Curriculum

Requirements

Core course work:

• Principles and Practices of International Education (2 credits)
• International Education Marketing and Recruiting (3 credits)
• Logic Model Frameworks for International Education (1 credit)
• International Education Design and Assessment (4 credits)
• Managing People and Resources in Cross-Cultural Context (3 credits)
• Comparative International Education OR International Education Policy (2 credits)

Language Studies and Intercultural Competence (8 credits)

• 8 credits language studies OR 8 credits intercultural competence

Electives (14 credits)

• 14 credits, must include 9 from 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 course work emphasizes the learning goals of the program.

Principles and Practices of International Education

Engage the fundamental principles of international education through a focus on seminal literature in the field. You will also explore career specializations through interactions with practitioners and individual course assignments. 

International Education Marketing and Student Recruitment

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.

Logic Model Framework for International Education

Learn the purpose and practice of utilizing logic models for design and assessment in the international education context. This course emphasizes principles of the Theory of Change and the Program Logic Model. Logic Models are further developed in other courses.

International Education Program Design and Assessment

This project-based course provides you with the opportunity to study the stages of program development as well as learn and practice assessment methods. You will put your learning into practice working with an international education organization.

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.

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 issues of access and inclusion.

International Education Policy

Look into the role of global and national policies in shaping education. Examine national polices of education in the contexts of policy convergence, policy 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 fourteen elective credits: nine from an approved list and four credits from course(s) offered in any Middlebury Institute program.

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

• Language Program Administration

• 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