Curriculum: International Education Management

Learning Goals

Our curriculum is designed around a distinct set of learning goals to promote the relevant skills and knowledge that foster meaningful intercultural understanding and interactions in international education.

Requirements

Core coursework (24 credits)

Language studies and/or intercultural competence (8 credits)

Electives (10 credits)

Practicum or thesis (6 credits)

Core Coursework

The interdisciplinary core coursework 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 that 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 implement 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 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 Studies and Intercultural Competence

You are required to choose either eight credits of language studies or eight credits of intercultural competence (ICC). 

Sample language studies courses:

• Japan and the World (in Japanese)

• 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: six from an approved list and four from courses offered in any Middlebury Institute program. The approved list includes all international education management courses, all ICC courses, all language studies courses, and selected courses from other Institute programs.

Sample courses:

• Global Education and Technology
• Education Abroad Management
• International Student and Scholar Services
• Education and Development
• Introduction to Language Program Administration
• Service-Learning: Domestic and International Partnerships
• Student Services for Holistic Student Development
• Higher Education Administration
• Data Interpretation and Presentation

Practicum or Thesis

You will gain professional experience through the required practicum, working with study abroad programs, colleges and universities, youth exchange programs, ESL or language programs, and government agencies around the world. Alternatively, you may conduct original research for a thesis on an international education topic of your choosing. Many students leverage these opportunities for career advancement.

Specializations

Optional specializations are available.

Sample Course Schedule