Archive for November 2010

International Dual Degrees Explained

A while ago we posted an entry on the nuances of our dual degree programs with other Columbia schools.  In that entry I made mention of the fact that we also have partnerships with schools in other countries.  We refer to these dual degrees as international dual degrees.  The following entry is meant to provide information on these programs.  For information on the Columbia programs, please see this previous entry.

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SIPA has partnered with a number of international institutions around the globe to offer a variety of dual degree programs.  Such programs allow students to study public policy from two different academic, cultural, and professional perspectives. After a two-year program of study, students are awarded both the relevant SIPA degree and a degree from our partner institution, thereby earning two masters degrees in the same amount of time it takes to obtain one.

SIPA currently offers dual degree programs with its Global Public Policy Network partners, which include Sciences Po Paris, the London School of Economics and Political Science, and the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the University of Singapore. We also have partnerships  with the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin, Fundação Getulio Vargas Escola de Administração de Empresas (FGV) in São Paulo, and the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Public Policy.

There are two types of Dual Degrees: Flexible Dual Degrees and Fixed-Track Dual Degrees. Each type has a specific application process.

In the case of the flexible dual degrees, students who are already admitted to either SIPA or a partner institution apply to a dual‐degree program during the course of their first year of study. If admitted, they study at the partner institution in their second year.  For example, you have been accepted to SIPA for a Fall 2011 start date and during your first year at SIPA, you decide to apply to the Dual Degree program with the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP).  You apply to the program in Spring 2012 and upon acceptance, pursue your second year of studies in Singapore, beginning in Fall 2012. At the end of the two years, you receive a degree from both SIPA and the LKYSPP.

In the case of the fixed-track dual degree, students apply to both SIPA and our partner institution at the same time. Their application is reviewed by a joint-committee comprising of representatives of both schools.  If admitted, students begin their course of study at SIPA and proceed to the partner school in year two (with the exception of the Sciences Po MIA – students start in Paris and finish in New York).  For example, you apply to the SIPA MIA or MPA/LSE MPA program for a September 2011 start date. You submit your application in January 2011 and are notified of the decision in April. Upon admittance, you begin your studies in New York and finish in London during the 2012-2013 academic year. At the end of the two years, you receive a degree from both SIPA and the LSE.

Flexible Dual Degrees are offered for the following programs: the LSE MPA, Sciences Po MPA, LKY Master of Public Policy (MPP) and the Hertie School of Governance MPP. All programs are open to MIA and MPA students at SIPA.  This means that you can apply to the LSE MPA program in the spring of your first year at SIPA, whether you are enrolled in the MIA or MPA program. At the end of your two years, you will earn either an MIA or an MPA from SIPA and an MPA from LSE.

Fixed-track Dual Degrees are offered for the programs outlined above, as well as: the Sciences Po MIA, Fundação Getulio Vargas MPP or Master in International Management, and Tokyo University MPP. Unlike flexible dual degree programs, this is a fixed sequence of study. In other words, if you apply to the Sciences Po/SIPA MIA program, you will earn an MIA from Sciences Po and SIPA. You cannot switch into the MPA program for your second year SIPA.

Note that the language of instructions for all programs is English, except for the Sciences Po MIA, which is conducted in French and the Fundação Getulio Vargas MPP track, which holds instruction in Portuguese.

You may be wondering what the pros and cons of each track are. While the flexible track is more, well, flexible, you need to plan your course of study carefully to make sure that you will be able to fulfill the requirements at both schools. The fixed-track lays out clearly your course of study at both institutions. Admission rates vary depending on the program, fixed versus flexible, and the strength of the competition in any given year. Finally, regarding tuition: it’s paid to the institution you are enrolled in.

For more information on dual degrees, visit the GPPN website http://sipa.columbia.edu/academics/gppn/index.html, or contact Tan Nguyen, Assistant Dean, Office of External Relations:  tn2102@ columbia.edu

To Be or Not to Be Afraid of Quantitative Classes at SIPA

The following entry was contributed by Lacey Ramirez, a second year student at SIPA.  Lacey is working in our office this year and she, along with several other students, are contributing posts throughout the year.

