MASTER OF INTERNATIONAL
AFFAIRS MASTER OF
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
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“ SIPA’S STATURE
as a professional school, which is bolstered by the breadth and depth of eminent, real-world professionals, meant that I received an education in real-world problems and solutions. At the same time, the diversity of the student body, both in terms of geography and experience, meant that I often learned as much from my fellow students as I did from the professors.”
BILL RIGLER MIA ’04 Concentration: International Security Policy
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INTRODUCTION TO SIPA SIPA AND THE WORLD SIPA is the world’s most global public policy school, with a focus on issue realms such as global finance and economics, public health, climate change, energy, development and sustainability—all of which increasingly occupy a transnational space and implicate a global commons, global public goods, and challenges of global collective action. Moreover, SIPA students and faculty come from nearly 100 countries, with approximately half of the student body from overseas. Upon graduation, students join a network of more than 18,000 alumni in 155 countries, working in every sector and in every part of the globe. Through the Global Public Policy Network (GPPN), SIPA has established strategic partnerships with graduate institutions throughout the world.
SIPA AND NEW YORK SIPA’s location in New York City enables personal interaction with the widest variety of international state and non-state actors. No other city is a hub of so many different fields, including politics, media, finance, nongovernmental organizations, and others. Students benefit from Manhattan’s incomparable career opportunities and its flourishing commercial and cultural life. In addition, New York City is a living laboratory where students can view the consequences of public policy and apply the city’s experience to challenges at the furthest reaches of the globe.
SIPA AND COLUMBIA SIPA focuses on teaching students to create policy based on systematic knowledge about how the world works and what the consequences of policymaking might be. Our curriculum arms students of global public policy with scientific evidence about why problems arise and how best to solve them. Being part of a world-class institution like Columbia enriches SIPA’s schoolspecific offerings; our students are able to focus on specialized topics by joining classes across the University.
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COMPARISON: MIA AND MPA DEGREE REQUIREMENTS AND OPTIONS
MIA
MPA
CORE REQUIREMENTS Politics
Conceptual Foundations of International Affairs and one course from a menu of courses on interstate relations
Politics of Policymaking
Economics (select one sequence, corresponding to your concentration below)
Economic Analysis I and II or Economics I and II
Statistics
Management (choose one)
Financial Management (choose one)
Internship Required
Professional Development Required
Capstone Workshop Required
Foreign Language Required Proficiency
Quantitative Analysis Five different management courses to choose from Budgeting, Accounting, or Economics of Finance
Not required (except for students concentrating in Economic and Political Development)
POLICY CONCENTRATION OPTIONS: A LL STUDENTS CHOOSE ONE CONCENTRATION: A POLICY FIELD IN WHICH THEY WISH TO FOCUS THEIR STUDIES AT SIPA
Economic and Political Development Energy and Environment Human Rights and Humanitarian Policy International Finance and Economic Policy International Security Policy Urban and Social Policy
SPECIALIZATION OPTIONS: A LL STUDENTS ALSO CHOOSE ONE SPECIALIZATION: A SKILL OR AREA OF SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE TO PAIR WITH THEIR CONCENTRATION
Advanced Policy and Economic Analysis Applied Science Gender and Public Policy International Conflict Resolution International Media, Advocacy, and Communications International Organization Management Regional Specialization: Africa; East Asia; Europe; Latin America; Middle East; Russia, Eurasia, and Eastern Europe; South Asia; United States
CU DUAL DEGREE OPTIONS
MIA and JD MIA and Master of Public Health MIA and MS in Social Work MIA and MS in Urban Planning MIA and MBA MIA and MS in Journalism MIA and MA in Quantitative Methods and Social Sciences
MPA and JD MPA and Master of Public Health MPA and MS in Social Work MPA and MA, Jewish Theological Seminary MPA and MA in Quantitative Methods and Social Sciences
INTERNATIONAL DUAL DEGREE OPTIONS MIA/Master’s, Sciences Po, Paris MIA/MPP, National University of Singapore MIA/MPP, Hertie School of Governance, Berlin MIA/Professional Master’s in International Management or Public Policy, Fundação Getulio Vargas, Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo (FGV-EAESP) MIA/MPP, University of Tokyo
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MPA/MPA, Sciences Po, Paris MPA/MPP, National University of Singapore MPA/MPP, Hertie School of Governance, Berlin MPA/MPA, London School of Economics and Political Science MPA/Professional Master’s in International Management or Public Policy, Fundação Getulio Vargas, Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo (FGV-EAESP) MPA/MPP, University of Tokyo
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Q&A WITH GABRIEL STICKER MIA ’01 Concentration: International Finance and Business
Why did you choose to attend at SIPA? “I really wanted to get a solid grasp of finance and business, but in the context of international affairs. It was clear to me that the theories of commerce “THE ONLY TREND we know
and trade were best understood in that context rather than in a vacuum.”
