Do you want to affect change in the world, reduce conflict, improve security, promote peace and prosperity, or protect the environment? Can you see yourself working to achieve these goals?
Many share these dreams, but turning dreams into effective action and a lifelong career takes more than dreams and good intentions. You will need the education, skills, languages and practical experience available at the Graduate School of International Policy Studies (GSIPS). Please click here for information about admission requirements and language requirements.
The Monterey Difference
The Monterey Institute was founded by educators devoted to the integration of culture and language studies, with substantive knowledge of global issues. They created an institution where limitations of nationality and language were broken down, allowing in the world’s vast store of knowledge and understanding. Today’s students and faculty come from nearly every country in the world, speaking dozens of languages and making possible a cross-fertilization of ideas and techniques.
No other school goes so far in facilitating hands-on learning in every course. You will learn that theory is only the beginning of being able to understand and affect real-world situations. Participation in the unique International Professional Service Semester program will offer you exciting on-the-job training opportunities at public policy organizations working on transnational issues in a global or regional environment.
Between coursework and internship experiences, by the time you graduate you will have performed the tasks and functions required in your future work. You will not merely know what a policy memo is, you will have written many policy memos, in collaboration with teams of other students. You may even have contributed to real-world policy making as part of your practical learning experience. You will know more than the theory of negotiation, you will have negotiated long and hard against strong partners with well-researched positions of their own.
Today You Need a Master’s Degree in International Policy Studies
Master’s degrees are increasingly necessary and expected for responsible positions in nonprofit organizations, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), international organizations (IOs), governmental agencies, and international businesses. These employers regard a Monterey Institute master’s degree as solid evidence of superb preparation for real-world leadership in today’s changing environment.
GSIPS Offers Four Master’s Degree Programs:
Each degree provides core courses on policy analysis and research methods, international economics, international politics and advanced languages, plus a unique set of analytical and international policy studies courses emphasizing skills-building and simulation of real-world issues. Electives permit you to tailor your studies to meet specific professional objectives, and to develop an area of expertise. In addition to the required core courses for each degree, students also complete a professional Portfolio.
Portfolio Requirement for GSIPS Core Curriculum: To graduate from a GSIPS MA program, each student is required to develop and complete a professional Portfolio as part of the GSIPS core curriculum. The purpose of the Portfolio is to demonstrate a mastery of the core competencies for the degree and specialization of the student. This portfolio will be completed two months before graduation and will be prepared in hard copy, or in electronic format.
Faculty advisers and Career Development staff will assist the student in compiling the items that demonstrate mastery of the core competencies built into the GSIPS curriculum, according to guidelines established by GSIPS staff. Workshops will be held every semester on Portfolio development.
Using the Portfolio and the study plan of the student, a faculty member will conduct an oral exam for each student, within the last two months of the student’s final semester, to ascertain how well the student has mastered the core competencies in his/her degree program or specialization. This exam is graded on a Pass-Fail basis. Students who do not Pass this exam by graduation, or have not completed a Portfolio, will not graduate until both requirements have been met.
If you are interested in making a difference, taking on today's global challenges, and working to create a better world, then the Monterey Institute offers you exciting opportunities for success. We invite you to learn more about the Institute's purpose, programs and future, and welcome your questions and suggestions.
