im so sorry, have to ask. UP vs. PP vs. PA

[StephenDedalus]

im trying to decide whether i should fork out 3 grand for the harvard summer urban planning program or not.

I WANT TO live in a big city; new york, d.c., boston, or toronto. thats all i really care about.

now to do that, would my chances be best in having a masters in urban planning, public policy, or public administration??

i read from other threads that getting a job in nyc would be difficult. probably because the city is already planned and established :-D

whats the difference between public policy and public administration? PA seems like more geared towards older folks with experience. so if i study public policy, i can just work my way up?

whats the job market like for public policy?? im sorry, i know this is an urban planning forum, but there are no public policy forums :-} and the money?

i would be happy doing either UP or public service, and they are quite closely related. no? i like city layouts and working for democracy.

 

[Cardinal]

It is all pretty irrelevant. You can find a planning job with a degree in planning, public administration, public policy, geography, architectre, landscape architecture, urban studies, historic preservation, environmental science, finance.... In short, there are so many specializations in the field that with the right background, you can get into planning with any degree.

 

[ChevyChaseDC]

Check out NYU-Wagner

From what it sounds like you're interested in doing, you really ought to check out New York University-Wagner School of Public Administration. They offer degrees in public administration as well as urban planning.

As for any difference between masters programs in 'public policy' and 'public administration', those differences have become virtually non-existant - they're essentially the same thing. Used to be that 'public policy' essentially taught you how to be a 'wonk', while public administration was more focused on management. But it seems there's better integration of these aspects in most highly regarded schools.

 

[StephenDedalus]

^^
yes, yes.

ive looked at the NYU website. it looks very nice. right in the city. but comes with a hefty 80,000 dollar price tag. ill be able to do with it with parents+fasfa+student loans.

would you say its worth it? how would my job prospects be any different from say... rutgers or ubuffalo? as in pay and working in a big city??

i was thinking of getting a degree in a cheaper school, working, then going back to school for MPA if i need more money or get bored.

im sorry, these questions are so redundant |-) , but i really dont know anything :-D

 

[ChevyChaseDC]

^^


would you say its worth it? how would my job prospects be any different from say... rutgers or ubuffalo? as in pay and working in a big city??

i

You'll have to decide yourself if you think it's worth it or not. I'm in the process of making these decisions myself...

As for your job prospects, I think that depends on a whole lot more than the perceived prestige of the university you attend. It certainly depends on where you want to end up, and, perhaps most importantly, the people you know. Ending up in New York is a very different prospect than ending up in Boston or DC or any other city.

 

[Mud Princess]

As for your job prospects, I think that depends on a whole lot more than the perceived prestige of the university you attend. It certainly depends on where you want to end up, and, perhaps most importantly, the people you know. Ending up in New York is a very different prospect than ending up in Boston or DC or any other city.

I agree.

As a high school student, my big dream was to attend NYU. I couldn't get enough financial aid, though, so I went to a state college.

When I decided to get a master's in planning, I wanted to attend MIT. Once again, not enough financial aid was available. I went to UNC-CH. (Even for an out-of-stater, it was a lot less expensive.)

Do I think either of these decisions made any difference in my job prospects? Not at all. What WAS important was a) what I learned, b) my internships, and c) the contacts I made.

 

[StephenDedalus]

You'll have to decide yourself if you think it's worth it or not. I'm in the process of making these decisions myself...

As for your job prospects, I think that depends on a whole lot more than the perceived prestige of the university you attend. It certainly depends on where you want to end up, and, perhaps most importantly, the people you know. Ending up in New York is a very different prospect than ending up in Boston or DC or any other city.

yes, i completely understand. alot of pending students like me what somebody to tell them where to go and what to do.

also, grad school is still two years away for me, i have plenty of time to decide. i was asking now to see if i should do the career discovery summer program at harvard if planning is what i really want to do.

thank you everybody for the help.

 

[ChevyChaseDC]

yes, i completely understand. alot of pending students like me what somebody to tell them where to go and what to do.

also, grad school is still two years away for me, i have plenty of time to decide. i was asking now to see if i should do the career discovery summer program at harvard if planning is what i really want to do.

thank you everybody for the help.

You might think about looking for internships in government or other organizations involved in planning and/or public policy...some of these may even pay, either way it'd be better than shelling out cash to Harvard for a summer.

 

[StephenDedalus]

You might think about looking for internships in government or other organizations involved in planning and/or public policy...some of these may even pay, either way it'd be better than shelling out cash to Harvard for a summer.

sorry i havent replied in awhile. i just got back from a week in europe. :-D

an internship would be just as impressive as a havard summer program, but can i do one even with no urban planning related classes whatsoever? the few i read so far wants some skills like in GIS and so on.

 

[albsbah]

sorry i havent replied in awhile. i just got back from a week in europe. :-D

an internship would be just as impressive as a havard summer program, but can i do one even with no urban planning related classes whatsoever? the few i read so far wants some skills like in GIS and so on.

I did Career Discovery this past summer and found it to be pretty helpful. I am certainly glad that I did it. That said it is very design intensive. It is basically an urban design program, which is not surprising given that their Master's in Planning is said to be more of an urban design program as well.

Let me know if you have any more questions about the program. I'd be happy to help.

 

[CosmicMojo]

Harvard also has an eXcellent Landscape ARchitecture program. If you want to do design rather than more administrative work, please look into Landscape architecture. It's not garden design. IT's site planning, master planning.