that is going to continue into the 21st century is urbanization.
What was it like to attend graduate school/work in New York City?
The city is a context in which
“It was just amazing. You’d read about folks in the New York Times one
most policy gets formulated,
morning, and that night they’d give a lecture in your class—or maybe they’d
in which most people will be
actually be teaching your class! I’ll never forget taking finance and account-
living, and in which we are
ing from Andrew Danzig, who was an adjunct in the evening and by day
obligated to find the solutions
was a financial analyst at the Federal Reserve Bank. It was incredible to
to the pressing problems that
get instruction from someone who was putting the principles he taught into
are facing the globe.”
practice every single day.”
—Ester R. Fuchs, Director of the Urban and Social Policy Program at SIPA; Professor of Public Affairs and Political Science at Columbia University
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“I remember taking a course on privatization, and our professor began the class by explaining that he had just flown in from Russia, where he had been providing guidance on privatizing its telecommunications industry. There were so many times when instructors’ real-time experiences were far more compelling than any textbook could ever achieve.”
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POLICY CONCENTRATIONS AND S In addition to the core courses, MIA and MPA students are required to fulfill the requirements of one concentration and one specialization. Concentrations provide students with in-depth, substantive knowledge about major global public policy issues; specializations equip students with high-level skills and knowledge that will enable them to apply their policy knowledge effectively in a wide range of professional settings. CONCENTRATIONS The Economic and Political Development concentration at SIPA offers an interdisciplinary approach, giving students a better understanding of the global effects of economic, political, and social change in the developing world. Students select one of four professional tracks: Economic Development, Political Development, Social Development, or Sustainable Development. The Energy and Environment concentration provides students with a broad and balanced view of energy and environmental policy. This includes sustainability, economics, development, technologies, business models, management, policies, and regulatory frameworks in the contest of national, international, and
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regional issues. The concentration has three tracks: International Energy Management and Policy, Sustainable Energy Policy, and Environmental Policy and Management. The Human Rights and Humanitarian Policy concentration focuses on rights-based issues that shape policy and public action. It prepares students for careers within governments, international organizations, corporations, and community organizations, as well as national and global NGOs. The field is diverse; those specializing in human rights policy may address issues such as advocacy, education, security, corporate social responsibility, economic development, and social justice; those who choose the Humanitarian Policy track may also find themselves engaged in relief operations or postconflict recovery programs, often working in fragile states.
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D SPECIALIZATIONS The International Finance and Economic Policy concentration trains the next generation of leaders of the international economy. The International Finance Track focuses on capital markets, banking, accounting, and public policy. The International Economic Policy track delves more deeply into international trade or international monetary policy. The International Security Policy concentration trains students to understand and engage in security dilemmas ranging from nuclear proliferation to terrorist networks, which require expertise not only in military strategy and defense policy, but also in political stabilization and democratization. SIPA students have access to a curriculum and faculty that are unrivaled in breadth and depth in these areas. The Urban and Social Policy concentration trains students to address policy changes unique to cities in both the developed and the developing world. Cities now have responsibilities in virtually every policy arena, from developing infrastructure, to sustainable economic development, to meeting the basic needs of safety and security and human welfare, including education, health, and housing. Within the concentration, students have the option of focusing on an Urban Policy or a Social Policy track.
