Applications are continuously being printed as files are compiled and reviewed.
But we’re taking a break. If you need to reach us, please note that the Office of Admissions & Financial Aid will be closed, December 23 – December 27. Our office will close again for the New Year on December 31. We will be back on January 3, 2012 (shortly before the application deadline).
Happy Holidays!
The application deadline for our MIA/MPA two year program is Thursday, January 5th.
Below is a check list of all the documents we will need to receive by the deadline so go through the list as you edit your essays (for the third time) or rewrite your CV and make sure nothing is forgotten.
First Topic (500 Word Maximum)
What distinct impact do you hope to have on the world in the future? Please be as clear as possible about your future goals, the policy/public service issue(s) you are passionate about, and your personal motivation(s). Be sure to include details regarding the features of SIPA that you believe are integral to helping you in your pursuits and what skills you need to develop to achieve a lasting impact.
Second Topic (300 Word Maximum)
Please CHOOSE ONE of these options to write about – do not address both, pick one or the other.
A competition is being conducted that will provide one million dollars as seed funding to start a new organization. The competition requires a 300 word essay/statement. Compose a 300 word essay/statement to submit in order to be considered for this seed funding.
You have just read a news story that has deeply moved you. Compose a 300 word response in the form of a letter to the editor. The news story you are responding to can be real or fictional and does not need to be limited to the present time – it can be framed in the past, present, or future.
Third Topic (200 Word Maximum)
Please share any additional information about yourself that you believe would be of interest to the Admissions Committee. Please focus on information that is not already reflected in the other parts of your application or might not be clear in the information submitted
GRE or GMAT (GRE/GMAT scores are valid for five years.)
TOEFL or IELTS exam for applicants whose native language is not English (TOEFL/IELTS scores are valid for two years.)
Our preferred method is that you upload unofficial copies of your transcripts to the application Web site. When scanning transcripts to upload, be sure to scan the reverse side of the transcripts if applicable or any additional pages that include comments on the grading system used. Transcripts not in English must be translated into English prior to uploading. If you cannot read the transcripts, we will not be able to either. Thus after scanning your transcript you should print it to see if it is legible. Once you have determined that it is legible please upload the transcripts.
Transcripts may also be mailed to our office; the registrar should seal the transcript in an envelope, sign across the seal and return it to you. Do not open these envelopes or break the seals. Some universities may prefer to send transcripts directly to our office. If this is the case, please have official transcripts sent to:
Office of Admissions and Financial Aid
420 West 118th Street, 4th Floor
Mail Code 3325
408 International Affairs Building
New York, NY 10027
All documents, except foreign transcripts judged irreplaceable, become the property of Columbia and cannot be returned. All documents must be in English or accompanied by certified translations.
One final note… The Admissions Committee only accepts documents that are specifically asked for in our instructions. As much as we would like to be able to read writing samples and other information you might wish to submit, our tight time line and desire to treat every applicant fairly means that we will only put required documents in your file for review – all other documents will be discarded.
Good luck! And Happy Holidays!
Happy Friday! SIPA students are finishing their semester. Finals are around the corner and then many will go home for the holidays, some will attend the Annual DC Career Conference, while others may travel and begin work on their capstone projects. The halls may be quieter without the chatter of faculty and students but our Admissions Office will remain busy as we begin to match documents to applications. The deadline for fall 2012 admission consideration for our MIA, MPA, and MPA-DP programs is quickly approaching. The application and all required documents must be submitted to our office by January 5th, 2012… a little less than a month away.
The sooner an application is submitted, the better. Once an application is submitted and the fee is paid we print the application and start a file in our office. This will allow us to track documents associated with each application. Applicants can then view the documents received by logging in to the application site. The tracking process does not begin until an application is submitted. Submitting your application well before the deadline will ensure that we have the most time possible to communicate with you and can start reviewing files soon after the January 5th deadline.
If you have questions about the program or about your application, please contact our office at +1.212.854.6216 or at [email protected].
