Online Master of Arts in International Education Management

Our online Master of Arts in International Education Management (IEM) is specifically designed for working professionals. You will deepen your real-world expertise and expand your professional networks as you learn from and work with experts in international education.

We also offer microcredentials and credit for professional certificates to help you get started.

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Interactive Online Learning

Our interactive approach to online learning provides a high level of engagement with your faculty, career advisor, classmates, and alumni. You will join a supportive community and build a vast, experienced professional network while taking advantage of our flexible course scheduling.

Advance Your Career

Growing Market

The international education job market is rapidly growing after the pandemic. Employers are actively hiring and contacting us to recruit our students and alumni. The online IEM program gives you the option to work while you earn your master’s degree and save on relocation costs.

Career Advising

Our Center for Advising and Career Services can assist you with skills development, career exploration, and professional opportunities aligned with your experience, interests, and goals. 

Practicum

Gain professional experience through the practicum, working with study abroad programs, colleges and universities, youth exchange programs, ESL or language programs, and government agencies around the world.

Many students leverage the practicum for career advancement.

Community

The IEM program has a particular focus on community building. Our faculty, staff, and alumni are actively involved in mentoring current students and helping you develop as a leader.

Careers

Our graduates find meaningful careers in education abroad, international student and scholar services, language programs, citizen diplomacy programs, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and more. See how they are thriving in their careers.

Our Values

Practical Experience

Throughout your studies at the Middlebury Institute, you will work closely with professors and international education organizations on real-world consulting projects, including marketing, recruiting, program design, and assessment.

Intercultural Competence

Bridging cultural barriers is key to a successful career in international education, so you will take intercultural competence courses as part of your degree.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

Our faculty engage in critical anti-racist pedagogy in action and work toward interrogating and communicating our community values and beliefs. Through intentional course design, policy examination, and engaging the wider campus community to commit to equitable policies and actions beyond the classroom, we amplify voices that have been historically marginalized or excluded. Learn more about DEI efforts at the Middlebury Institute.

Sustainability

As the field of international education faces the rise of online instruction and the challenges of travel-dependent programs, we prepare you to manage sustainability in new ways. We integrate environmental justice with DEI efforts. We address global concerns such as the carbon footprint of international programs as well as financial sustainability, community sustainability, and personal sustainability. You will learn to responsibly leverage all of your resources—including technology, partnerships, funding, personnel, and personal—to adapt and evolve for the future, thinking globally and acting locally.

International Opportunities

The program offers immersive learning opportunities to help you gain deeper perspectives of international education outside of the U.S. and to practice language and intercultural skills. In the past, our students have taken courses in countries including Spain, France, Rwanda, and Cuba. These international opportunities vary from year to year and are available to online students.

Curriculum

You will develop the following competencies in this 12-course, 36-credit master’s program

Competencies:

• International education theory, strategy, and action
• Intercultural competence and social justice
• Program design and assessment
• Program administration
• Sustainable education

Explore your curriculum.

Customize Your Degree

Our flexible curriculum gives you opportunities to customize your degree:

• integrate Peace Corps service into your program
• professional practicum

Check out the program details for all of your options.

Microcredentials

The Middlebury Institute offers a host of microcredentials in international education management, language teaching, and intercultural competence. These allow you to upskill in targeted areas without having to commit to a full master’s degree. All courses are three credits, online, and asynchronous (no required live class meetings), so you can continue working. 

You may be particularly interested in the following microcredentials

• Foundations of International Education
• Managing International Education
• Designing and Assessing International Education Programs

If you complete all three of these microcredentials, you will have completed 75% of the MA in International Education Management. You will also have the option to apply credits earned in these microcredentials to the full degree in the future. Learn more about microcredentials.

Credit for Professional Certificates

We offer elective credits toward the MA in International Education Management for professional certificate programs. Each certificate is worth three credits. You can earn three credits for one certificate or a maximum of six credits for two certificates from the following list of eligible programs: 

• NAFSA Academy for International Education
• The Forum on Education Abroad: Professional Certification in Education Abroad
• DA Global: Global Education Diversity & Inclusion Certificate

This will allow you to graduate faster and pay less in tuition expenses.

Faculty: Professors and Practitioners

Our faculty combine academic expertise with years of professional experience and a genuine commitment to your success. They are actively engaged in major international organizations, including NAFSA, the Forum on Education Abroad, Diversity Abroad, and the Comparative and International Education Society. Meet our faculty.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Tuition for all of our online programs is $850/credit.

• Tuition rates are subject to change each year.
• The online IEM degree is 36 credits so your total tuition cost for this master’s program will be approximately $31,000.

We have designed this program to allow you to continue working as you earn your online master’s. Your asynchronous courses allow you to engage each lesson on your own schedule. You may also be able to take advantage of education loans and employer tuition benefits.

Review tuition costs.

U.S. Public Service Loan Forgiveness

The U.S. Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program is a valuable opportunity for those working in education, and public service fields. If you pursue our TESOL master’s program and work for a qualifying employer, such as a government or nonprofit organization, you may be eligible to have your federal student loans forgiven after making 120 qualifying monthly payments. This program is designed to help ease the financial burden of student loans while you contribute to your community through education. To learn more about eligibility and the application process, visit the PSLF website.

How to Apply

We take a holistic approach when considering your application, looking at your academic and professional background, international and multicultural experience, and career goals. We welcome applicants with or without experience working in education, and our program has numerous opportunities for you to gain or expand your professional experience before you graduate.

We do not require GRE or GMAT scores for our master’s programs, but competitive scores may strengthen your application and positively influence scholarship decisions. Learn how to apply.