To supplement Lacey’s entry below, let me note that SIPA encourages all applicants admitted for the fall term to participate in a web based math tutorial that takes place in the summer.  Because the tutorial is web based students can participate from any place in the world as long as there is access to a computer with an Internet connection.  Information on the tutorial is made available each May after the deposit deadline passes.

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Admittedly, I did not do too great on the quantitative section of the GRE when I was applying to graduate school, despite hours and hours of studying.  But really, I hadn’t taken a serious math course since high school.  I took Introduction to Micro-and Macro- Economics in college, but the professor taught them conceptually and did not use a serious amount of math.  I also took Introduction to Probability and Statistics, and the professor was a visitor and not very good.

However, as a professional in development I realized the importance of understanding quantitative methods and its application.  Thus, when I was applying to graduate school I specifically chose programs that emphasized courses in quantitative skill development.  I explained in my application that I recognized I had a weak background in mathematics and economics, but that I strove to learn these subjects.

I was very excited when I was accepted to SIPA and wanted to prepare the summer before I started my courses.  I looked into calculus programs and other quantitative courses at my local community colleges, not only had I missed a lot of the application deadlines, but they were also quite expensive.  So I went to the local library, and I checked out the summer recommended books suggested by SIPA in the Admission’s preparation documents sent to me.   I also used the math camp materials they sent me to practice.  I probably put in about 10 hours a week, and I got even a little more serious right before school started.

The quantitative based courses at SIPA are quite rigorous, but I was excited by the challenge.  I utilized the tutors and the teaching assistants (T.A.s) for guidance and help solving the problems sets.  I also met with the professors, who are very approachable and accessible, in their office hours.  Also, we work in teams on all the problem sets in both Economics and Quantitative Analysis, and I learned so much working with my very talented, intelligent peers to solve the problems.

In the end, I refused to believe that a person is a “math person” or not and I have excelled in both Economics and Quantitative Analysis.  Sure, I was a little rusty at first, but the more courses I take in the field of economics the more I understand.  That is also to say, the professors at SIPA are very good, and it is the reason why I have been able to finally learn these very important, useful fields.

I am now specializing my degree in Advanced Policy and Economic Analysis and I’m taking statistics courses in the Ph.D. Statistics Department of Columbia in conjunction with my SIPA courses.  During my time at SIPA, I’ve developed a passion for economics that is influencing my career ambitions and direction.  I now fully recognize that my understanding of economics is central to my professional success, and it will help me to be leader in my field.  I am applying to jobs in economic development, and I hope to one day pursue my Ph.D. in Economics.  So in the end, I think if you have the will and the way this powerful brain is capable of learning new and useful information.

Happy Thanksgiving

Today is a National Holiday in the U.S. and both today and tomorrow the University and our offices will be closed.  Please note that we will not be able to respond to email or phone calls until our office opens again on Monday the 29th.

I am thankful that I made it safely through another busy travel season.  Travel for the most part has concluded and now my staff and I will start to prepare for the application reading season.  If you have yet to begin your application we would recommend that you log in now to familiarize yourself with the set up of our application.  You can easily review all of the pages and steps you will need to follow to complete the process.

The deadline to submit all of the required documents is January 5th, 2011 and you can start your application by clicking here.

Digital Media as a Means For Social Change

There are always events going on at SIPA each week featuring interesting speakers from all different fields.  A recent example focused on professionals representing digital media channels you are likely familiar with.  The following article was contributed by SIPA student Timothy Shenk.

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Two leaders in the evolving digital media landscape spoke with SIPA students about promoting social and political advocacy through online videos and other channels.