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SPECIALIZATIONS The specialization in Advanced Policy and Economic Analysis examines relationships between the public sector, private sector, and civil society using rigorous quantitative methods. It addresses questions such as how government institutions and policies impact the regulation of markets and how to measure the success or failure of government programs. The Applied Science specialization equips students with knowledge and skills that will allow them to probe some of the most vexing issues faced in any of the major policy concentrations offered at SIPA. Initial curricular offerings in applied science will focus on climate science, ecology, environmental science, and health science. Students in the Gender and Public Policy specialization learn how gender relations both shape and are shaped by all domains of public policy and how policy can serve to promote greater gender equity. Courses address gender in relation to human rights, development, labor markets, and leadership; examine the methods for mainstreaming gender in policy analysis and practice; and allow students to interact with international and domestic policymakers, funders, and advocates.
The specialization in International Conflict Resolution provides students with an understanding of the root causes of international conflicts and of how conflict resolution takes place on an international level. Students receive practical, hands-on training in various methodologies of international conflict resolution. The International Media, Advocacy, and Communications specialization provides a comprehensive introduction to media and public policy, with a special focus on development and advocacy. Students consider the effect that new technology has on international affairs and government, and the policies and practices that can help new technologies promote development, human rights, and social change. The International Organization specialization allows students to focus on how the policy field they have chosen as a concentration is affected by crucial international entities, including the United Nations, Bretton Woods institutions, and international nongovernmental organizations. The Management specialization offers SIPA students the opportunity to develop strong managerial and leadership skills applicable to virtually any public policy arena. The objective of this specialization is to prepare students
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to be the next generation of leaders of major international, national, state, or local public and nonprofit institutions. Regional: Focus on Africa, East Asia, East Central Europe, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, Russia and the Former Soviet States, South Asia, or the United States.
CO-CURRICULAR PROGRAM The United Nations Studies Program promotes teaching, training, and career development in the pursuit of multilateral solutions to global dilemmas.
CAPSTONES SIPA workshops apply SIPA students’ practical skills and analytical knowledge to a realworld issue. Small student consulting teams, under faculty supervision, are assigned a substantive, policy-oriented project with an external client. Each team produces an actionable report and an oral briefing. Workshops give students a chance to refine their skills and knowledge, make a positive contribution, and build a network. Capstone Highlights “Developing a Model for Assessment of Political Risk in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan” Client: Booz Allen Hamilton
Seven students used political risk methodologies to assess relative regime stability and other economic and political threats in Jordan and across the region. “My favorite part of the project was interacting with regional experts in the academic and professional fields.” –Rob Barocas MPA ’13 “Leveraging Social Media and Mobile Technology to End Malaria in Cameroon” Client: Malaria No More A team of four students assessed how social media and mobile technology can be used in Cameroon (and beyond) for behavior change in health and to develop a social/mobile strategy that complements the current traditional media campaign to fight malaria. “We were trailblazers in social media research in Cameroon, and we hope to form a communications and behavior change strategy using social media and mobile technology that could be relevant beyond Cameroon.” –Melanie Kohn MIA ’13 “The Creation of a Business Plan Based on New York City Green Roof Models” Client: Broadway Housing Communities Seven students developed a business plan for the rooftop garden at Broadway Housing Communities’ affordable housing project in Sugar Hill, Harlem. “Each rooftop farm site visit was a new discovery—the urban version of unlocking the fabled secret garden.” –Annalisa Liberman MPA ’13
OTHER DEGREE PROGRAMS The Program in Economic Policy Management (PEPM) is a 14-month master’s degree program that provides promising mid-career policymakers with the skills to design and implement economic policy effectively in market economies, with a strong emphasis on the economic problems of developing countries. The Executive Master of Public Administration (EMPA) program is designed for the experienced and ambitious professional who is looking for a superior and practical graduate program but cannot take the time out to pursue full-time study. The MPA in Environmental Science and Policy (ESP) combines Columbia University’s hands-on approach to teaching public policy and administration with pioneering thinking about the environment. The MPA in Development Practice (MPA-DP) is designed to train aspiring practitioners to understand and manage approaches to sustainable development challenges. The goal of the PhD in Sustainable Development is to create a generation of scholars and professionals equipped to deal with some of the most crucial problems in the world today.
