Students Prepare for Careers in Development with UNICEF Internships
| by Jason Warburg
Eighteen students have completed paid internships with UNICEF over the past two years through a Memorandum of Understanding that kicked off in 2019.
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, KPMG, 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 |
99% of recent alumni are employed and 38% are earning $81,000+ annually within one year of graduation.
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.
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.
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
Today’s global marketplace demands well-rounded professionals who can collaborate and lead in 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.
You will learn to develop policy analysis and trade negotiation skills through intimate discussions, hands-on projects, and local and international fieldwork.
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.
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.
You can earn two master’s degrees in just four semesters and 60 credits, setting yourself up for a unique career trajectory.
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.
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.
The International Trade program’s advisory council is a group of highly successful professionals, including 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.
Build valuable professional experience while earning your degree through our research centers, labs, and initiatives:
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.
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.
| by Jason Warburg
Eighteen students have completed paid internships with UNICEF over the past two years through a Memorandum of Understanding that kicked off in 2019.
| by Nadia Pshonyak
Students traveled to Kosovo and North Macedonia over spring break to explore nationalism and new state formation – including one student who served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the region. as a part of the Nationalism and the Formation of New States in the Balkans global course. This year’s iteration of the trip was held over spring break and was led by Dr. Anne Campbell and Dr. Phil Murphy, two MIIS faculty members with ties to the region, as well as two students who had served as Peace Corps volunteers in North Macedonia.
| by Stephen Diehl
The Mekong originates in the Tibetan Plateau and crosses six countries, including Myanmar, Thailand, Lao PDR, Cambodia, and Vietnam—offering an excellent laboratory to study the vectors of conflict transformation.
How will you change the world?
Get InfoWhat makes us different?
Visit CampusNext Application Deadline: May 1
Apply Now