First let me state what this entry is not.  The links you will find below are not the syllabi for new students entering in the fall of 2011.  The syllabi listed below are samples taken from courses taught in the 2010-11 academic year  for some of our core requirements.  Faculty are working over the summer to determine the exact content of classes for the upcoming semester and syllabi will be distributed during the first week of classes.

What this entry is trying to accomplish is to provide you with samples of content of our core degree courses from the past.  Some incoming students have made requests for examples from past courses and our curricular affairs office passed along the following.

So, please feel free to explore the syllabuses provided below to get an idea of the coursework and reading requirements.  Consider this a taste of a few of our offerings to get familiar with the work load and types of assignments you might expect.  Please do not attempt to contact the individuals listed in the documents as these courses have been completed.

Fall 2010 – U6006:  Strategic Thinking and Planning for General Mangers

Fall 2010 – U6005:  Effective Management in the Public Service

Fall 2010 – U6110:  Politics of Policy Making (MPA only)

Fall 2010 – U6800:  Conceptual Foundations of International Affairs (MIA Only)

Fall 2010 – U6500:  Quantitative Analysis

Fall 2010 – U6400: Economic Analysis for International and Public Affairs I

Spring 2011 – U6401:  Economic Analysis for International and Public Affairs II

Spring 2010:  Economics 4201 – Economics for International and Public Affairs II

During the summer the Office of Student Affairs will be sending an email to all incoming students each Thursday.  The series actually kicked off a little earlier this week.  Incoming MIA, MPA, and MPA-DP students that have paid a deposit should have received two email messages on Wednesday.  One email contained a welcome message along with a reminder to access your UNI (instructions for accessing your UNI are in the message if you have yet to do so) and the other announced the start of the online summer math tutorial and provided instructions for logging in.  You will need your UNI to log in to the math tutorial.

The summer math tutorial is not mandatory, but we highly recommend that all incoming students participate.  There are several core classes in the first year that are quantitative in nature and second year fellowship consideration requires a 3.4 GPA at SIPA.  The summer math tutorial will help to ensure that you get off to a strong start in the fall.

Please make sure to check your email for the messages that were sent on Wednesday.  The messages will come from sipa_osa@columbia.edu so make sure these messages are not channeled into your spam or junk mail folders.  If you did not receive these messages and believe you should have, please send an email to sipa_new@columbia.edu to let us know.

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.

This is the fourth entry in our “Top 10″ list to assist you with understanding the process of submitting your admission application to SIPA.  This entry is focused on advice regarding our résumé requirements.

The first thing to take note of is that we require applicants to submit two separate résumés.  This may seem strange at first but I believe this entry will clear things up.

Traditional Résumé

The first résumé is no surprise.  You could refer to this as your “traditional” résumé and everyone applying probably has had a working résumé for some time.  A traditional résumé includes, but is not limited to, information such as:

• Positions held (employment and internships)

• Academic degrees and other academic achievements

• Volunteer, public service, political work completed

• Memberships in honorary societies and awards for service or leadership

• Extracurricular activities and particularly if an MIA applicant – foreign travel undertaken, including purpose and length of stay.

As has always been the case, with this traditional résumé we do not recommend trying to keep it to a single page in length.  A one page résumé is more aligned with applying for a job.  This résumé is for graduate school consideration and the Committee encourages applicants to list all relevant information and to not use a small font or extended margins in an attempt to cram a great deal of information into a very small space.  A typical résumé in this format submitted to SIPA is three to four pages in length.

Put another way – we like white space.  Committee members have to read several hundred applications and small fonts and cramped formats are very difficult on the eyes.  When it doubt, use 12 point font and normal margins – the Committee will thank you for it.

On a final note, we do not recommend that applicants use graphics or non-standard fonts.  Let the content of your résumé speak for you.  The font chosen should be easy to read and graphics (other than bullets and bold face) do not enhance the readability of a résumé.  Common fonts that are easy to read include Arial, Calibri, and Tahoma.

Quantitative/Language Résumé

The second résumé will focus exclusively on an applicant’s background with quantitative methods and language learning/ability.

Quantitative Methods

The core curriculum at SIPA includes required coursework in economics, statistics, and financial management.  The Committee is therefore quite interested in the quantitative aptitude of applicants to our program.  This most typically includes coursework and/or professional experience related to mathematics, statistics, and economics.  Also of note  can be quantitative experience as it pertains to areas such as science or engineering.

Unfortunately, academic transcripts rarely provide in depth descriptions of the actual content of coursework completed.  For example, a class labeled as “Principles of Economics” on a transcript provides little detail on how much focus was placed on the use of quantitative methods.  And with the large number of international applicants to SIPA, often times transcripts translated into English will just list a class as “Mathematics” thus giving the Committee little information on the actual content/level of math studied.