I believe you can learn a lot about a school by visiting it — wander around campus, visit a class and speak to our students. You may feel the same energy and excitement that I experience every day here as you walk across campus and enter the SIPA building. There always seems to be something happening here!
Aside from classes and SIPASA activities, as a SIPA student you also have the opportunity to attend several thought-provoking SIPA events on campus each week, ranging from general information sessions on internships, panel forum on police reform, lecture on energy, a film screening and commentary on conflict resolution . This week’s feature event is on Thursday, December 1, 2011; 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm: “The U.S. and Global Growth Challenges ” a lecture with Lawrence H. Summers, Charles W. Eliot University Professor of Harvard University. Register.
If you are interested in learning more about SIPA, our programs and how to apply, you can attend one of our information sessions on campus. They are held weekly on Monday evenings and Friday afternoons, excluding holidays. If you are interested in visiting us, please contact our office at 212.854.6216 or at [email protected].
Hope to see you around!
By Molly Powers
At the Office of Admissions we get a lot of questions about the MPA in Development Practice (MPA-DP also known as MDP). It’s understandable, considering that the degree program was established in 2009 and just graduated its first class in May 2011. As a current second-year MPA-DP student, I am often the go-to person fielding these questions, so in the interests of sharing some insights with folks who can’t come by our office, I’m highlighting a few of the most common queries here.
Q. Where did the MPA-DP degree come from anyway?
A. The creation of the MPA-DP degree was one of the core recommendations of the International Commission on Education for Sustainable Development Practice, supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The year-long Commission was co-chaired by Jeffrey D. Sachs, Director of The Earth Institute at Columbia University, and John McArthur, then Executive Director of Millennium Promise, and comprised 20 top thinkers in the field of sustainable development, including the CEO of CARE, the then Executive Director of UNICEF, and a former president of Mexico.
This group concluded that there is significant and growing demand for generalist development professionals – individuals highly trained in a set of cross-disciplinary competencies that prepares them to address the complexities of sustainable development. Leaders in the field need multidisciplinary knowledge and skills to solve problems in an increasingly complex and dynamic world.
There are now students pursuing MPA-DP or MDP degrees at more than 20 universities around the world. You can learn more at the Global MDP Secretariat website.
Q. What is the difference between MPA-DP and a traditional MPA?
A. Each MPA-DP or MDP program around the world may be slightly different, although they share the same cross-disciplinary objectives. At SIPA, the MPA in Development Practice program is a two-year MPA degree, but the student cohort is smaller (fewer than 50 students per class) and the core courses differ somewhat from a traditional MPA. The MPA-DP is geared toward development practitioners with some field experience who are interested in a multi-sectoral approach to sustainable development and poverty alleviation.
Due to the number of required core courses in varied subjects such as health, food systems, management, infrastructure, and economics, MPA-DP students do not select a concentration or specialization. As with a traditional MPA, macro and microeconomics, statistics, and professional development are required, but MPA-DP students are not required to do a capstone project in their fourth semester (though they may if they apply and are accepted).
One of the major differences is the nature of the MPA-DP internship. Rather than find their own internship, MPA-DP students are matched with select partner organizations for a three-month field internship in a developing country during the summer between first and second year. Otherwise, most courses available to MPA and MIA students are also available to MPA-DP students.
Q. What kind of background do MPA-DP students have?
A. There’s a big range. My cohort includes four engineers, six Returned Peace Corps Volunteers, a lawyer, four corporate consultants, two with experience working in corporate social responsibility, a number of entrepreneurs who started their own non-profit enterprises, and many who have experience with international NGOs like WWF or multilateral organizations like UNDP and ILO. One thing is for sure, MPA-DP encourages potential students to gain hands-on field experience before applying to the program.
