Master’s in Public Policy
Master’s Degrees in Public Policy
For people looking to continue to serve their country/community after leaving the armed forces, graduate policy schools can be a bridge to domestic and international opportunities.
Generally speaking, policy schools offer one-year and two-year programs. The one-year programs tend to be mid-career or “executive” programs for older (mid-late 30s and early 40’s). The two-year programs tend to include more quantitative classes and the cohorts tend to be younger (mid-late 20’s and early 30’s). At some schools you’ll find degrees specific to a particular policy area i.e., Master of Health Policy, at others there are concentrations or fields akin to undergraduate “majors” (for example, International Development, Domestic Policy etc.). Policy degrees can be paired with MBAs or JDs as well.
When considering a master’s degree in the public policy space, there are a multitude of outcomes for those that choose to embark on this path. Every policy program has its’ own specified nuances that distinguish it from other schools, but generally policy programs provide a much greater degree of flexibility and focus than other master’s programs.
Graduates go on to work in all levels of government (local, state, and federal), non-governmental organizations, non-profits, political campaigns, the private sector, and some opt to continue further graduate studies. I have classmates coming from the Federal Reserve, International Red Cross, Department of Homeland Security, private health insurance companies, and a myriad of non-profits. Some people are looking to return to their organizations and others are using the program as a pivot point to other interests.
Applying
Schools will generally ask for GRE scores, letters of recommendation, resume/CV, and personal statements. The personal statement varies by school, and I found they were different enough to limit the amount I could “cut and paste” from one application to another.
When I was applying, I reached out to some of the vets and AD folks in programs I was interested in and they were all incredibly supportive. Reaching out to vets at your target schools and establishing a relationship could be beneficial beyond application assistance. At my school, as the application window for next year closed, the admissions team sent an email out to current students soliciting letters on behalf of any current applicant we may have been in contact with.
The best perspective I received was to build your own “brand” and use each piece of your application to highlight some aspect of your “brand” to the school. I’m not an MBA nor do I have any business experience, so if there’s a technical definition of a “brand”, I wasn’t using it. In my mind, I wanted to ensure that when schools thought of me, a few key words and concepts automatically came to mind.
In order to make that happen, you need to be proactive. For example, I spoke to each of the people I asked for letters of recommendation to about specific aspects of our relationship they could highlight. While the recommenders ultimately used their own words, from my perspective at least, they would each highlight different aspects of me for the admissions committees. Like other types of schools, policy schools value letters from people that know you well over people with big titles. If you have a GO/FO in your corner, then by all means ask them to write a letter, but the rank won’t erase a poorly written or very generalized recommendation. Most of my recommenders wrote several variations of each letter or each program I was applying to, which is very time consuming. If you’re applying to multiple schools, I think it’s worthwhile to make a cheat sheet for your recommenders highlight some bullet points and also emphasizing the aspects of the “brand” you’d like them to highlight. Make “yes” easy.
Before writing your personal statements, take the time to research the school you are applying to. Policy schools have their own brands and cultures as well. Understanding the school’s concept of itself can help you frame your application to be most attractive to the school you are applying. I perused the public course offerings and wrote a little bit about particular professors and classes I was interested in at each school. I recommend emphasizing aspects of your goals that align with each school’s culture and self-image. You don’t want to go too hard in the paint though. If your interest isn’t genuine it will probably come across in your writing, so don’t go overboard on the cheese.
During the application process, you sell yourself to the school, after graduating however, the school will be using you to sell itself. Most of the personal statements ask you to speak about your ambitions after graduating. Don’t demur. Your success after graduating will reflect positively on the school, and I think it’s valuable to highlight the impact you aim to have with the understanding that your success will reflect positively on the school after you graduate.
Most schools profess a commitment to some type of “whole person” assessment. A low GPA or a less than stellar GRE score may not sink your boat IF you can provide some context and fit it into your overall brand. Like business and law schools, policy schools will post their admissions stats online so it’s easy to check your scores and assess whether you need to take the test again. If you’re still active duty, don’t forget that the military will pay your fees for the GRE once (https://www.dantes.doded.mil/EducationPrograms/take-tests-get-transcripts/testfunding.html).
The last application tip is to aggressively search for funding sources. Going into policy jobs means you won’t be making IB salaries. As a result, many schools and organizations offer financial aid to prevent their students from going into a debt hole which disincentivizes some types of policy work. At my school, Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs, every admitted graduate student (including PhD’s) is offered a full-tuition scholarship, health insurance, and a small stipend for living expenses. There’s no need to spend your GI Bill benefits if you don’t want to.
Life at School
Most programs have a core curriculum with heavy doses of economics, quantitative analysis (statistics and econometrics), and politics. A background in economics or statistics isn’t required to be successful in the core classes, though it certainly helps to be familiar. You are going to be assigned a large volume of reading, writing, and quantitative work while in core classes. The decision of how much effort to put into grades vs other intangibles (network, relationship building with classmates and instructors) will boil down to your own post-school goals. Interested in a PhD? Your grades will carry more weight. If you’re seeking a job as a practitioner, effectively translating your military experience, and the knowledge or skills you gained in school will probably carry more weight than a 4.0.
