Not sure which heading to put this under, but Student Life seems like maybe the best fit..
I wonder why it is that an MIA student is unable to study abroad in either London or Singapore (or Paris without French fluency) and obtain a dual degree, where the MPA is able to. It seems strange to me that the internationally focused degree at SIPA is unable to obtain equal heading as the public administration focus, especially considering the very nature of internationally studying abroad.
Besides the dual degree issue, there is a financial one. For an MIA to study in Singapore for example, they must pay Columbia's tuition (and do not receive a degree from LKY). The MPA however pays the Singapore tuition (which is about a 4th of SIPA's) and receives a dual degree.
Also, the language requirements for MIAs and MPAs are different. Why is it that a MIA must already be fluent in French to study abroad in Paris, but not a MPA? Understandably, the MIA has a language requirement for graduation. But, is there a better place for someone to further their language skills than in the country where it is used? Also, to study in Tokyo, Japanese fluency is required. Needless to say, this winnows down the potential list of students able to partake in the exchange to mainly Japanese. Unfortunate in that this seems to detract a bit from the intended nature of an exchange program.
As an MIA student I came to SIPA specifically for internationally oriented programs and study. I think the new roads being paved with foreign institutions is great, and is very promising. I do however find the current situation to be, particularly for an MIA student wanting to study abroad, discouraging.
Is it possible to host more social events at SIPA? For example, happy hour on the 6th floor once a month (like B-School Thursdays). It would create a more cohesive SIPA environment and allow students who do not have time to travel downtown for the big parties to hang out.
It is the policy of the OSA to include an advertisement of a studeng group event ONLY TWICE in its daily "SIPA Events and Announcements" emails.
The rationale of this policy is that "students have complained about the repetitive nature of the email announcements."
I personally do not share that assessment. Two-times are not enough to publicize any events. The one-week-in-advance-at-the-earliest rule, though, sounds reasonable to me.
I am concerned that this new twice-only policy was instituted without much input from the student body, which includes those who complained and those who didn't. I certainly did not hear about it anywhere. We cannot impose the opinion of a certain group on the whole school.
I think the EMPA students should be a little more integrated in terms of speakers, etc. I understand that the daytime students have more flexibilty and are in school all week, however, there should be a way to invite speakers to our Saturday classes.
I think, although I may be wrong, the reason why MIA students can't earn the dual degree is because the foreign institutions don't have an MIA program or are not set up to support it. The 'MIA' is a relatively new concept, and not many schools outside the US offer the degree
5 comments:
Not sure which heading to put this under, but Student Life seems like maybe the best fit..
I wonder why it is that an MIA student is unable to study abroad in either London or Singapore (or Paris without French fluency) and obtain a dual degree, where the MPA is able to. It seems strange to me that the internationally focused degree at SIPA is unable to obtain equal heading as the public administration focus, especially considering the very nature of internationally studying abroad.
Besides the dual degree issue, there is a financial one. For an MIA to study in Singapore for example, they must pay Columbia's tuition (and do not receive a degree from LKY). The MPA however pays the Singapore tuition (which is about a 4th of SIPA's) and receives a dual degree.
Also, the language requirements for MIAs and MPAs are different. Why is it that a MIA must already be fluent in French to study abroad in Paris, but not a MPA? Understandably, the MIA has a language requirement for graduation. But, is there a better place for someone to further their language skills than in the country where it is used? Also, to study in Tokyo, Japanese fluency is required. Needless to say, this winnows down the potential list of students able to partake in the exchange to mainly Japanese. Unfortunate in that this seems to detract a bit from the intended nature of an exchange program.
As an MIA student I came to SIPA specifically for internationally oriented programs and study. I think the new roads being paved with foreign institutions is great, and is very promising. I do however find the current situation to be, particularly for an MIA student wanting to study abroad, discouraging.
Is it possible to host more social events at SIPA? For example, happy hour on the 6th floor once a month (like B-School Thursdays). It would create a more cohesive SIPA environment and allow students who do not have time to travel downtown for the big parties to hang out.
It is the policy of the OSA to include an advertisement of a studeng group event ONLY TWICE in its daily "SIPA Events and Announcements" emails.
The rationale of this policy is that "students have complained about the repetitive nature of the email announcements."
I personally do not share that assessment. Two-times are not enough to publicize any events. The one-week-in-advance-at-the-earliest rule, though, sounds reasonable to me.
I am concerned that this new twice-only policy was instituted without much input from the student body, which includes those who complained and those who didn't. I certainly did not hear about it anywhere. We cannot impose the opinion of a certain group on the whole school.
I think the EMPA students should be a little more integrated in terms of speakers, etc. I understand that the daytime students have more flexibilty and are in school all week, however, there should be a way to invite speakers to our Saturday classes.
I think, although I may be wrong, the reason why MIA students can't earn the dual degree is because the foreign institutions don't have an MIA program or are not set up to support it. The 'MIA' is a relatively new concept, and not many schools outside the US offer the degree
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