<p>An international student has been accepted to JHU’s business school for an MS in finance. She has also been accepted to AU’s MPA program. She is having difficulty deciding between the two, and her main questions concern employment prospects. </p>
<p>My feeling is that a finance MS is a safer bet than an MPA, especially since she will probably be returning to her home country where an MPA might not be recognized. Furthermore, employers in her home country are more likely to know JHU than AU, even if JHU’s business school ranking is not very high.</p>
<p>I guess the most significant question is what your friend wants to do afterwards. These are very different degrees with very different job prospects.</p>
<p>Besides, I doubt that anyone can give useful advice if you don’t mention her home country.</p>
<p>Her undergraduate degree was in financial management. She often complains about how much she hates finance, but if the employment prospects for finance are dramatically better for the MS then she will grin and bear it for a year.</p>
<p>As a foreigner, what will having an MPA from a strong US school do for her employment prospects in the US?</p>