Providing the opportunity for applicants to list detailed information pertaining to quantitative preparation/experience will allow for better explanations of past academic and professional experience.  The goal is to be able to allow applicants to list full descriptions of courses included in a course catalog or in the syllabus used in a class.

Language Learning/Ability

Proficiency in a second language is a graduation requirement of the MIA program but is not a requirement of the MPA program.  Proficiency is defined as the ability to use a second language at an intermediate level.  Academically this is defined as the ability to achieve a grade of “B” or better in an intermediate level 2 language course.

Incoming  MIA students who speak English as a native language will be tested in a second language of their choice upon entering into the program.  Due to the intensity of the MIA program at SIPA, it would be quite difficult for an applicant with no previous language study to achieve intermediate level proficiency in two years of study.  The Committee therefore wishes to see at least elementary level proficiency in a second language when evaluating an MIA applicant for admission.

If an incoming native English speaker passes the proficiency exam administered shortly after beginning the program, no additional language study is required.  If the grade achieved on the exam is not sufficient, to prove proficiency a grade of “B” or better must be achieved in an intermediate level 2 language course during the time at SIPA in order to graduate.

For MPA students that speak English as a native language, second language learning is optional so it is not required to include language learning information in the second résumé.  However, if an MPA applicant does have experience in a second language we encourage them to provide this information because it provides us with additional information on your background. 

Please do note that there is one exception to the language requirement for the MPA program.  If an MPA applicant chooses the Economic and Political Development concentration, second language proficiency is a requirement just like in the MIA program.

For applicants that do not speak English as a native language, the second résumé will provide an opportunity to elaborate further on time spent studying English and other languages.  This can of course include academic study but can also include additional information not included in transcripts or test scores such as time spent living in English speaking environments.

Details on Quantitative/Language Learning

The second résumé is meant to provide applicants with the ability to provide detailed information which can include:

• Name/level/grade/institution pertaining to classroom courses.

• For classroom courses, a description of the course and specific learning objectives (best done by providing a description from a course catalog or a syllabus that was used for the class).  If it has been a number of years since you graduated, a description from a current course catalog found on your school web site can suffice.

• Examples of working knowledge of the subject matter as demonstrated in academic or professional settings.

• Tests taken and grades/scores achieved.

• Specific certificates earned.

• In the case of second language learning, the following information is useful:

1. Information on time spent in a foreign country where the language is spoken.  Or, if the second language was spoken in your home country please provide the context (i.e. did you grow up in a home where a second language was spoken but your academic training was in another language?).
2. Details regarding professional/volunteer/personal use of the language.
3. Specific details/examples regarding writing, reading, speaking, and listening ability.

One question you might have is, “If the course is listed on my transcripts or noted in another part of my application, is it necessary to include it in the Quantitative/Language  résumé?”

The answer is yes.  It is okay to be redundant or to include the same information that might be listed in another part of the application in this section.  Seeing the information twice, but in more detailed format in the résumé portion, is what the Committee is seeking to achieve.

You can view samples of this résumé by clicking here.  Do note that the sample is only a guide.  The level of detail you wish to include is entirely up to you.

If you have been out of school for a while, do not feel compelled to spend hours and hours trying to search for old syllabus or text book titles/authors.  The point of the résumé is not to put you through some sort of time trial, it is meant to provide information on the core learning from the course/experience.  The example résumé was borrowed from an applicant that applied to SIPA while still in college, and is meant to only be a sample.  Simply provide as much information as you can and you will be fine.

I am not what you would call an avid follower of The Simpsons television show, however I do watch it occasionally and have always been impressed with the way the creators integrate “real” people into episodes.

Recently I received an email from an alumnus of our program notifying me that a SIPA faculty member was mentioned in an episode.  Jagdish Bhagwati is professor at SIPA and from what I understand, what you see below is a ballot created on the show to help guess the winners of Nobel prizes.  One SIPA professor, Joseph Stiglitz, actually did win the Nobel Prize in economics in 2001.

As most of the world is aware, perhaps the most well known sporting event in the world begins today.  What you might not know is that Columbia University has a very close connection to the World Cup.  Sunil Gulati, the President of the United States Soccer Federation, just so happens to be an economics professor on our campus.

The time zone of NYC will make for interesting viewing times for games.  Greece plays South Korea for example at 7:30 AM on Saturday and my wife, being a South Korean native, will make sure we are up with coffee when kick off occurs.  Good luck to your country, as for me, if a game between a South Korea and the  U.S.  occurs it would likely result in my wife and I watching the game in different locations =)

I just wanted to let admitted students know that we have been working hard to start our summer communication series but getting everyone together at the end of a busy school year has been a challenge.

We are extremely close to distributing summer math tutorial information so please hang tight and we will have the information for you soon.  I will post a message here when it is ready and you can expect to receive an email as well if you are an admitted student that has paid your deposit.

