for a year. To be honest, this degree is more out of desire to learn about interactions on the international stage than it is career advancement (though I think it will help my career advance in the international direction (which is what I would like). A full-time international MBA is probably in my future further down the road. This is something that I can do during my full-time work which I will find interesting and may benefit me in the future.

    I can't really tell the difference between the University of London program and the APUS program. I feel like the London school is more widely recognized though in terms of "name", but they don't breakdown the course descriptions outside of a paragraph. APUS has a syllabus for every class offered and all the classes align with what I want to learn.
     
  7. cskib21

    cskib21 New Member

    From what I have researched, APUS has students spending a lot of time discussing on forums with each other. Do you think you get the same education exchanging ideas with students of the subject instead of professors or masters of the subject? APUS also admits anyone to the program, so how do you know what caliber of students are you having conversations with on the forums to create meaningful discussion?

    Some of the other concerns on my mind with this program.
     
  8. jonlevy

    jonlevy Active Member

    As an onlinbe faculty member, I can recommend Norwich University's MA Diplomacy program and Southern New Hampshire University's MA Political Science. I am not a fan of APUS.
     
  9. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    Shhhh.....it's because Kiz is a ninja.:shhh:

    I had to look up what an IR program is. Learn something new everyday.

    Then, I looked up International Relations in the US Department of Labor's Occupational Handbook- they track and report on all professions. The reason I do this, is because the existence of a program doesn't make it a career. Mark that up to learning something many days ago. Colleges frequently have cool programs. And yet.

    Anyway, so USDOL hit similar occupations as Public Relations and Human Resources (?) as well as Political Science. The point of my post is to ask what it is you want to do with your career. It's possible that there are adjunct degrees that are both cheaper and pack in a bit more utility than IR.

    *keeping in mind that this is from someone who almost earned a MA in Gastronomy but was saved by a collapsing economy. Whew.
     
  10. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

  11. sanantone

    sanantone Well-Known Member

    I'd have to find the document, but I had a long list of IR, internationally-focused political science, and national security studies programs. My goal was to enter the intelligence field, and those are the degrees that a strongly preferred for non-technical intelligence. If you want to know the most respected schools in the field, then look at the APSIA member schools.

    http://www.apsia.org/member-schools/
     
  12. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

  13. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    If Troy is expensive, Salve Regina is even more so.
     
  14. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    Troy used to be a bargain for graduate programs, but when I went to update my CJ degree list recently, I was stunned to see how expensive they've become.
     
  15. cskib21

    cskib21 New Member


    That is a good list! I semi-doubt any of them will have online programs that are affordable though... University of Denver has a decently priced one, but still fell a bit outside my range.
     
  16. cskib21

    cskib21 New Member

    Could you elaborate on why you are not a fan?
     
  17. cskib21

    cskib21 New Member

    I am currently an engineer, and my goal is to manage international projects/relations in the future. I'm also very interested in international cultures, politics, and news. IR seemed to line up with that pretty well, and the online programs seem to cover a broad subject-matter, which is appealing. My other option I was considering was international business, but I think I will pursue that a few more years down the road, and probably at a B&M full-time. While I would like this degree to push my career in the international direction, I am also just super interested in the topic.

    What do you mean by adjunct degrees?
     
  18. cskib21

    cskib21 New Member

    I have dug through many threads from this site from many years ago and they all mention Troy. But I think that information is no longer applicable as the price is now pretty high compared to other options.
     
  19. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

  20. cskib21

    cskib21 New Member

    Now you are just trying to make me feel bad :)

    I find it hard to believe that this 50k program is THAT much better than one of the 12k programs I've listed.

    You know I was leaning towards APUS until I read this thread:
    http://www.degreeinfo.com/general-distance-learning-discussions/37653-anyone-have-input-university-londons-international-programmes-online.html
    Now I'm thinking University of London again... Maybe I should just do both :)
     

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