So What REALLY Are the Differences Between the MPA and the MIA?

Ah yes, the eternal debate about the differences and similarities between the Master of International Affairs (MIA) and the Master of Public Administration (MPA). Throughout the application process, prospective applicants put a lot of thought and energy into understanding the differences between these two programs, and I hope this blog post can inform your decision. In my personal opinion, these two degree programs are extremely similar. In terms of what career you want to pursue, I think your concentration and specialization courses will play a bigger role in determining where you want to end up professionally. Let me breakdown the curricular differences so you can see just how similar these degrees are:

As you can see, the curricular differences are few. As an MIA student, I enjoyed my CF assignments, primarily because it was an opportunity to delve into International Relations theory and use the writing skills I developed throughout my Bachelor’s in History. Since I didn’t have an IR background prior to SIPA, I thought the MIA was a better fit for me considering I’m entering the Foreign Service after graduation. Being familiar with things like realism helped me better understand the language people speak in the international development world. If you already have a Bachelor’s degree in IR or a related field, the CF core requirement for the MIA will feel repetitive. If you do not have a strong command of a second language, I would highly advise you NOT to pursue the MIA. It is extremely difficult to take language courses while you are at SIPA. Since the language courses are offered at the undergraduate level, these courses will not count towards the 54 credits required for graduation. Furthermore, these undergraduate courses usually conflict timing-wise with SIPA courses, making it difficult to learn a new language/build on a language. 

When you are deciding between these two, I would focus your attention on the skills you can develop from the concentrations and specializations offered at SIPA. In the long-run, the skills you build are what matter most, not the degree name. For example, pursuing the MPA isn’t the only path to developing strong management skills. Instead, you can focus your energy on taking management courses under the  Leadership, Innovation, & Design specialization. If you’re passionate about international security issues and want to take on a national security job after SIPA, you don’t have to be an MIA candidate. You can just as easily be an MPA student and concentrate in International Security Policy (ISP). Don’t let yourself get too caught up in choosing the PERFECT degree name. Instead, focus on the skills that concentration and specialization courses offer. 

To learn more about the curricular differences between these two programs, please visit this link.