Beyond classes most programs include internships and applied policy projects or workshops. The career services departments at many schools will help prepare you for internships (resume writing, interviewing, LinkedIn networking etc.). These internships, like those at business schools, are an opportunity to build a network at organizations you want to work for after graduation. Internships run the gamut from stints in US Embassies abroad to working in mayoral offices domestically.
To that end, the policy projects and workshops you’ll complete during your program are another opportunity to gain some experience in fields of interest. Students work on real-world issues for outside organizations throughout the year and present their findings or recommendations. These projects include field research trips which allow students to gain a better understanding of the issues and first-hand on the ground experience. If you’re interested in international conflict resolution, you may find yourself in Cyprus or Israel, whereas if you’re more interested in economic inequality in the United States, you may do you research in Appalachia or underserved urban communities. The projects are usually done in a group and a great way to bond with classmates and learn from each other’s experience.
It’s easy to find more information on policy projects and internships. Schools post this information publicly on their websites. Internships, policy workshops, and first placement information can provide insight into a school’s culture and self-image as well. Keep that in mind when trying to find the right fit for you, and when preparing your application.
Job Search and Placement
Trying to enumerate the different options in the public policy space would be difficult, but most veterans generally gravitate to a focus in international development, health and healthcare, and international security, among many others. When examining outcomes and future careers for those with a requisite policy degree, most opportunities can be divided into two areas: the public and private sector.
Public Sector: The Return to Uncle Sam
For those with public policy degrees, there are many options for veterans to return to work with the federal government. The Department of State (DoS) is a major employer for those with policy degrees, though the opportunities have been curtailed significantly since the budget cuts that have characterized the department during the Trump Administration. Joining the State Department as a Foreign Service Officer (FSO) is a chance to serve as a diplomat abroad in the service of the United States for those who still have the adventure bug in their system. The Department of Defense also offers opportunities in the form of fellowships and GS-level positions in areas such as the Office of the Secretary of Defense, where policy degree holders join the professional secretariat of civilians dedicated to the formulation and execution of DOD policy from the Pentagon. Additionally, there are opportunities to work for the various government agencies inside the beltway that all hire policy degree holders throughout the year for full-time opportunities.
Internship recruiting for most federal positions starts immediately in the fall to coincide with the start of the academic year, so make sure to start your internship search in the federal space in September. Internship pay can vary greatly; DoS internships provide great opportunity to work overseas in active US Embassies but are unpaid positions. In contrast, internships at the FBI can provide a small stipend for the duration of the internship.
When considering applying for a government job, veterans should ensure that they are filling out all the required paperwork associated with their veteran status. Several laws have been passed giving veterans advanced standing when competing for federal job placement. More information can be found here on the Feds Hire Vets website.
Veterans interested in federal employment should also be aware of the Presidential Management Fellowship program, which provides fellows with a two-year rotational program at multiple agencies inside the federal government.
Lastly, there are also opportunities to work with state and municipal governments in areas such as health policy and urban planning. These are likely spot-hire positions that are posted and filled on an as-needed basis.
There are many benefits that come for being hired in the public sector. Most prominent are job stability and pension benefits (that can be combined with military service for retirement purposes). Each job has its’ particulars, so make sure to focus your research on a specific career field to identify the pros and cons of federal employment.
Private Sector: Slightly Better Pay, Less Ancillary Benefits
A second option for policy degree holders is to move into the private sector. Generally, many career opportunities are available in government contracting. There are hundreds of different companies that compete for hundreds of billions of dollars in federally contracted funding annually that have nothing to do with security contracting work. For example, DAI is an international development-focused firm that works to implement on-the-ground solutions internationally on behalf of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in areas like public health and economic development.
Other opportunities in the private sector include consulting. Many of the major management consulting firms will hire policy degree holders to work on public sector consulting projects. Deloitte and Accenture in particular have a very robust federal / state practice that works extensively on US Government projects on a vast array of issues.
Internships in the private sector for policy degree holders are generally very competitive and internship pay in most cases is not comparable to MBA / Finance / Data Science degree programs.
Generally, the benefits of working in the private sector with a policy degree are that an individual will be provided with a greater latitude of options and flexibility when choosing a career path. In contrast to working for the federal government, an individual will have the opportunity to switch companies and careers with far fewer obstacles. Additionally, the salaries in the private sector (in some areas) will be a bit higher than those in the public sector. However, individuals should be aware that the total benefits package will probably not be as generous as that of the public sector; healthcare packages are usually not as comprehensive, and retirement benefits lag as well. Pensions – a mainstay of public sector retirement – have been all but phased out decades ago in the private sector.
Conclusion
Public policy degrees are a great way for individuals to continue in public service. Through both the public and private sector, vets can continue to have an impact on communities for the duration of their working careers.