MA in International Education

Who We Are

The International Education MA Program is designed to prepare professionals who understand the international implications of their responsibilities and have the ability to utilize knowledge across international boundaries. The program develops educational experts who can design, implement, manage, and evaluate international education programs in schools, colleges, foundations, multinational corporations, and public and private educational and cultural agencies. Students are exposed to a multidisciplinary faculty, consisting of anthropologists, economists, historians, philosophers, political scientists, and sociologists, who apply the theoretical, conceptual and methodological advances in the humanities and the social sciences to the analysis of international educational policies and institutions.

Students complete a 40-credit curriculum which includes foundational courses in international education theories, qualitative and quantitative research methods, an internship, and electives that develop a specialized area of expertise in a field of international education, as well as an area studies concentration. Students may complete the program in three semesters of full-time study.

Our faculty have expertise in areas including:

• Cultural exchange
• Comparative education
• Public diplomacy
• The social stratification of schools
• Comparative perspectives on race/ethnicity
• Immigrant history and adaptation
• Economics of education
• Education in conflict areas
• Humanitarian action
• Community-based education development
• Education, peace, and conflict

Why Choose the International Education MA Program at NYU?

• Internships: Our semester-long internship program provides access to dozens of agencies, organizations, and projects in the field of international education. The internship acquaints you with current practices in the field, introduces you to the everyday life of the profession, and develops your professional networks to help you secure a job after graduation. Recent internship placements include Institution for International Education, NYU Office of International Students and Scholars, Sesame Street Workshop, UNESCO, and the U.S. Department of State (Washington, D.C.).
• Global Network: Our International Education programs offer students extraordinary opportunities for study, professional development, and networking, and applied learning at New York University’s academic centers in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America.
• Special Areas of Study: To best prepare you for entry-level and advanced careers in international education, our advisers and faculty work closely with you to plan your course of study, choose electives, find internships, and select research topics geared to your interests and professional goals. The curriculum includes training in both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Students can also take electives from across the university, providing exposure to a wide range of faculty expertise.
• Get Involved: Join the International Education Student Board, a group of students committed to creating social and professional events for the student body. Or, collaborate with fellow students as part of the Diversity and Inclusion Student Committee to plan social justice initiatives and events which foster a more inclusive community.
• Recent Alumni Placements: Graduates have taken on positions at a variety of international education organizations, universities, and governmental agencies, including CIEE International Study Programs, the Institute of International Education, International Rescue Committee, International Resources Group, Office of Global Programs at NYU, and USAID.

About NYU Steinhardt

NYU Steinhardt's one-of-a-kind integration of education, health, the arts, and media studies puts us at the heart of a movement: education for social change.

Steinhardt students are passionate about helping others.

Our mission is to advance knowledge, creativity, and innovation at the crossroads of culture, education, and human development. We exemplify NYU’s commitment to be of public service.

Our academic programs are ranked among the country's best.

NYU Steinhardt's master's programs in applied psychology, education, health, media, music and performing arts professions, and the arts and arts professions attract recent college graduates, established professionals seeking licensure or certification, and career changers. Our curriculum gives our students the opportunity to study abroad and experience hands-on learning.

Advanced certificate programs allow you to pursue study in specialized areas of applied psychology, education, music and performing arts, and physical therapy.

We also offer PhD programs that prepare graduates for careers in academic research and teaching, as well as professional doctoral programs for advanced practice in education fields, the arts, occupational therapy, and physical therapy.

We're redefining holistic education.

Our students belong to a strong and supportive community of scholars – a warm, nurturing environment that encourages the exploration of new ideas. Our faculty lead in their professional fields and collaborate across academic disciplines: teachers working with psychologists and health professionals, musicians with speech pathologists, educators with visual artists. They work with students to research topics like the effects of immigration on learning, childhood nutrition, and obesity, and how digital media is transforming social relationships. Our research institutes impact scholarship and policies around the globe.

At Steinhardt, learning takes place in and out of the classroom.

For more than a century, we’ve been building partnerships in our community: with local schools, families, community agencies, arts organizations, cultural institutions, and healthcare facilities. A Steinhardt education consists of rigorous classroom study as well as interning at New York City’s top media companies, clinical placements at renowned hospitals, or student teaching in one of the world’s most diverse school systems. It means unrivaled opportunities for professional training and career advancement.

We prepare you to lead in a global society.

Like the city, we call home, our faculty, students, and staff represents an extensive range of backgrounds, viewpoints, and perspectives. And though our roots go deep in New York, our work at home is influencing – and influenced by – our connections abroad. Every day, Steinhardt graduates continue to change the world.

NYU's International Rankings

• #7 – US News & World Report, Best Graduate Schools in Education
• #27 – Times Higher Education World University Rankings
• #29 – Academic Ranking of World Universities
• #52 – QS World University Rankings

School Timeline

Founded in 1890 as the School of Pedagogy, NYU Steinhardt was the first professional school devoted to teacher education to be established at an American university. The School's early mission was to educate school administrators and prepare men and women for work in colleges of teacher education. By 1921, the School was educating teachers at all levels and across all fields, including the arts and health, offering undergraduate through doctoral degrees. As the education field expanded, the School broadened its focus to incorporate new knowledge and scientific developments, and new programs emerged.