Which free degree should I choose for the most broad/$$ career opportunities?

I'm ~4 years out of undergrad (B.S. Economics from a non-target state flagship); I spent the first 2 years working for a FAANG company and have since worked for the federal government. I have the opportunity to get any graduate degree for free and draw full salary while attending school full time, on two conditions:

1) The program is within driving distance of Washington, D.C.

2) The program is directly economics or foreign policy. This excludes MBAs, and to my knowledge, excludes straight finance degrees.

I don't plan to stay at my current job for the rest of my life, so I'm interested in a program that can be broadly/lucrative-ly applied. I will owe my employer 2 years of my life in continuing employment for every year of schooling, so there's some incentive to go with a 1-year program as opposed to a two-year. Frankly, I don't have a specific exit path in mind, but I'm interested in thoughts on which program would give me the most broad opportunities:

1) Johns Hopkins SAIS Masters in Applied Intl. Economics and Finance -- Great reputation in DC, but I'm worried that private sector employers won't give a shit about it.

2) Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, UMD Masters' in Applied Econ degrees. I like that these programs seem like they'll give me tangible quant skills that my bachelors' didn't, but I'm worried about the 'continuing education' rep that some of these programs have.

3) ??? - I'm wondering if I'm just not thinking creatively enough and if there's programs that I might be missing in this realm.

Thoughts?

1 Comments
 

Quam eius minus nisi accusamus dignissimos deserunt. Deserunt nemo unde harum ipsum ut dolorem. Placeat minus quo et. Corrupti maiores tempora nam odio quia.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”