In what ways does Rockefeller College’s Master of International Affairs (MIA) program differ from other international affairs programs?

We offer our students a highly flexible program that can be tailored to suit their particular goals. Our classes tend to be small, usually with fewer than fifteen students in a classroom. In order to accommodate the needs of working professionals, we offer all of our core courses in the evenings. These courses are designed in a way that allows students who may be out of town to join the class by videoconference. The program’s location in Albany, the state capital of New York, offers many advantages: we’re within easy reach of global hubs, such as New York City and Washington, DC, but by being in a smaller city, we’re able to offer our students a program that is much more affordable than others in terms of both tuition and living costs.

How do the courses taught in the program reflect the changing nature of global politics?

Many of the features of the international system that had been taken for granted in the post-Cold War era have been thrown into doubt as a result of recent political developments. Our faculty are able to bring their extensive expertise in the worlds of academia and policymaking to help students make sense of these changes. For instance, in my seminar on global environmental politics, we spend a lot of time discussing attempts to address climate change through mechanisms that lie outside of conventional state-to-state diplomacy—for example, through transnational networks of cities, such as the C40, or through market-based mechanisms. Many members of our faculty have had years of experience working with organizations, such as the U.S. Department of Defense, the United Nations, or the World Bank, among many others. They teach courses that address contemporary issues, such as the global refugee crisis, cybersecurity, economic underdevelopment, and the rise of transnational terrorist movements.

How does your program help to develop the skills that students will need to succeed in a rapidly changing international environment?

Our MIA is, first and foremost, a professional degree. It’s designed to prepare students for careers in international affairs, and the design of our program reflects this. The courses are taught in a way that emphasizes practical skills, such as writing policy memos and effectively presenting complex material to diverse groups of decision-makers. We also train all of our students in the statistical and computational skills that are required to succeed in an increasingly data-driven field.

What support is offered to students trying to find careers in international affairs?

Rockefeller College alumni have an excellent placement record, thanks in large part to the emphasis we place on helping to develop our students’ skills in preparing for a competitive job market. All of our students are required to take a professional development course in their first year. We also offer one-on-one coaching to help students develop their résumés, prepare for interviews, and make connections through Rockefeller’s extensive alumni network.

How does the Master of International Affairs (MIA) program at Rockefeller College address increasing conflict and the changing nature of security in today’s world?

This is the most turbulent period in global politics since 9/11. Organizations need individuals with the skills and expertise to adapt to these changing circumstances. The international affairs faculty at Rockefeller College draw from their expertise both as cutting-edge researchers and as real-world practitioners. Our faculty have worked for the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. intelligence community, and the United Nations, and they bring these experiences into the classroom. For example, I worked for over a decade in the DoD and world-renowned think tanks prior to coming to Rockefeller College. I have briefed cabinet members and negotiated with foreign governments. The MIA program requires all students to take my core course in global security, which examines political violence by nonstate actors as well as war between states. Students learn about suicide terrorism, drone warfare, nuclear weapons, and cybersecurity and apply that expertise to understand ongoing challenges with Syria, Afghanistan, North Korea, and Russia. Too often, programs focus on skills that professors had to learn to become professors and not enough on skills necessary to permit students to thrive in the workforce. I teach students information that I wish I had known when I started working in the Pentagon and skills such as memo writing and analytic briefing techniques that are necessary to succeed in consulting, think tanks, or public service.

How do Rockefeller’s international affairs students acquire skills and expertise required for a changing geopolitical landscape?

The MIA curriculum focuses on core competencies in international relations and policy analysis, economics, management, and quantitative methods. Students build on these core competencies as they concentrate their elective courses in areas such as global and homeland security, diplomacy and global governance, global public management, or international development administration. I oversee the Global and Homeland Security concentration. Many of our students who select this concentration also complete a certificate in cybersecurity offered by the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity, taking advantage of University at Albany’s extensive course offerings in this in-demand area.

Why study Global and Homeland Security at Rockefeller College?

Our classes are not only led by faculty that combine rigorous research with policy relevance but are also filled with students with real-world experience confronting global and homeland security challenges. Our students have worked, interned, or completed capstone projects for the State Department, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, the New York Department of State, and the University at Albany’s National Center for Security and Preparedness, which develops and delivers first responder training to prepare for rapidly changing threats. Students may take courses in-person or through synchronous distance learning using web conferencing. This enables them to complete coursework when interning in other cities or traveling for work and take advantage of a broader array of internship and work opportunities.

What does Rockefeller College offer  students pursuing professional international affairs careers?

With origins in a graduate public administration program established in 1947, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy recently launched an innovative Master of International Affairs (MIA) program that emphasizes flexibility and individualized attention. International affairs students build core competencies in international relations and policy analysis, economics, management, and quantitative methods. They develop expertise in areas such as global and homeland security, diplomacy and global governance, information technology policy and management, global public management, and international development administration.

How do Rockefeller’s international affairs students acquire skills and expertise required for a changing world?

Our highly accomplished international affairs faculty members offer skills-based courses to meet changing demands in a range of concentration areas.

More wars are now fought within states than between them, and civil wars spill across borders as terrorist attacks. Students concentrate electives in global and homeland security to learn about insurgencies and the causes of political violence that spans international borders as well as develop the necessary skills to work in organizations that must deal with terrorism. International affairs students desiring even more specialized expertise may enroll concurrently in certificate programs in homeland security or cybersecurity or focus their elective coursework on intelligence analysis.

To meet millennium development goals or support counterinsurgency strategies, states and international organizations increasingly turn to nongovernmental organizations for project implementation. To become skilled development professionals, students focus their studies on international development administration and take courses offered by faculty from Rockefeller College’s Center for International Development (CID), which has implemented over $200 million in development projects for national governments—such as the U.S. Agency for International Development—and international organizations—such as the United Nations Development Program.

As half of the world’s population gains internet access, governments are going online to serve their citizens and are becoming vulnerable to cyber attacks in the process. Students develop solid e-governance skills by focusing their studies on information technology policy and management and taking courses with faculty affiliated with the University at Albany’s Center for Technology in Government (CTG), which has partnered with over one hundred and fifty government agencies.

Students hone their skills through internships in these and other areas of specialization. With assistance from our career development staff, Rockefeller College students routinely intern at federal and state homeland security, law enforcement, and intelligence agencies. Our students also intern with CID on international development projects and with CTG on government technology projects, as well as with their partners around the world.

What flexibility does the MIA program offer to students with varying needs and career paths?

Whether full-time or part-time, students take courses in-person or through synchronous distance learning using web conferencing. This means students may continue their coursework even when interning in other cities or when traveling for work. While offering internship and experiential learning opportunities to students who need to build their résumés, we also enable students with extensive professional experience to focus solely on their academic training. Regardless of the path taken, students acquire the skills and knowledge they need to succeed.