Master of International Affairs
Study International Affairs in a Global City
New York City is home to the United Nations, global businesses and foundations, and more international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) than any other American city. There’s no better place to study international affairs and no more competitive, affordable school than Baruch College‘s nationally recognized Austin W. Marxe School of Public and International Affairs.
The Marxe School offers a two-year, 42-credit Master of International Affairs for a new generation of forward-thinking students committed to responsible leadership in government, global institutions, international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) and business. The program can also be taken part-time.
View full tuition and fee schedules by program
Choose from Four Concentrations
Meet Some of Our Alums

Claudia Huerta, MIA 2019
C40 Cities – City Diplomacy and Campaigns Manager
I came to Marxe from the private sector with the hope of transitioning to a fulfilling public sector career, although I wasn’t totally sure what form I wanted that career to take. The amazing faculty and diverse courses helped me define that path and I’ve now landed exactly where I want to be, working at the nexus of climate and migration. Two of the best opportunities at Marxe: The Washington Semester and my internship at the Inter-American Development Bank, which kick-started my public sector career, and the Capstone program, where I created a project that helped me land my current job.”

Ogo Sylla, MIA 2020
Momentum Communications Group-Assistant Account Executive
I came to Marxe from Senegal, hoping to bring my skills as a journalist to the nonprofit sector. It turned out even better: I now work for a public relations agency that specializes in impact communications for nonprofits. My job allows me to interact with multiple organizations across the country and with some global partners. The MIA program prepares students to take on issues with worldwide implications. The most important part may be how it honed my writing skills and taught me how to best communicate mission-driven work.”

Sara Hoenes, MIA 2020
United States Senate-Staff Assistant
I came to Marxe and the MIA program after a long career in the performing arts. As a non-traditional candidate, I didn’t know where I would land. After interning for an international development nonprofit during the Washington Semester, I became interested in how I could support locally led development initiatives. I now work on Capitol Hill for Senator Patty Murray, where I support our policy team on everything from US foreign relations to appropriations for Washington state.”
For more information on our alums and jobs click here.
Meet Some of Our Faculty

Carla Anne Robbins
Faculty Director and Clinical Professor of National Security Studies
Today global is local and borders are increasingly meaningless when it comes to meeting the greatest challenges.”
Dr. Robbins researches and writes about national security issues and the nexus of US foreign policy and politics. Before coming to Baruch, she was Deputy Editorial Page Editor at The New York Times and Chief Diplomatic Correspondent at The Wall Street Journal. She is also an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Desmond Arias
Marxe Chair of Western Hemisphere Affairs and Professor
The Marxe School’s Master of International Affairs program connects our students to a dynamic faculty addressing cutting-edge issues affecting our world. We prepare our graduate students to tackle global policy challenges.”
Dr. Arias researches security and politics in Latin America. His most recent book is Criminal Enterprises and Governance in Latin America and the Caribbean.
He has served as a consultant to the Ford Foundation, the UN Development Programme, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, and UN Habitat and was the principal author of the UN Introductory Handbook on Policing Urban Space.

Deborah Balk
Professor and Director, CUNY Institute for Demographic Research
Local and global issues are inextricably intertwined, particularly where climate change is concerned. The MIA offers a great venue to learn about issues and apply tools for today’s big challenges.”
Dr. Balk is a spatial demographer whose research focuses on urbanization and climate change. She currently serves as Co-Chair on the New York City Panel on Climate Change’s 4th Assessment, is a member of the Society and Economy Working Group of the New York State Climate Impacts Assessment, and the National Academy of Sciences Committee
on Population.

John Casey
Professor and Faculty Director, MPA Program
We are the closest MIA program to the UN, with many of our students working there. Our graduates are equipped to work with international NGOs, multinationals, and intergovernmental organizations.”
Dr. Casey is an expert on the management of NGOs and INGOs and most recently the author of The Nonprofit World, Civil Society and the Rise of the Nonprofit Sector. He has served as an adviser to the European Union and done extensive research on the globalization
of policing.

Frank Heiland
Associate Professor and Associate Director, CUNY Institute for Demographic Research
The MIA program at Baruch – in the heart of NYC – is unique in bringing together highly engaged and diverse students with expert students with expert faculty who help them prepare for successful public and non-profit leadership roles.”
Dr. Heiland is an economist and demographer who has published on a wide range of topics, including the effects of the early retirement rules of the US Social Security system, the social dynamics of obesity, and the determinants of East-West German migration after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Asli Leblebicioglu
Marxe Endowed Chair in International Economics and Governance, and Associate Professor
For our students to succeed in a globalized world–whatever their path–understanding international economics is essential.”
Dr. Leblebicioglu’s research program is centered around issues in international macroeconomics, with a special focus on financial frictions, trade policy, and economic growth.

Zachariah Mampilly
Marxe Chair of International Affairs and Professor
The Marxe School is the only international affairs program in the city that seeks to cultivate such a diverse student body and bring them into the real world of international policy. I am thrilled to be a part of this exciting and essential project.”
Dr. Mampilly’s research focuses on Africana studies, democracy, inequality, social movements and political violence.

George E. Mitchell
Associate Professor and Director, Center for Nonprofit Strategy Management
The Marxe School has an extraordinary concentration of leading faculty in public management and international affairs in the heart of the most exciting city in the world.”
Dr. Mitchell’s research and teaching focus on nonprofit and NGO management, leadership, and strategy. His book, Between Power and Irrelevance, examines how leading INGOs are adapting for the future.

Anna D'Souza
Associate Professor
This is an exciting new program because we are able to draw on the most current research and approaches to international affairs education.”
Dr. D’Souza is a development economist who studies food security and nutrition, conflict and instability, governance, and international trade. She has worked for the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and consulted for the World Bank.

Rubia Valente
Assistant Professor
Addressing the worlds’ most pressing challenges requires the understanding of global systems, societies, and cultures. Our MIA program allows students to explore these issues in New York City, one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world and a true living laboratory.”
Dr. Valente’s research uses advanced quantitative methods and socioeconomic theory to investigate the impact of policies on underrepresented and marginalized groups, providing empirical support for addressing socioeconomic inequalities due to race, class, and gender in social, political, religious, and educational institutions. Her research also evaluates the impact of public policies on the quality of life (a.k.a. happiness) of minority groups. Dr. Valente’s regional focus is Latin America and Brazil.

Don Waisanen
Professor
Our Master of International Affairs graduates launch into their fields with the cutting-edge perspectives and skills that global organizations are demanding in one of the fastest periods of change in human history.”
Dr. Waisanen teaches Global Communication and Communication Strategy. He is the author of seven books, including Immigration and Strategic Public Health Communication: Lessons from the Transnational Seguro Popular Project (with Rob Smith and Guillermo Yrizar Barbosa) and Improv for Democracy: How to Bridge Differences and Develop the Communication and Leadership Skills Our World Needs.

Mitchel Wallerstein
President Emeritus and University Professor
The rules and principles of the Liberal World Order are under serious threat. While pursuing a graduate degree in the MIA program, students will have the opportunity to study and understand these and other global challenges in real time.”
Dr. Wallerstein served for five years as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Counterproliferation Policy and Senior Defense Representative for Trade Security. He is also a Senior Non-resident Fellow on U.S. Foreign Policy at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. His teaching focuses on national and global security challenges, including proliferation and climate change.
Contact Us
For information on the program and courses, contact:
Carla Robbins, Faculty Director of the MIA
Carla.Robbins@baruch.cuny.edu
For information on the Admissions process, contact:
The Office of Graduate Admissions & Enrollment Services
mspia.admissions@baruch.cuny.edu
(646) 550-6750