The Ford Dorsey Master's in International Policy (MIP) at

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

is a two-year graduate program granting the Master of Arts degree. Housed within Stanford's

Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies Stanford University has many centers and institutes dedicated to the study of various specific topics. These centers and institutes may be within a department, within a school but across departments, an independent laboratory, institute or center ...

, MIP is a multidisciplinary program dedicated to the study and analysis of international affairs. The current director of MIP is

Francis Fukuyama Francis Yoshihiro Fukuyama (; born October 27, 1952) is an American political scientist, political economist, and international relations scholar, best known for his book '' The End of History and the Last Man'' (1992). In this work he argues th ...

, also the Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. Dr. Chonira Aturupane is the associate director of academic and student affairs.

History

MIP was established as a one-year master's program in 1982. Following a $7.5 million gift from philanthropist Susan Ford Dorsey in 2007, the program was renamed the Ford Dorsey Program in International Policy Studies (IPS), and was housed within Stanford's Global Studies Division. The gift coincided with IPS becoming a two-year program, as well as the introduction of a practicum as a capstone to the program. In 2018, the program was redesigned and renamed the Ford Dorsey Master's in International Policy (MIP), now housed within Stanford's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. This change reflects a restructuring of the program beyond policy analysis, toward evidence-based policymaking and achieving policy change in the real world.

Student body

The Ford Dorsey Master's in International Policy sees an incoming class of 20 to 30 students. About 42% of the class comes from abroad.

Curriculum

The program offers the following degrees: MA in international policy, joint degrees with the

Stanford Law School Stanford Law School (SLS) is the Law school in the United States, law school of Stanford University, a Private university, private research university near Palo Alto, California. Established in 1893, Stanford Law had an acceptance rate of 6.28% i ...

(JD/MA) or Public Policy Program (MPP/MA), and a dual degree as part of a three-year program with the

Stanford Graduate School of Business The Stanford Graduate School of Business is the Postgraduate education, graduate business school of Stanford University, a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California. For several years it has been the most selective ...

(MBA/MA). The interdisciplinary program combines a scholarly focus with practical training to prepare students for careers in public service working on international issues. It is geared toward analysis of international policy issues in diplomacy, governance, cyber security, global health, and environmental policy, and also offers research opportunities. In addition to core course requirements, each student is expected to specialize in one of five areas of concentration: * Cyber Policy and Security * Energy, Natural Resources, and the Environment * Global Health * Governance and Development * International Security During the second year of the program, students are required to enroll in the practicum course for two quarters. Students choose elective courses related at least broadly to international policy. There is also an exchange program between MIP and the

Diplomatic Academy of Vienna The Diplomatic Academy of Vienna (DA; German: ''Diplomatische Akademie Wien''), also known as the Vienna School of International Studies, is a postgraduate professional school based in Vienna, Austria, with focused training for students and pro ...

. Every year, two second-year students from each institution receive fellowships to study for a quarter at the other institution.

Faculty

Students are taught and mentored by faculty from the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. Notable affiliated faculty includes former Secretary of State

Condoleezza Rice Condoleezza "Condi" Rice ( ; born November 14, 1954) is an American diplomat and political scientist serving since 2020 as the 8th director of Stanford University's Hoover Institution. A member of the Republican Party, she previously served ...

, former Secretary of Defense

William Perry William Perry may refer to: Business * William H. Perry (businessman) (1832–1906), American businessman and entrepreneur * William Perry (Queensland businessman) (1835–1891), businessman and politician in Queensland, Australia Politics an ...

, former United States Ambassador to Russia

Michael McFaul Michael Anthony McFaul (born October 1, 1963) is an American academic and diplomat who served as the United States ambassador to Russia from 2012 to 2014. McFaul became the Ken Olivier and Angela Nomellini Professor in International Studies in ...

, former United States Ambassador to Afghanistan

Karl Eikenberry Karl Winfrid Eikenberry (born November 10, 1951) is a retired United States Army Lieutenant General (United States), lieutenant general who served as the United States Ambassador to Afghanistan, U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan from April 2009 to Ju ...

Larry Diamond Larry Jay Diamond (born October 2, 1951) is an American political sociologist and scholar in the field of democracy studies. Diamond is a senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University's main center ...

, Amy Zegart, Michael Armacost, and Coit Blacker. Former

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

chief security officer

Alex Stamos Alex Stamos (born 1979) is an American, cybersecurity expert, the former chief security officer (CSO) at Facebook. His planned departure from the company, following disagreement with other executives about how to address the Russian government's ...

is an adjunct professor and William J. Perry Fellow, and Brett McGurk, the former U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL, is the Payne Distinguished Lecturer.

Internships

There is a summer internship program for students between their first and second years, to work with organizations that focus on international policy issues. MIP students have completed internships at institutions including the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

, Cologne Institute for Economic Research, and the

National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA ) is an American scientific and regulatory agency charged with forecasting weather, monitoring oceanic and atmospheric conditions, charting the seas, conducting deep-sea exploration ...

Policy Change Studio

As a capstone to the MIP degree, second-year students complete a two-quarter course called Policy Change Studio, in which students work in teams to address pressing global policy issues for organizations. Past organizations include the Department of State, Millennium Challenge Corporation, Sandia National Labs, Asia Foundation, and the Defense Intelligence Agency.

References

External links

* {{Stanford University Stanford University Public policy schools Schools of international relations in the United States Educational institutions established in 1982 1982 establishments in California