Got two postgrad offers - which should I choose?

By rl1004 @ 2025-02-28T17:59 (+4)

Hey everyone!

I'm an undergrad really passionate about global health and development, which is probably what I'm going to make my life's work. I've just received two offers for master's degrees and could really use some advice on which option would be best!

When I was applying I figured it was a no-brainer to just go for Oxford just because of how good the university is, but recently I've been wondering whether I should study at Tokyo and basically use it as an economics conversion course, to then go on and study a second master's degree in economics (especially since the MPP is so cheap by master's degree standards)? My current degree isn't quantitative which is why I can't apply to an economics one right now.

Would that be worthwhile? It seems like a lot of the most impactful tools in development come from economics, so I’m thinking the extra two years studying could be worth it. But I’d really appreciate hearing from people with experience in global health and development - would this path make sense, or is it better to just go straight to Oxford now instead of later? (Assuming I get in again later.)

Thanks so much for any advice! :)

Eva @ 2025-02-28T19:29 (+5)

I went from the MPhil in Development Studies straight to an Econ PhD, and I know a few other scattered cases, though it was a long time ago so I'm not sure if that path would work these days, and it was pretty unusual even then. It may be doable depending on your undergrad coursework and where you're aiming - admissions committees care a lot more about having a math background than they care about having an econ background.

Question: are you looking to continue on to a PhD later, or go to the international organization / non-profit sector, or something else? For most work in international development you don't need a PhD and the MPhil would work just fine to get you in the door.

I wouldn't assume the MPP would significantly help you get into the MPhil in Economics. And if you're set on some kind of second master's after the MPP, but not after the MPhil in Development Studies, the opportunity cost of delaying your career by 2 years would be much higher than the difference in the course costs.

rl1004 @ 2025-03-01T10:40 (+4)

Hi Eva, thanks so much for getting back to me so soon! :)

So for me, whether I do a PhD or go into development sooner (or if another problem area that aligns with my interest comes up) mostly depends on what would help me do the most in the long term, so I'm pretty flexible and open to advice. My impressions of the MPhil are that it's great now, but it might have a low ceiling, and because my undergraduate background doesn't contain any quantitative training, it would make sense to go to Tokyo to focus on these quantitative skills through their economics/stats modules.

Obviously this would only be worthwhile if economics really has the potential to have more impact in development than a development studies degree! And if it justifies the two years of extra study.

Eva @ 2025-03-02T21:48 (+5)

I would agree that econ has the potential to have more impact than a development studies degree, but neither program is an econ program. (Maybe that specific MPP has a lot of econ content, but MPP programs in general do not, and if this one does I would not know.)

If you are going to work for an international organization, either the MPhil or MPP would be fine but the MPhil might open more doors through name recognition.

Alternatively, there are a few master's programs out there that really focus on tech-ing people up. For example, USF has an applied economics and an IDE program that are well-regarded. A bunch of master's programs are trying to distinguish themselves on quantitative skills and I don't expect all of them to require an econ background, so maybe it's worth looking around more.

Even working for a year and applying to more quantitative programs saves you a year over doing two masters.

rl1004 @ 2025-03-05T10:42 (+1)

Definitely, there are some degrees here in the UK that act as economics conversion courses, so I might look into those. Thanks for all the advice!

geoffrey @ 2025-03-02T23:44 (+4)

Echoing what Eva said, I think you should consider waiting a year then apply for IDE / applied econ masters. An IDE program is probably the right fit given your goals, but I don't know any beyond Yale's IDE which expects you to already have worked in development first.

For Applied Econ, I like University of Maryland's Applied Economics Master's program. The program only requires Calc I and is very transparent about what it can do. Dev / global health placements, content, and networking will take a huge hit compared to IDE programs though.

You can use the year in the workforce to save money and take online classes on the side. Believe me, you'll want the savings. Development and global health can be financially tough in early career.

In general, the econ and math background required isn't too high for these type of real-world Master's degrees. Working + getting good grades in first-semester calculus, first-semester probability and stats, intermediate micro, and intermediate macro may be enough for admission.

rl1004 @ 2025-03-05T13:05 (+1)

Understood, thanks so much for the advice!