We are also dedicating more time to tracking official test scores and transcripts and as I have stated before, we will be flexible with the stated June 15th deadline.   Test scores come to us in encrypted files and now that we have passed the enrollment deadline and graduation we are now beginning to unlock the majority of the files for importing into our system.

Thank you always for your patience.

Admitted applicants who have paid the deposit and confirmed enrollment for this fall will soon receive information on a summer math tutorial.   The first year at SIPA is filled with required quantitative courses.  Economics, quantitative analysis, and financial management are the building blocks of effective policy making.

The purpose of the summer math tutorial is to give students a jump start on the first year curriculum.  The summer math tutorial will also help prepare students for a math quiz that will be administered during orientation to help make class placement decisions.  Many of our admitted applicants have not sat in a classroom in years and the tutorial is meant to knock some of the mental rust off.  Also of note is that to qualify for second year fellowship consideration, students must have a GPA of 3.2 at the conclusion of the first semester.

While the summer math tutorial is highly recommended for all admitted MIA and MPA students, it is not a requirement.  It will be administered online, so no matter where you are in the world, as long as you have an internet connection you will be able to participate.

So if you have been admitted and paid a deposit, hang tight for a little while longer and information on the summer tutorial will be sent to you via email soon.  We will also be posting some of the syllabi used in our core courses this past year to give you an idea of what you might expect from the core curriculum.

I have been dominating the blog lately and I thought all of you might like a break from all application, all the time posts.  The following is information contributed by Kristoffer Tangri, a second-year SIPA student from Germany pursuing a MIA degree with a concentration in International Security Policy.

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Six SIPA students will be participating at a high level international conference on the politics and economics of the international financial system. The conference takes place on the 7^th and 8^th of January in Paris. Accommodation and travel costs will be fully covered by the French Ministry of Immigration, Integration, National identity and Solidarity Development through SIPA’s partner school at Sciences Po Paris.

Programme and Speakers (subject to change)

1st Round Table: “Have we tackled well the crisis?” (Thursday 7 January, 10h30-13h)

Christine Lagarde, Minister of Economy and Finance (France)
Giulio Tremonti, Minister of Economy and Finance (Italy)
Jean Paul Fitoussi, Economist, President, OFCE
Jean Claude Trichet, President, ECB
Mohammed Ibn Chambas, Executive Director, CEDEAO
Anders Borg, Minister of Finance (Sweden)
Lubna Olayan, Chief of Enterprise

2nd Round Table: “New world, new governance” (Thursday 7 January, 15h-17h30)

Jacques Attali, Economist, Consultant
Howard Davies, Director, London School of Economics
Taib Fassi-Fihri, Minister of Foreign Affairs (Morocco)
Joseph Stiglitz, Economist, Nobel Prize winner 2001
Celso Amorim, Minister of Foreign Affairs (Brazil)
Bozidan Djelic, Deputy President Minister and Minister of European Affairs (Serbia)
Jean-Pierre Jouyet, Director, AMF
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director General, World Bank

3rd Round Table: “After the crisis: Should we change our vision of the world?” (Friday 8 January, 9h-11h30)

Helen Alexander, President, Patronal Syndicate, CBI (UK)
Pascal Lamy, Secretary General, World Trade Organization
Alain Minc, Director of Enterprise, Consultant
Michel Rocard, Former Prime Minister (France)
Jeffrey Sachs, Economist, Advisor to Secretary General of the UNO
Amartya Sen, Economist, Nobel Prize winner, 2006
Gamal Mubarak, Assistant Secretary General, National Democratic Party (Egypt)
Mary Robinson, Former President of Ireland, President, IIDE

Sometimes our alumni make the news, and sometimes they are the news.  Sharon Epperson is a graduate of SIPA and may be familiar to those who watch CNBC.  The following comes from her CNBC profile:

Sharon Epperson, an award-winning journalist and author, covers personal finance, the energy markets as well as breaking business and financial news at CNBC. She appears frequently on NBC’s “Today,” “NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams,” MSNBC, and various NBC affiliates nationwide.

Her personal finance book, The Big Payoff: 8 Steps Couples Can Take To Make The Most Of Their Money — And Live Richly Ever After (Collins/HarperCollins), is a finalist for the 2008 Books For A Better Life Awards, honoring works that have “changed the lives of millions.”

You can check out Sharon’s CNBC profile by clicking here.

At 4:00 P.M. today SIPA students will have the opportunity to hear from an expert in climate change and economics, and shortly thereafter from a Nobel Peace Prize winner.

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A conversation with Sir Nicholas Stern, author of The Economics of Climate Change: The Stern Review and  Patel Professor of Economics and Government and Chair of the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics.

