Trade, Investment & Development

What is International Trade?

International trade is the exchange of capital, goods, and services across international borders.

What is International Development?

International development is the development of greater quality of life for humans which encompasses: poverty reduction, public health, gender equality, human rights, economics, governance and related environmental issues.

Trade, Investment & Development Track

Understanding the motivations behind the movements and exchange of goods, services, capital, ideas and people between countries, how those movements impact people’s lives, and the international rules governing them is a vital part of international policy studies.  The Trade, Investment and Development track is designed for students interested in pursuing a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approach to these issues. The focus is not only on the poorest countries, but also the middle-income emerging market economies. 

Trade, Investment & Development Careers

Many of our alumni have gone on to have successful careers for various capacities such as:

• Community, national and international organizations
• Local and national government offices
• Socially responsible businesses
• Think-tanks and academic institutions
• NGOs and volunteer organizations

Learn more about the exciting careers our graduates are currently pursuing.

Track Requirements (60 credits required)

The Trade, Investment and Development track provides students with a foundation of policy analysis, economics, and global politics.  In addition, students are encouraged to gain professional development experience in the field through internships and practical experiences.

Core Requirements (20 credits)

• IPOL 8501 Policy Analysis (4 credits)
• IPOL 8505 Global Politics (4 credits)
• IPOL 8504 Data Analysis for Public Policy (4 credits)
• Economics AND Trade/Development Core Course (8 credits)
  Choose one of the two options listed below:
  • Trade Focus: IPOL 8515 Introduction to Trade Policy (4 credits) AND IPOL 8520 International Economics (4 credits) OR
  • Development Focus: IPOL 8551 Development Economics (4 credits) AND IPOL 8529 Development Theory and Practice (4 credits)

Seminars (12 credits)

Select 12 credits from the approved seminar list** provided below. Contact your assigned Academic Advisor for more information. The IPS Program Chair must approve any requests to take seminars, courses or workshops that do not appear on the following lists:

• IPOL 8601 – SEM: Advanced Topics in Trade Policy (4)*
• IPOL 8602 – SEM: Latin American Development Challenges & Public Policy (4)
• IPOL 8613 – SEM: Illicit Drug Markets (4)*
• IPOL 8615 – SEM: Trade & Environment
• IPOL 8617 – SEM: Partner with Business for Sustainable Development (4)*
• IPOL 8619 – SEM: Economic Analysis of Emerging Markets (4)
• IPOL 8620 – SEM: Gender and Development (4)
• IPOL 8621 – SEM: Climate and Security (4)
• IPOL 8623 – SEM: Business Models for Sustainable Development (4)
• IPOL 8638 – SEM: US & East Asia Trade & Investment Policy (4)*
• IPOL 8644 – SEM: Program Evaluation for SCOs (4)*
• IPOL 8647 – SEM: US-Mexico Relations (4)
• IPOL 8648 – SEM: Global Economic and Environmental Governance (4)
• IPOL 8653 – SEM: International Water Policy (4)
• IPOL 8656 – SEM: Advanced Economic Development (4)*
• IPOL 8661 – SEM: Trade and Development (4)
• IPOL 8681 – SEM: Quantitative Methods for Trade (4)
• IPOL 8686 – SEM: International Trade Negotiation Simulation (4)*

Integrated Academic and Professional Project (IAPP) (6 to 12 credits)

In consultation with their academic advisor, students will identify a combination of qualifying courses and experiences that will meet the degree requirement of 4 credits towards a Integrated Academic and Professional Project (IAPP). Qualifying courses should be selected from approved lists provided by GSIPM to CACS. Students should outline the IAPP no later than the end of their second semester in their 4 semester program (end of first semester for students with a shorter program timeframe).

Students may fulfill the IAPP requirement through the following opportunities:

• International Professional Service Semester
• Development Project Management Institute Practicum
• Winter term Practica
• Frontier Market Scouts Practicum
• International Internships
• Graduate Research Assistantships

For more ideas on how to fulfill this requirement, please visit the Monterey Abroad section or contact your Academic Advisor.

