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Degree Programs
Master of International Affairs (MIA)
The MIA curriculum has been designed to develop international affairs
professionals, who understand the increasingly complex issues that transcend
national boundaries. The curriculum has four components: the core curriculum includes a Capstone project;
a functional or regional concentration; the foreign language requirement;
and electives. In addition, an internship usually performed during the
summer after the first year of course work provides hands on experience
in the area of concentration.
Master of Public Administration (MPA)
The MPA curriculum, with its emphasis on applying analytic tools to
real world issues, qualifies graduates for positions requiring management
skills and depth in an analytic or substantive policy area. This curriculum
draws on the vast international resources of SIPA to address a wide
variety of local and national level policy issues in a comparative and
international context. The curriculum has four components: the core curriculum
includes a Capstone project; a concentration; elective coursework;
and a summer internship.
Program in Economic Policy Management (PEPM)
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 effectively design and implement economic policy in market
economies, with a strong emphasis on the economic problems of developing
countries. The program is designed to convey the practical lessons of
economics, finance, and management science through an intensive study
of actual policy successes and failures. Students who successfully complete
all requirements of the program will be awarded the degree of Master
of Public Administration (MPA).
Executive MPA (EMPA)
The Executive Master of Public Policy and 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 program trains professionals to be
competent and sophisticated public managers by incorporating broad questions
of public affairs and the specific analytical, managerial, and communication
skills of management and policy analysis into its curriculum. Our graduates
are equipped to pursue careers in local, state, and federal government,
nonprofit organizations, and private corporations and banks that deal
with today's public policy issues.
MPA in Environmental Science and Policy (ESP)
The MPA in Environmental Science and Policy combines Columbia University's
hands on approach to teaching public policy and administration with
pioneering thinking about the environment. Graduates of the program
are prepared for leadership positions in local, state, and federal government
agencies, as well as in nonprofit organizations and the environmental
divisions of private corporations. They are well suited for the roles
of analyst, manager, and translator of scientific knowledge and for
designing cost-effective programs and implementing policies.
MPA in
Development Practice
The twenty-two month MPA degree in Development Practice is designed to train aspiring practitioners to understand and manage approaches to sustainable development challenges. This rigorous cross-disciplinary, academic program emphasizes the development of critical knowledge, skills and attributes of an effective professional in developing societies.
Dual Degree Programs
To draw on the resources of Columbia University and enable students to pursue studies in related fields, SIPA, along with other professional schools at the University, offers a number of combined degree programs.
PhD in Sustainable Development
The purpose 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. By combining elements of a traditional
graduate education in social science, particularly economics, with a
significant component of training in the natural sciences, the program's
graduates will be uniquely situated to undertake serious research and
policy assessments with the goal of sustainable development. The program
includes a set of rigorous core requirements, but also provides students
with the flexibility to pursue in-depth research in a broad variety
of critical policy issue areas.