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Brittney E. Bailey, MIA candidate 2011
2nd-year
student, Economic and Political Development
Brittney Elise Bailey is a second-year SIPA student pursuing a Master of International Affairs degree with a concentration on Economic and Political Development (EPD). She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Southern California (USC) with a B.A. in International Relations and a B.A. in Spanish. While at USC, Brittney also studied abroad at universities in Brazil, Spain, the Dominican Republic and England.
Prior to joining SIPA, Brittney conducted research on education policy as a Fulbright Scholar in Colombia and worked as a consultant for USAID, helping to create the first comprehensive development strategy for Afro-Colombians and indigenous peoples in Colombia. In addition, Brittney gained internship experience in the non-profit sector, working on social and financial protection programs in India and through the Women’s Refugee Commission at the International Rescue Committee in New York.
What attracted you to SIPA?
One of the primary reasons why I was attracted to SIPA was that, unlike many other international affairs institutions, SIPA is truly a professional school. The coursework, the atmosphere, the professors and even the students, many of whom already have extensive experience in their field of study, represent a professional and practitioner- not just policy-oriented-program .
The EPD concentration, in particular, really tries to integrate theory and policy with practitioner curriculum. For example, second year EPD students like myself have a plethora of practical courses to choose from in methods in development practice, program management, applied quantitative analysis for policy, development evaluation and so on. Plus, there is the EPD workshop, which serves as the practical culmination of our two years of study!
In addition, as a fairly young prospective student, I really wanted to enter an institution where I could learn just as much from the student body as I could from the professors. SIPA featured an impressive combination of students from diverse backgrounds, age groups and experience levels that would allow me to do just that.
Have you taken classes at other Columbia Schools?
One of the best things about the SIPA program is the degree of flexibility we have in taking courses at other Columbia Schools. In my case, I have taken classes at the Law School and Teacher’s College, which both feature very different atmospheres and offer a really good comparative lens to apply to the SIPA experience.
Can you comment on the quantitative rigor in the curriculum?
Before entering SIPA, I did not have a heavy quantitative background and was pretty afraid of what graduate level quantitative coursework would look like. SIPA offers quantitative courses that are rigorous and competitive…there’s no doubt about it. However, they are definitely manageable, even for those with a limited quantitative background. Despite being a bit challenging, I grew to really enjoy classes in economics, development economics, statistics and applied econometrics. They turned out to be a really useful component of the MIA degree.
What has been the most challenging part of your SIPA experience?
As a comparatively young graduate student, the SIPA social atmosphere was initially a bit overwhelming. The SIPA environment caters to students who are fully prepared to utilize their professional experience as a learning mechanism i.e. networking and leadership skills that have been honed in traditionally professional environments. Consequently, more experienced students tend to be really impressive networkers. In this sense, I had to learn how to look to these particular students as a SIPA resource just like my professors, classes or the Office of Career Services. In spite of the challenge, this has been one of the most vital lessons learned in my graduate school experience.
What kind of work do you hope to do when you graduate?
Upon graduation, I hope to work for a multilateral organization or a large international NGO, specifically in program evaluation. Ideally, I would get to conduct research and evaluation on projects that link education and livelihoods for the most vulnerable groups, be they ethnic/racial minorities, refugees or children.
[2010]