Next Application Deadline April 1 Get Info

Launch your career in international trade, stimulating innovation, boosting economic growth, and reducing poverty.

Our Master of Arts in International Trade is specifically designed to give you real-world experience before you graduate, culminating in a semesterlong practicum working for an organization like the WTO, the U.S. International Trade Commission, or a range of private companies. This program is also referred to as International Trade and Economic Diplomacy (ITED).

Fall or spring 42 3 semesters

(12–16 months)
Monterey, California Live

Find out if International Trade is right for you

Policy Makers in the International Marketplace

This is a very special program because we have designed this with a particular career set in mind. And that career set is for people that want to work in the global marketplace. We’re gonna follow US trade policy from its beginning, 1789 when Congress marched in the United States, and the hottest issue today of course is Trade Promotion Authority, that is the authority from Congress to the President.

I hope to work in trade policy in D.C., there’s a lot of really interesting opportunities there and I love the program here. It really focuses on exactly what I want to do which is crafting international trade policy. So the United States has government sponsored entities, Australia has government business enterprise that New Zealand has the crown entities, so.

Right, I said NAFTA, right? One regional agreement, and that might be difficult for the US to accept. 

I would like to work in trade compliance, either in-house with a company that does a lot of importing and exporting. And needs someone that’s familiar with the regional trade agreements and free trade agreements that the US is a part of, which is so much of what we do in the trade program.

We have put together a very carefully structured program intended to teach the knowledge, skills, and abilities that have been identified as what’s needed to succeed in this market.

The work that we’re doing in the classroom genuinely reflects the types of questions that are going on in the professional world. And I know that because having gone to D.C. and spoken with alumni and listened to the type of work that their doing, nothing sounded unfamiliar to me.

We have specially designed our program to be as relevant as possible. And to do that, we have designed a program where it will be conducted for two semesters here in Monterey. And then a final semester will be in Washington, D.C., where policy is being made.

The spring break trip to Washington, D.C., which I did just a few weeks ago, was really eye opening. Through that experience I was able to start a network in D.C. of people who are doing what I wanna do. And those people directly helped me get my internship this summer. When they go out into the market place they will have experience that others have only read about but ours have actually been implementing real life negotiations in the classroom.

Our methods of market access are focused on Canada, Mexico and Peru.

It gives me a great pleasure to represent a country Japan in the TPP negotiation. Now Japan’s facing a challenge.

One thing that I’ve really gained while here at MIIS is I really improved my public thinking and I think that’s a function of being in these really small classrooms where you’re often put on the spot. Your opinion is going to be asked and you’re speaking with someone that’s been in the field that’s been working in the position you want to be in, in a few years.

We have very active immersion programs where people are going overseas and meeting with government officials meeting with people in Washington, in New York and as well as in Tokyo and Beijing and Delhi.

I chose MIIS because the professional and career focus. Where it didn’t leave me in a room studying and doing research for hours on end for years on end. I’m learning practical skills every single day. And I know that I’m gonna use these skills.

My goal is to be able to provide for them the infrastructure both in scholarship, in skills, abilities and experience to be able to excel and thrive in their chosen field.

Launch Your Career

99% of recent alumni are employed and 38% are earning $81,000+ annually within one year of graduation.

Career and Academic Advising

We integrate your career and academic advising, making sure your coursework aligns with your career goals. The same advisor will guide you from course registration to preparing for interviews and negotiating new career opportunities.

Alumni Network

Our large and influential alumni network in Washington, D.C., and other centers of international trade are eager to help you prepare for your next steps.

  • Our Middlebury in DC office provides the entire Middlebury community with a wealth of resources.
  • The annual Career Exploration Week in the nation’s capital gives you facilitated access to D.C.-based employers and alumni.
  • Our location in Central California puts us in the dominant import/export region in the U.S., home to major agricultural firms, the international economic hub in San Francisco, and Silicon Valley.

