Master of International Affairs Program

Specialization and Elective Courses    (18 credits)

Effective Spring 2021, Students are required to complete 18 credits toward electives. Students must choose to specialize in one of the four specific specializations

• International Nongovernmental Organizations
• Western Hemisphere Affairs
• Trade Policy and Global Economic Governance
• Special Concentration

Specialization in International Nongovernmental Organizations

Specialization Information (unofficial)

Baruch has one of the nation's largest and most distinguished professional nonprofit education degrees, as well as executive certificate and research programs focused on the sector. New York City is home to one of the world's largest concentrations of internationally focused nongovernmental organizations.

This concentration examines questions fundamental to the emergence and conduct of civil society at the national and international level: how political and social participation is mediated by INGOs, how the relationship between governments and INGOs emerges in different historical, legal, and cultural contexts, how INGOs can collaborate across national boundaries, and INGO management can improve sensitivity to local self-determination. As the number of domestically and internationally focused INGOs quickly expands throughout the world (e.g. in Brazil, Turkey and China) this focus will provide Baruch graduates with relevant expertise in policy impact and practical management. Concentration in this area will prepare students for careers at international institutions such as the United Nations, the World Bank and the IMF, local, national, and international issue-focused INGOs, as well as at corporate foundations, and businesses committed to promoting development through international public-private partnerships.

Students who wish to concentrate their MIA studies in International Nongovernmental Organizations must take 18 credits (six courses), 6 of which (two courses) are required.

Mandatory Courses in International Nongovernmental Organizations  (6 credits)

Free Electives

Students must complete 3 additional elective credits of their choice. The one additional course may be from the list above, approved electives from the other specializations, the general Marxe catalog, or the WSAS or ZSB graduate catalogs with permission of an advisor.

Specialization in Western Hemisphere Affairs

• Specialization Information (unofficial)

The western hemisphere is home to the world's largest developed economy, one of the fastest emerging economies, one of its most vital trading blocs, and some of the most vigorous and complicated migration patterns anywhere on the planet. While there are several university centers that address the hemisphere as a whole, there are no degree programs in a policy school offering a concentration that considers all of North, Central and South America.

Specific topics of study in this concentration include migration, remission flows, trade policy and economic cooperation, regional planning, intra-hemispheric security, energy production/policy, and fostering closer relations among institutions of higher education throughout the hemisphere. The program draws on Baruch's considerable strengths in migration studies and Latin American studies, the Master program in Higher Education Administration and CUNY's Bildner Center in Western Hemisphere Affairs.

Graduates will aspire to careers in government, INGOs, international institutions, and private industry.

Students will develop in depth knowledge of the politics, economics and culture of our integrating hemisphere, preparing them for vital roles in government, foundations, international businesses, INGOs and international and regional financial and political institutions.

Students who wish to concentrate their MIA studies in Western Hemisphere Affairs must take 18 credits (six courses), 6 of which (two courses) are required.

Mandatory Courses in Western Hemisphere Affairs  (6 credits)

Free Electives

Students must complete 3 additional elective credits of their choice. The one additional course may be from the list above, approved electives from the other specializations, the general Marxe catalog, or the WSAS or ZSB graduate catalogs with permission of an advisor.

Specialization in Trade Policy and Global Economic Governance

• Specialization Information (unofficial)

Integration in a globalizing economy can be a path to economic success. But for many countries the political adjustment has not been easy and the promises of equity have yet to follow. The challenges of managing trade, once the exclusive province of national governments, are an increasing and necessary interest of state and local governments as well. Trade can be nurtured, sometimes by governments, and more often by NGOs, to deliver a wider distribution of benefits, access for non-traditional participants, as well as more protection for the planet.

Students seeking to concentrate in this program will learn about the nuts and bolts of international trade and commerce, drawing on the Marxe School's resources as well as the resources of our sister school, the Zicklin School of Business, which is the largest collegiate business school in the nation with over 12,000 students.

Students will study the treaty relationships, including the history of efforts to develop free trade agreements, and government policies that shape trading environments -- and either advance or hinder related goals such as public health, environmental regulation, worker safety, and family integrity. They will examine tools such as micro-finance, insourcing, crowd funding and other approaches to ensuring wide access to the opportunities and benefits of trade. Potential employers for graduates from this concentration would include INGOs, the US government, international businesses, local governments seeking economic opportunity abroad, ports and regional transportation consortia, power companies, among others.

Students who wish to concentrate their MIA studies in Trade Policy and Global Economic Governance must take 18 credits (six courses), 6 of which (two courses) are required.

Mandatory Courses in Trade Policy and Global Economic Governance  (6 credits)

Free Electives

Students must complete 3 additional elective credits of their choice. The one additional course may be from the list above, approved electives from the other specializations, the general Marxe catalog, or the WSAS or ZSB graduate catalogs with permission of an advisor.

 Special Concentration

• Specialization Information (unofficial)

The special concentration affords the opportunity to explore and combine subfields without sacrificing the rigorous core and the technical skills that it conveys. In concert with a faculty advisor, students will be able to design a program of study tailored to his or her interests and career ambitions.

Examples could include migrations and diasporas, hemispheric security, hemispheric marketing, and other topics. A faculty advisor will ensure that the electives cohere intellectually and professionally and that the special concentration comprises classes that will be offered during the student's projected terms to ensure timely completion, tailored to a student's interest and career ambitions.

Students who wish to concentrate their MIA studies in the special concentration must take 18 credits (six approved courses).

Approved Electives in Special Concentration    (18 credits)