Curriculum

Requirements

Core course work (24 credits):

• Principles and Practices of International Education (3 credits)
• Social Issues, Justice, and Change in Education (3 credits)
• International Education Program Design (3 credits)
• International Education Marketing and Recruiting (3 credits)
• International Education Assessment (3 credits)
• Managing People and Resources in Cross-Cultural Contexts (3 credits)
• International Education Project OR Comparative International Education (3 credits)
• International Education Policy (3 credits)

Language Studies and Intercultural Competence (8 credits)

• 8 credits language studies OR 8 credits intercultural competence

Electives (10 credits)

• 10 credits, must include 6 from an approved list.
• Students may also use their electives to take additional language studies and/or intercultural competence courses

Practicum (6 credits)

Core Course Work

The interdisciplinary core course work is made up of 24 credits and emphasizes the learning goals of the program.

Principles and Practices of International Education

Engage the fundamental principles of international education in program design, assessment, advising, partnerships, and social justice. You will explore career specializations in education abroad, international student services, admissions and recruitment, citizen diplomacy, youth programs, and more while interacting with practitioners and building your professional network.

Social Issues, Justice, and Change in Education

Explore the relationships between international education and power, privilege, equity, diversity, and inclusion. Investigate notions of oppression and transformation, and the conditions which facilitate and block social justice and change at the system, institution, program, and personal levels. Focus on how the select social topics intersect with international education: race and ethnicity; gender, sex, and gender identity; colonial and white settler identities; environmental sustainability and justice; and immigration and forced mobility, among others.

International Education Program Design

Apply conceptual frameworks for program design, with an emphasis on utilizing logic models to guide program planning. Learn how to build and test program design ideas, identify models of good practice, and link to assessment for quality assurance. Examine human-centered approaches to program design, such as design thinking and universal design for learning. Practice iterative program development approaches individually and with peers to create a research-based program plan aligning activities with the desired impact. 

International Education Marketing and Recruiting

Create a marketing and recruiting plan for an education organization eager for your advice. Learn how to define and segment your market, analyze the competition, build internal and external collaborations, and explore ethical dilemmas in recruitment.

International Education Assessment

Assessment in the international education context prioritizes learning outcomes, with an emphasis on global and intercultural learning. Examine approaches to assessment, draft and evaluate learning outcomes, and write assessment plans. Critique existing assessment tools and practice creating new assessment tools. This course supports the development of essential assessment skills for practitioners.

Managing People and Resources in Cross-Cultural Context

Examine the complexities of staff and budget management in international and cross-cultural contexts. Specifically, you will learn about job description development, advertisement, inclusive selection processes, inclusivity and ethics, managing remote teams, theory and practice of budgeting, and cost analysis.

International Education Project

In this project-based course, students identify, design, and prepare to design and assess a project in partnership with an international education organization. Project work expands upon design and assessment courses and allows students to draw comprehensively from core and elective IEM classes. Working in small groups with the guidance of faculty and international education mentors, students apply their knowledge of international education theory and good practices, organizational management, human-centered design, ethics and standards, and equity-minded approaches to create high-quality international educational programming.

Comparative and International Education

Explore the breadth of educational systems and structures around the world, and the cultural, historical, philosophical, and economic forces that shape these systems. Study the effects of globalization, the role of international organizations and NGOs, and issues of diversity, access, and inclusion.

International Education Policy

Look into the role of global and national policies in shaping education. Examine national policies of education in the contexts of policy convergence, borrowing, and lending. Explore trends such as education as a form of soft power or trade, and aid for education.

Language and Intercultural Competence

Courses taught in your chosen language combine language skills development with topics related to your IEM degree work and professional interests. Our intercultural competence (ICC) offerings provide the cross-cultural skills needed to pursue global careers.

You are required to choose either 8 credits of language studies or 8 credits of intercultural competence. We encourage you to speak to your enrollment advisor to determine which option best aligns with your career goals. Additional language or ICC courses may be taken as electives. Your language or ICC courses can be used toward an optional Language Studies for Professional Purposes specialization or optional Intercultural Competence specialization.

Sample language studies courses:

• Teaching Chinese in a Globalized Context (in Chinese)

• Comparative and International Education in Latin America (in Spanish)

• Models and Decision Making for Positive Change (in French)

Sample ICC courses:

• Intercultural Group Dynamics

• Multilingual Communication in Multicultural Settings

• Developing Intercultural Trainings in Organizations 

Electives

Students take a total of 10 elective credits: 6 from an approved list and four credits from course(s) offered in any Middlebury Institute program. The approved list includes all international education management courses, all intercultural competency courses, all language studies courses, and selected courses from other Institute programs.

Sample courses:

• Education Abroad (Study Abroad) Management

• International Student and Scholar Services

• Fostering Diversity and Inclusion

• Organizational Sustainability of NGOs

• Introduction to Language Program Administration

• Counseling Skills for Advisors

• Higher Education Administration

• Global Education and Technology

• Proposal Writing for International Development

• Educational Diplomacy

• Biculturalism and Multiculturalism 

Practicum

In your final semester, you will gain essential professional experience through full-time work, in an international education organization. During your IEM practicum you will be supported by a professor and peers through an online course, while you utilize the knowledge and skills you will have developed at the Middlebury Institute to design and run high impact programs.

Specialization Areas (Optional)

Students may specialize in one of the following areas:

Intercultural Competence

The 16-credit Intercultural Competence specialization equips students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to lead and train multicultural teams, to interact with diverse stakeholders, to create effective assessments and training materials, and to meet the challenges of working and interacting in intercultural settings.

Language Program Administration

This 20-credit specialization in Language Program Administration focuses on professional skills such as developing budgets and monitoring expenses, training teachers and aides, and evaluating language program effectiveness.

Language Studies for Professional Purposes

To address the world’s most challenging problems, we need to understand one other, and there is no better way to understand others than to speak their language. Through this 12-credit specialization in Language Studies for Professional Purposes, you will greatly develop your proficiency in your target language and expand your global career opportunities.

Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) or Teaching Foreign Language (TFL)

A 15-credit specialization in TESOL or specialization in TFL provides broader professional expertise and additional career avenues in language education and curriculum design.

Additional Program Options

Joint MPA/MA in International Education Management

Earn a Joint MPA/MAIEM in five semesters. This integrated curriculum features four semesters of course work and a one-semester professional practicum in the international education development field. It offers a multidisciplinary approach to education as a tool for development.

Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program

Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) are encouraged to apply for the Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program.

Options for Peace Corps Service

Interested students can integrate Peace Corps service into their degree.

Sample Course Schedule

Fall Start, Full Time, Three Semesters