MPA-DP: A Partnership of the Earth Institute and the School of International and Public Affairs

The MPA-DP is a unique partnership of two great Columbia University institutions: the Earth Institute and the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA).  Few MPA programs can rival this combination of the Earth Institute’s rich scientific and related policy experience and SIPA’s outstanding international record in public policy research and education.

The Earth Institute at Columbia University http://www.earthinstitute.columbia.edu

The Earth Institute at Columbia University is the world’s leading academic center for the integrated study of Earth, its environment, and society.  Through research training and global partnerships, it mobilizes science and technology to advance sustainable development, while placing special emphasis on the needs of the world’s poor.  With 850 scientists, postdoctoral fellows, staff and students working in and across more than 30 Columbia University research centers, the Earth Institute is helping to advance nine interconnected global issues: climate and society, water, energy, poverty, ecosystems, public health, food and nutrition, hazards, and urbanization.

The Earth Institute provides students with an array of special events and resources, as well as many internship and work opportunities.  MPA-DP students also benefit from the many constituent programs and centers of the Earth Institute, such as the Global Master’s in Development Practice (MDP) Secretariat.  The Secretariat serves as the umbrella organization overseeing all Master’s in Development Practice (MDP) programs and activities worldwide.  The MDP Secretariat supports the Columbia MPA-DP program by facilitating interactions among MDP students and faculty members throughout the Global Network, managing the development of the MDP curriculum and standards, and supporting online resources for participating institutions. 

The School of International and Public Affairs
http://www.sipa.columbia.edu

For more than 60 years, Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs has been educating professionals who make a difference in the world. Through rigorous social science research and hands-on practice, SIPA’s graduates and faculty work to improve social services, advocate for human rights, strengthen markets, protect the environment, and secure peace in their home communities and around the world. The School draws its strengths from the resources of New York City and Columbia University and yet has a global reach, with 15,000 graduates in more than 155 countries.  SIPA students are an extraordinary group from a variety of backgrounds; today half of SIPA’s nearly 1,200 students are international, coming from 100 countries.