Introducing Columbia SIPA’s Enhanced Curriculum

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Columbia SIPA is proud to be at the forefront of global policy education, constantly responding and adapting to the needs of our world and our workforce. And at this moment in time — as the policy landscape faces ever changing global challenges and opportunities — SIPA is updating its curriculum to respond to a changing world. 

Effective for the fall 2025 incoming class, SIPA will launch the newly STEM-designated Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree program and a more globally immersive Master of International Affairs (MIA) degree program. These reimagined degree programs will be coupled with a more flexible core curriculum and restructured concentrations.

The curriculum review process, initiated by Dean Keren Yarhi-Milo and led by Dean Emerita Lisa Anderson together with a faculty steering committee, was comprehensive and inclusive. They drew on insights from extensive consultations with students, faculty, staff, alumni, and employers.

“Grounded in SIPA’s tradition of academic excellence, this new coursework and more distinct MIA and MPA degree programs represent a bold evolution of our previous academic offerings,” said SIPA Dean Keren Yarhi-Milo. “Together, they ensure a Columbia SIPA degree is sharper and more contemporary given the world’s evolving challenges and opportunities.” 

A More Globally Immersive MIA

The revamped MIA builds on SIPA’s strengths and reputation for excellence in global affairs while providing more integrated coursework in politics, policy, international law and institutions, leadership, and interdisciplinary policy domains. Students will be equipped with intercultural skills and subject matter expertise to lead foreign policymaking efforts and facilitate international cooperation. 

MIA students will be able to choose between two core tracks — International Affairs and Politics, and Economics and Quantitative Analysis — differentiated by their degree of emphasis on economics and quantitative analysis. All students will explore intercultural perspectives through global learning requirements inclusive of advanced language studies, regional studies, faculty-led international study trips, internships, and a Capstone workshop or thesis research.

“Columbia SIPA’s MIA program already carries incredible prestige in the policy school landscape,” said newly appointed MIA director Rumela Sen. “This restructured degree offering will uniquely prepare graduates to engage in diplomacy, humanitarian action, business management, and other foreign policymaking pursuits at the very highest levels.”

A Newly STEM-Designated MPA

SIPA’s MPA program has achieved full STEM-designation — a distinction that highlights the program’s rigorous focus on leadership, management, and management sciences. Developed for students looking to lead the policymaking process with precision, the MPA will provide an enhanced quantitative education featuring intensive coursework in economics, data analytics, budgeting and financial management, leadership, and business management, by leveraging new innovative ideas and the latest technologies. With this comprehensive approach, SIPA’s MPA graduates will be better equipped than ever to drive powerful, evidence-based policy solutions in both public and private sectors. 

As an added benefit, all students will be eligible to apply for a two-year optional practical training (OPT) extensions where relevant.

“We talked with top employers, from the most esteemed firms in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, to start-ups and social enterprises,” said Sarah Holloway, newly appointed MPA director. “Today’s global challenges are characterized by unprecedented scale, complexity, and urgency that demand analytical, interdisciplinary approaches. In response, we have crafted an MPA curriculum rich in data analysis that will strengthen students’ global competitiveness and ensure that they can drive meaningful change in companies and communities all over the world.”

A More Flexible Core and Reframed Concentrations

The core curriculum has long been a cornerstone of a Columbia SIPA education. Now, it includes a more explicit focus on skills-based training as well as more flexibility through a new, six-week modular format. Students can tailor pathways in key policy domains based on their prior academic preparation and professional goals, coming away with practical, career-ready skills.

SIPA’s concentrations — pursued by all MIA and MPA candidates — are also reorganized and reframed to equip students with specialized knowledge and skills to address contemporary policy domains:

• Climate, Energy, and Environment 
• Data Science for Policy 
• Development and Governance 
• Human Rights, Gender, and Equity 
• International Finance and Policy 
• International Security and Diplomacy 
• Technology Policy and Innovation
• Urban and Social Policy 

The revised curriculum removes the specialization requirement so that students can have more freedom of choice with electives, with the option to pursue combinations as minors.

An expansive list of minors enables students to further customize their academic plan according to their interests. It is also a dynamic space for SIPA to experiment and introduce emerging subjects and specialized topic areas to create educational opportunities that are timely and responsive to real world developments and student interests. SIPA is the only policy school to offer minors.

For more details, visit our concentration webpages. 

What Stays the Same

SIPA remains committed to the same intellectual principles and scrupulous academic foundations that have guided generations of students. SIPA’s mission is to provide an education that is relevant, rigorous, and responsive to the needs of our time. And in doing it all from the heart of New York City, students are shoulder to shoulder with top global policymakers and business leaders.

As Columbia SIPA embarks on this new chapter, the School remains committed to the same intellectual principles and scrupulous academic foundations that have guided generations of students. SIPA’s mission is to provide an education that is relevant, rigorous, and responsive to the needs of our time, addressing today’s most pressing challenges while maintaining the rigorous academic standards that have defined the School for decades. By equipping students with the tools and knowledge needed for a complex, interconnected world — all from the heart of New York City — SIPA offers a unique and unparalleled policy education.