Steve Grove, head of news and politics at YouTube, and Noopur Agarwal, director of public affairs at MTV, discussed their organizations’ work in separate presentations.
Grove described the ways news and political videos have proliferated on YouTube in recent years, as everyone from federal bureaucrats to amateur pundits use the medium to speak directly to millions of viewers. In an innovative approach to journalism, YouTube has conducted virtual town hall meetings by soliciting questions from the public and submitting them directly to leaders such as President Obama, Grove said.

However, unlike the traditional news media, YouTube is unable to vet its content for accuracy or decency before it is posted online. Pornographic, copyrighted or hateful material must be flagged by users or identified by a computer algorithm, then reviewed by a YouTube employee, before it can be taken down, Grove said.

Agarwal described MTV‘s approach to social advocacy. Beginning with the Live Aid concerts in 1985, MTV has used its pop culture brand to advocate for issues of concern to young people. In 2004, MTV launched a campaign on its college network, mtvU, to press for an end to the genocide in Darfur.

MTV carries out its campaigns in partnership with public policy organizations. For example, MTV promotes testing for sexually transmitted diseases in partnership with a public health research and advocacy organization, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

MTV also partners with the social networking service Foursquare to encourage people to post an online badge showing that they have been tested. Surprisingly, it has become one of the most popular Foursquare badges, Agarwal said.

Most recently, MTV launched “A Thin Line,” a campaign to raise awareness about digital abuse. MTV runs advocacy videos on its main cable channel and promotes a website where young people share real stories of online bullying.

“This is the first generation that’s grown up this way and has relationships play out online,”Agarwal said. “It’s part of being a young person from now on.”

EPD Workshop

The following post was submitted by Brittney Bailey.  Brittney is working in our office this year and she, along with several other students, are contributing posts throughout the year.

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As a second-year EPD student, November is arguably the most important month of the year (outside of May for obvious reasons 🙂  Why November? Because it is when we receive our Workshop assignments, one of the most distinctive features of the economic and political development concentration.

The EPD Workshop, otherwise known as the workshop in Development Practice, is a practical culmination to all of the coursework you take as a SIPA student, outside of your summer internship.  Usually in the spring of your second-year, you get to engage in a workshop or capstone project in addition to your normal course work.  Like the capstone projects, which are usually open to those in other concentrations, the workshop requires that you work directly for a client in your field of interest, along with a SIPA team and faculty advisor; however, the workshop in Development Practice is a requirement for EPD students and generally allows us to gain fieldwork experience.  The EPD workshop is quite popular and has expanded rapidly over the years.  It is now open to a limited number of Human Rights concentrators and some students specializing in International Media, Advocacy and Communications.

The EPD workshop was one of the biggest reasons why I chose SIPA over other graduate institutions.  I kept thinking, “Hold on, this isn’t an internship exactly? I’m guaranteed relevant experience in international development?  I get to work as a consultant for a client and with a team of impressive students from diverse backgrounds… all while in school?!” It’s cheesy, but its true…I was eagerly awaiting the day when I’d be assigned more work at SIPA.

Yet, now that day has arrived and honestly, my excitement has not yet subsided. I’ll be working for UNFPA for the next six months, conducting an impact evaluation and cost benefit analysis of the organization’s distribution of “dignity kits” for girls in humanitarian settings across four countries: Indonesia, Haiti, Georgia, and Mozambique.  I could not be more thrilled to be working on a project that I am committed to and that would in theory, help me learn how to become a better development practitioner.

It’s likely that my enthusiasm for the workshop experience will decrease in the coming months, after a series of sleepless nights and caffeine-induced group freak outs.   Conflict is pretty much inevitable and who knows how things will actually play out on the ground.  Whether or not you receive your top choice project or have a phenomenal team, the reality still remains that the Workshop is one of the most unique and practical features of the SIPA experience.  It speaks directly to the fact that SIPA is a professional school, built to really enhance a student’s practical- not just academic- knowledge.

"The most global public policy school, where an international community of students and faculty address world challenges."

—Merit E. Janow, Dean, SIPA, Professor of Practice, International and Economic Law and International Affairs

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