4:00 pm
Room 1512, International Affairs Building
Sponsored by the School of International and Public Affairs

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A conversation with Martti Ahtisaari, 2008 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and former president of Finland
6:00 pm
Kellogg Conference Center, 15th Floor, International Affairs Building
Sponsored by SIPA and the Center for International Conflict Resolution.

Photo Credit to Wikipedia

John Hughes is a second-year MIA student that will be working in our office this year.  At SIPA we have no summer courses and the specific reason for this is that we want our students to go out and get professional experience.  We want them to build on their first year in the classroom, develop professional skills, network, and learn things that will help them to more wisely choose courses in their second year of study.

This will be the first in a series as we have several students working in our office this year, so stay tuned for more.

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I spent this summer in Austin, Texas, conducting an internship at STRATFOR, a geopolitical forecasting and consulting company.  STRATFOR organizes its geopolitical staff among regions, with each region researching and writing about key current and future events that will likely impact the region and broader world.  STRATFOR offers a web-based subscription service where clients have access to all the analyses, and also performs tailored individual consulting projects for clients.

I split my time between the Latin America and Eurasia teams, spending half the summer in each.  The company deliberately put me on to the LatAm team to begin the summer because they knew I had no experience in the region and wanted me to go in to the analyses “dumb.”  I learned an incredible amount about the region over the next six weeks, especially in the countries that I covered: Brazil, Argentina and Venezuela.  While researching Eurasia I had the chance to do quite a bit of economic research related to the global economic crisis, and was further allowed to write two of my own pieces that were published to the client site.

There were fifteen interns total this summer, working with a geopolitical analyst team of ten staff.  Thus, we interns overlapped in our area responsibilities, and collaborated quite a bit on our research.  We also all sat together in the “intern pen,” a large rectangular cubicle filled with computers.  Needless to say, we got to know each other quite well.  The intern class was a mix of undergrads and graduate students, with the tasks varying depending on skill level and training.  Fundamentally, however, we all conducted in-depth research for senior analysts on a range of topics, depending on what was important for the day or week.

Besides a wonderful internship experience, I was able to experience Texas for the first time this summer.  Unlike most of my friends at SIPA, who were off to travel the globe, I was off to travel to a whole new part of America.   Besides the oppressive summer heat, I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed Austin.

The town itself is filled with a number of cool bars and restaurants, an amazing live-music scene, and is filled with independent stores.  Plus, both the barbecue and Tex-Mex fare in Austin, and Texas in general, is top notch.  The other interns and I quickly formed a bond and ended up spending a good amount of time together outside of work exploring what Austin had to offer.  Furthermore, my wife was able to join me for three weeks, during which time she and I traveled to Dallas, the hill country west of Austin, and to the coast.

Overall, it was a great experience, and one that I would certainly do over again.   My coursework at SIPA focuses on political and economic risk analysis, and the internship was a great way to apply these studies to a real-world consultancy.   Much of the research I conducted, though on different topics than my SIPA papers, was remarkably similar to what I do at SIPA.  I found that the core courses at SIPA have given me a unique way to look at the world, and one that helped me to focus on what was important in my research at STRATFOR.

Also, when conducting economic analysis for the company, I definitely used the skills I have learned at SIPA.  A year ago I would never have known what was important when conducting macroeconomic research, but SIPA’s econ courses have certainly helped me in that regard.  I am happy to report that I’ll be continuing on part-time as an intern this fall for STRATFOR, and look forward to applying the knowledge I gain from my coursework there!

Admitted applicants who have paid the deposit and confirmed enrollment for this fall will soon start to receive a series of emails from the SIPA Student Affairs Office.  One such email will concern the summer math tutorial.  The first year at SIPA is filled with required quantitative courses.  Economics, quantitative analysis, and financial management are the building blocks of effective policy making.

The purpose of the summer math tutorial is to give students a jump start on the first year curriculum.  The summer math tutorial will also help prepare students for a math quiz that will be administered during orientation to help make class placement decisions.  Many of our admitted applicants have not sat in a classroom in years and the tutorial is meant to knock some of the mental rust off.  Also of note is that to qualify for second year fellowship consideration, students must have a GPA of 3.2 at the conclusion of the first semester.  While the summer math tutorial is highly recommended for all admitted MIA and MPA students, it is not a requirement.

So if you have been admitted and paid a deposit, hang tight for a little while longer and you can expect to start receiving emails from the Student Affairs Office soon.

Kemal Dervis will teach a two semester course on global economic governance at SIPA, following the conclusion of his tenure as head of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Dervis will co-teach with José Antonio Ocampo and will be a fellow of the Committee on Global Thought during the 2009 – 2010 academic year. Prior to his appointment with the UNDP, Dervis was a member of the Turkish Parliament (2002 – 2005), Minister of Economic Affairs of Turkey (2001 – 2002) and Vice-President of the World Bank (1996 – 2001).

Photo credit to UNDP.