“SIPA RECOGNIZES that we live in a global community, whether you will be taking a job abroad or on the Hill. Additionally, the amount of gender programming at SIPA is phenomenal and is led by both the students and faculty. You could have an entire curriculum made up of the speakers, presentations, and programming offered outside the classroom.” —Megan Tackney MPA ’12 Concentration: Human Rights
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CENTERS “WHAT’S VERY interesting in
BRICLAB provides a forum at SIPA for four
GULF/2000 PROJECT: Gulf/2000’s objec-
questions of human rights is
of the world’s fastest growing economies—
tives are to establish a network of specialists
Brazil, Russia, India, and China, the so-called
from every Gulf country to maintain contact
“BRIC” nations.
on important issues, even when their govern-
that it actually explicates the frustration that we have with an unjust world. The idea is that you can actually try and do something about it.” —Elazar Barkan, Professor of International and Public Affairs; Director, Human Rights Concentration at SIPA; Director, Institute for the Study of Human Rights
ments are at odds. THE CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS EDUCATION AND RESEARCH is a
THE PICKER CENTER FOR EXECUTIVE
multifaceted organization that is committed to
EDUCATION is dedicated to meeting the
promoting links between its educational and
educational needs of mid-career learners who
research programs on campus and the broad-
cannot attend graduate school full time.
er academic community. THE SALTZMAN INSTITUTE OF WAR AND THE CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL
PEACE STUDIES was created to promote
CONFLICT RESOLUTION contributes to the
understanding of the “disastrous consequenc-
resolution of international deadly conflict
es of war upon man’s spiritual, intellectual,
through research, education, and practice.
and material progress.” The Saltzman Institute has become one of the leading research cen-
THE CENTER ON GLOBAL ENERGY POLICY
ters on international relations in the United
provides independent, balanced, data-driven
States.
analysis to help policymakers navigate the complex world of energy. CENTER ON GLOBAL ECONOMIC GOVERNANCE is the premier center for a new wave of policy-oriented research on global economic governance.
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ADMISSIONS The Admissions Committee favors candidates with both proven academic ability and relevant work experience. Below are the required materials for applying to SIPA. Applicants must have completed a bachelor’s degree prior to beginning their studies at SIPA.
SIPA offers information sessions for the MIA and MPA programs throughout the year; session dates are available online. Please contact us at 212-854-6216 or at sipa_admission@ columbia.edu to reserve a space. Applicants may also visit a class during the academic year.
• Completed Application Form • Application Fee ($95) • Standard Resume/CV • Quantitative/Language Resume • Personal Statement/Essay Questions • Letters of Recommendation (3) • Academic Transcripts • Test Scores (GRE or GMAT; self-report scores on application) • Optional Fellowship Essays • Test of English Proficiency (TOEFL iBT minimum: 100; IELTS minimum: 7.0)
CAREER SERVICES The Office of Career Services provides students and alumni with tools to successfully manage their immediate internship and fulltime job search as well as their professional development throughout their careers. This is accomplished through career advising, a professional development course, career events, recruitment and employer outreach programs, and professional networking opportunities. Internships are an integral part of the student experience at SIPA. Students in the MPA, MIA, MPA-DP, and PEPM degree programs are required to register for and conduct an internship as part of their academic course work, but all students are encouraged to explore internships as part of their educational and career development. Students graduating from SIPA pursue careers as varied as the global world in which we live. Our most recent alums have worked with the Turkish government, the Congressional Research Service, U.S. Department of State, the United Nations, the World Bank, McKinsey
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and Company, Deutsche Bank, ABC, Proctor and Gamble, The Conservation Fund, Open Society Institute, New York City Housing Authority, the New Jersey Department of Education, the California State Assembly, Population Services International, Japan Society, Community Counseling Service, Horn Relief in Africa, and more.
EMPLOYMENT BY SECTOR
Nonprofit 29% Public 35% Private 36%
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SIPA AT A GLANCE GENDER Female Male
57% 43%
CITIZENSHIP GROUP International USA 94 Countries Represented
47% 53%
FACULTY Full-time Faculty Adjunct Faculty
75 256
ALUMNI Total Alumni Living in 155 Countries
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18,486
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Office of Admissions and Financial Aid International Affairs Building 420 West 118th Street, Room 408 New York, NY 10027
sipa.columbia.edu
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