University at Albany

A National Leader in Public Affairs Education

Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy at the University at Albany is proud to be recognized by US News & World Report as one of the top public affairs schools in the country. Talented students come to Rockefeller for the knowledge and tools to make a difference in the world. We pride ourselves on preparing dynamic leaders who will shape the public policies of the future.

Whether you are interested in domestic policy or international affairs, thinking about a career at the local, state, national, or international level, or planning to enter graduate school, Rockefeller College will provide you with the tools you need to succeed and achieve your career goals. Rockefeller provides professional education through the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program and its newly launched Master of International Affairs (MIA) program.

The MIA’s multidisciplinary curriculum draws from the knowledge and expertise of the College’s Departments of Public Administration and Political Science. Our acclaimed faculty members offer innovative skills-based courses, policy-focused research opportunities and personalized academic and career guidance. Many international affairs courses incorporate student interaction with practitioners, whether in person or through synchronous distance learning.

Rockefeller College interns have found exciting opportunities for work and study abroad including assignments in Africa, Asia, and South America. Rockefeller graduates learn to navigate complex transnational issues and manage organizations in an increasingly globalized world. Rockefeller’s MIA, the first of its kind in the SUNY system, offers one of the best tuition values among international affairs programs, for both in and out of state students.

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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.