For each cohort, we seek diverse international representation and undergraduate degrees. The first two MPA-DP classes include students from 21 countries, coming from a range of academic backgrounds including economics, business, engineering, computer science, agriculture, public health, biology, religion, history, communications, political science, law and international relations. The cultural and professional diversity within each cohort is a powerful asset for learning and contributing to a vibrant program.
Q. Is the MPA-DP program more quantitatively rigorous?
A. The MPA-DP degree requires that students take advanced 6400 level macro and microeconomic analysis for international affairs rather than the (slightly) less advanced 4200 level. This is in preparation for some of MPA-DP’s other core curriculum including Human Ecology and Energy and Infrastructure Planning. Economics is a key component of international and public affairs and students who have not been exposed to statistics or a college-level economics class will find the first semester particularly challenging.
That said, MPA-DP is not significantly more rigorous than the traditional MPA or MIA degrees, quantitatively speaking, and people who have not cracked open a calculus textbook since high school should not feel discouraged from applying. Speaking for myself, I came to the program with a Religious Studies and Anthropology major, having little exposure to economics and having avoided statistics in college. I struggled with some of the concepts, but managed to do better than I expected. So long as you are able to demonstrate quantitative competency (I had taken a number of natural science courses and my work experience included budgeting and excel), you should be able to survive, and even hone new skills.
Q. What kind of jobs are MPA-DP graduates qualified for?
A. MPA-DP graduates are qualified for the same jobs as MPA and MIA graduates, although the degree is particularly well suited for work in international development-oriented organizations requiring fieldwork. Grads are equipped to understand and solve complex development problems at local, national, and global levels. In addition, the small size of the cohort and the program’s alliance with the Earth Institute and Global MDP Secretariat gives students access to additional networks through which to pursue career opportunities.
In May 2011, our first class of 23 students graduated from the program. They have since found jobs with a diversity of organizations across 9 countries. These include positions in the World Bank, US government, foreign governments, international NGOs, development consulting firms, entrepreneurial ventures, philanthropic organizations, and universities.
Q. How do I select a Summer Field Internship site?
A. The three-month summer field internship is an essential component of the MPA-DP curriculum and is designed to provide students with practical work experience in sustainable development practice. MPA-DP students are given a number of possible, approved sites and organizations employing integrated approaches to sustainable development around the world. Students are also provided descriptions of project work that is available at these sites, then rank their preferences, and are matched in teams of 3-4 with these preferences and the site needs in mind.
In 2011, MPA-DP students worked in six Sub-Saharan African countries with Millennium Villages Projects, in Bangladesh with BRAC, in Cambodia with Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation, and in East Timor with the Earth Institute. The number of projects and countries will expand in 2012 to include Haiti as well as more Asian, African, and Latin American project sites. To read student blogs from summer field internships, you can visit this site.
Q. Can I do a dual degree with MPA-DP?
A. As of 2011, the answer is no. It is not possible to combine the international dual degrees, such as the two-year London School of Economics Degree or Sciences Po Program in Paris with MPA-DP because of the specific core requirements for the degree. The MPA-DP curriculum is densely mapped out over 22 months and cannot be completed in only one year at SIPA. Domestic, three-year dual degrees with Mailman School of Public Health or the School of Social Work, for example, might be more feasible, but are not currently available to MPA-DP students.
Q. Can I submit an application to both the MPA-DP and to a traditional MIA/MPA?
A. Yes, you may apply to both MIA/MPA and MPA-DP programs by creating two separate applications. The MPA-DP admissions process does not differ significantly from the traditional MIA and MPA process. The same elements are required (application, personal statements, traditional and quantitative resumes, GRE or GMAT, and 3 recommendations), however the MPA-DP applications are reviewed by a different committee to select a well-balanced cohort.
For more information, interested applicants should also check out the MPA-DP website, or contact the program manager, André Correa D’Almeida, directly at [email protected] or at (212) 854-2636.
"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
Office of Admissions & Financial Aid
514 West 113th Street, New York, NY 10025
Main: 212.854-6216
Fax: 212.854.3010
[email protected]
[email protected]