Careers

From NAFTA to the U.S.-China trade conflicts, trade is at the forefront of many public policy discussions. It is crucial to understand trade from diplomatic and practical standpoints. This is truly a pivotal time to launch a career in this critical area.

Our graduates are often hired before they complete their program, leveraging real-world projects from their classes, internships, and practicums to showcase their relevant professional experience. They are thriving in careers at organizations like Apple, the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the U.S. Department of Commerce. Explore careers in international trade.

Curriculum

Versatile Leadership

Today’s global marketplace demands well-rounded professionals who can collaborate and lead in work with global businesses and governments on rapidly changing trade, investment, and diplomacy issues. We prepare you for long-term professional success through courses in trade policy, theory, and practice; quantitative methods for trade policy; economic diplomacy and negotiation simulations; and trade laws and institutions.

Local Meets Global

You will learn to develop policy analysis and trade negotiation skills through intimate discussions, hands-on projects, and local and international fieldwork.

Practical Experience

Your classes will often feature work with real clients, allowing you to develop practical skills before you graduate. The final semester practicum can be completed remotely in the summer, spring, or fall semester. You can earn your degree in 12 consecutive months to accelerate your return to the workforce or in 16 months giving you the flexibility to gain more practical experience via summer internships.

Language Studies and Intercultural Competence

Bridging cultural and linguistic barriers is key to a successful career in policy and development, so you will take content courses in a second language and/or courses in intercultural competence.

Explore your curriculum.

42 -credit master’s
12 -month option
16 -month option

Joint Master’s Degrees

You can earn two master’s degrees in just four semesters and 60 credits, setting yourself up for a unique career trajectory.

Customize Your Degree

The flexibility in our curriculum gives you opportunities to customize your degree through career-related electives in commercial diplomacy and trade compliance, a professional practicum, internships, studying a second language and/or intercultural competence, joint degrees, optional specializations in financial crime management and other in-demand fields, and Peace Corps integrations.

Check out the program details for your options.

Faculty: Professors and Practitioners

Our faculty combine academic expertise with years of professional experience and include the former chief economist of the U.S. International Trade Commission. Together with career advisors, they mentor each student to ensure that they receive the academic and professional experience that will help them realize their career goals.

Meet your faculty.

Advisory Council

The International Trade program’s advisory council is a group of highly successful professionals, many alums of the program, who work with faculty, providing counsel and advice to keep the program on the cutting edge of the dynamic world of trade and diplomacy. In addition, advisors often work directly with students as they prepare to begin their careers. The group includes leaders from the WTO, IBM, Visa, Cisco, Dell, the American Chemistry Council, and the International Working Group on Export Credits.

Meet the advisory council

Research and Practice

Build valuable professional experience while earning your degree through our research centers, labs, and initiatives:

Scholarships and Financial Aid

More than 95 percent of students who request scholarship consideration receive institutional support. You may receive merit, need-based, partner, and external scholarships and financial aid, which are available to both U.S. and international students.

The 12-month and 16-month options for this program allow you to get back into the workforce—earning a salary—faster and potentially save on housing costs.

Your personal enrollment advisor can help you think through financing this important investment in your career development.

Review tuition costs.

How to Apply

We take a holistic approach when considering your application, looking at your academic background, international exposure, professional experience, and career goals. We welcome applicants with or without work experience, and our program has numerous opportunities for you to gain professional experience before you graduate. This approach aligns with the Institute’s core values of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

We do not require GRE or GMAT scores for our master’s programs but competitive scores may strengthen your application and positively influence scholarship decisions.

Learn how to apply.

Featured News

Read All
ITED Career Outcomes

Our graduates find careers in policy analysis, trade compliance, and trade negotiation in private businesses, government, and civil society around the world.

99%
employed within one year of graduation
75%
earn $61K+ annually
40%
using a second language at work
Explore

How will you change the world?

Get Info

What makes us different?

Visit Campus

Next Application Deadline: April 1

Apply Now