Electives (up to 14 credits, with at least 4 credits from the list of approved electives)

Select up to 14 credits with at least 4 credits from the list** of approved electives. Contact your assigned Academic Advisor for more information.

Approved Electives**:

Seminars:

• IPOL 8601 – SEM: Advanced Topics in Trade Policy (4)*
• IPOL 8602 – SEM: Latin American Development Challenges & Public Policy (4)
• IPOL 8613 – SEM: Illicit Drug Markets (4)*
• IPOL 8615 – SEM: Trade & Environment
• IPOL 8617 – SEM: Partner with Business for Sustainable Development (4)*
• IPOL 8619 – SEM: Economic Analysis of Emerging Markets (4)
• IPOL 8620 – SEM: Gender and Development (4)
• IPOL 8621 – SEM: Climate and Security (4)
• IPOL 8623 – SEM: Business Models for Sustainable Development (4)
• IPOL 8638 – SEM: US & East Asia Trade & Investment Policy (4)*
• IPOL 8644 – SEM: Program Evaluation for SCOs (4)*
• IPOL 8647 – SEM: US-Mexico Relations (4)
• IPOL 8648 – SEM: Global Economic and Environmental Governance (4)
• IPOL 8653 – SEM: International Water Policy (4)
• IPOL 8656 – SEM: Advanced Economic Development (4)*
• IPOL 8661 – SEM: Trade and Development (4)
• IPOL 8681 – SEM: Quantitative Methods for Trade (4)
• IPOL 8686 – SEM: International Trade Negotiation Simulation (4)*

Courses:

• IPOL 8509 - Intro to International Negotiations (4)
• IPOL 8520 - International Economics (4)*
• IPOL 8525 - Trade Laws & Institutions (4)*
• IPOL 8535 - Professional Practice of Commercial Diplomacy (4)*
• IPOL 8551 - Development Economics (4)*
• IPOL 8554 - US Trade Policy (2)*
• IPOL 8555 - Money Laundering & Terror Finance (4)*
• IPOL 8565 - Intro to Network Analysis (4)*
• IPOL 8573 - US-China Trade Relations (2)
• IPOL 8579 - The China Factor
• IPOL 8585 - International Organizations (4)
• IPOL 8593 - GP&S Colloquium: Emerging Markets (2 or 4 credits)*
• IPOL 8589 - Immigration Issues US-Latin America (In Spanish)*
• IMGT 8540 - Quantitative Analysis for Business (4)*
• IMGT 8620 - Country and Political Risk Analysis (3)
• IMGT 8623 - Money, Banking and International Finance (3)
• IMGT 8629 - International Financial Markets (3)
• IMGT 8642 - Modeling & Forecasting (3)*
• IMGT 8650 - Practicum: Frontier Market Scouts (6)*
• IMGT 8661 - The Essentials of Business Modeling (1)*
• IMGT 8669 - Market Research Strategy for Base of Pyramid (1)*
• IMGT 8688 - ESG Risk Assessment (3)

Workshops:

• WKSH 8556 - Intro to Mediation Training Workshop
• WKSH 8588 - China: Emerging Role in World Economy
• WKSH 8592 - Social Innovation Investing (1)
• WKSH 8567 - Grants and Contracts for International Development (1)*
• IMGT 8602 - Financial Issues China-Global Context (1)*
• IMGT 8636 - Business Strategies for Poverty Alleviation (1)
• IMGT 8664 - Social Entrepreneurship (1)*

*Spring 2012 Semester Course Electives

**Please note that this is a list of courses offered during the 2011-2012 academic year. Course offerings will vary by semester.

Linguistic and Intercultural Competency (12 credits)

Language Studies program courses are offered in 7 languages, including Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Japanese, Russian and Spanish.  Through the Institute’s renowned content-based instruction, students combine advanced-level language study with topics related to their graduate coursework. Our Intercultural Competency offerings provide students the cross-cultural communication skills needed to pursue global career opportunities.

Program Requirements
Language Studies/ Summer Intensive Language Program/ Middlebury Language School or Schools Abroad courses (8 credits or more)
Intercultural Competence courses (up to 4 credits)