Next Application Deadline February 1 Get Info

Launch your career in international trade, stimulating innovation, boosting economic growth, and reducing poverty.

Our Master of Arts in International Trade is specifically designed to give you real-world experience before you graduate, culminating in a semesterlong practicum working for an organization like the WTO, the U.S. International Trade Commission, KPMG, or a range of private companies. This program is also referred to as International Trade and Economic Diplomacy (ITED).

Fall or spring 42 3 semesters
(12–16 months)
Monterey, California Live

Find out if International Trade is right for you

Policy Makers in the International Marketplace

This is a very special program because we have designed this with a particular career set in mind. And that career set is for people that want to work in the global marketplace. We’re gonna follow US trade policy from its beginning, 1789 when Congress marched in the United States, and the hottest issue today of course is Trade Promotion Authority, that is the authority from Congress to the President.

I hope to work in trade policy in D.C., there’s a lot of really interesting opportunities there and I love the program here. It really focuses on exactly what I want to do which is crafting international trade policy. So the United States has government sponsored entities, Australia has government business enterprise that New Zealand has the crown entities, so.

Right, I said NAFTA, right? One regional agreement, and that might be difficult for the US to accept. 

I would like to work in trade compliance, either in-house with a company that does a lot of importing and exporting. And needs someone that’s familiar with the regional trade agreements and free trade agreements that the US is a part of, which is so much of what we do in the trade program.

We have put together a very carefully structured program intended to teach the knowledge, skills, and abilities that have been identified as what’s needed to succeed in this market.

The work that we’re doing in the classroom genuinely reflects the types of questions that are going on in the professional world. And I know that because having gone to D.C. and spoken with alumni and listened to the type of work that their doing, nothing sounded unfamiliar to me.

We have specially designed our program to be as relevant as possible. And to do that, we have designed a program where it will be conducted for two semesters here in Monterey. And then a final semester will be in Washington, D.C., where policy is being made.

The spring break trip to Washington, D.C., which I did just a few weeks ago, was really eye opening. Through that experience I was able to start a network in D.C. of people who are doing what I wanna do. And those people directly helped me get my internship this summer. When they go out into the market place they will have experience that others have only read about but ours have actually been implementing real life negotiations in the classroom.

Our methods of market access are focused on Canada, Mexico and Peru.

It gives me a great pleasure to represent a country Japan in the TPP negotiation. Now Japan’s facing a challenge.

One thing that I’ve really gained while here at MIIS is I really improved my public thinking and I think that’s a function of being in these really small classrooms where you’re often put on the spot. Your opinion is going to be asked and you’re speaking with someone that’s been in the field that’s been working in the position you want to be in, in a few years.

We have very active immersion programs where people are going overseas and meeting with government officials meeting with people in Washington, in New York and as well as in Tokyo and Beijing and Delhi.

I chose MIIS because the professional and career focus. Where it didn’t leave me in a room studying and doing research for hours on end for years on end. I’m learning practical skills every single day. And I know that I’m gonna use these skills.

My goal is to be able to provide for them the infrastructure both in scholarship, in skills, abilities and experience to be able to excel and thrive in their chosen field.

Transform Your Career

Within one year of graduation, 99% of recent alumni are employed and 38% are earning $81,000+ annually.

  • Employed

  • Other

Career and Academic Advising

We integrate your career and academic advising, making sure your coursework aligns with your career goals. The same advisor will guide you from course registration to preparing for interviews and negotiating new career opportunities.

Alumni Network

Our large and influential alumni network in Washington, D.C., and other centers of international trade are eager to help you prepare for your next steps.

Practical Experience

  • You will gain the equivalent of multiple years of professional work experiences to add to your resume during the course of your master’s degree.
  • Your classes will often feature work with real clients, allowing you to develop practical skills before you graduate. 
  • You can earn your degree in 12 consecutive months to accelerate your return to the workforce or in 16 months giving you the flexibility to gain more practical experience via summer internships.
  • Our location in Central California puts us in the dominant import/export region in the U.S., home to major agricultural firms, the international economic hub in San Francisco, and Silicon Valley.
  • You will put theory into practice through a semester-long practicum in the field.

Careers

From NAFTA to the U.S.-China trade conflicts, trade is at the forefront of many public policy discussions. It is crucial to understand trade from diplomatic and practical standpoints. This is truly a pivotal time to launch a career in this critical area.

Our graduates are often hired before they complete their program, leveraging real-world projects from their classes, internships, and practicums to showcase their relevant professional experience. They are thriving in careers at organizations like Apple, the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the U.S. Department of Commerce. 

Explore careers in international trade

Curriculum

Build your expertise in these areas:  

  • Trade policy

  • Economic diplomacy  

  • Trade law and compliance  

  • Negotiation  

  • Data analysis  

  • Intercultural competence and a  second language  

You can customize your degree with electives that build on core competencies and develop skills for your chosen career path.

Explore your curriculum

42 -credit master’s
12 -month option
16 -month option

Customize Your Degree

Our flexible curriculum means you can customize your degree:

  • Put theory into practice through a semester-long practicum in the field.
  • Take career-related modules to deepen your expertise in commercial diplomacy and trade compliance.
  • Study a second language and/or intercultural competence.
  • Pursue an optional career-oriented specialization: financial crime management, intercultural competence, and language studies for professional purposes.
  • Earn two master’s degrees in just four semesters through our joint degree.
  • Peace Corps: Coverdell Fellows program for returned volunteers and an option to integrate Peace Corps service for potential volunteers.

Check out the program details for your options.

Joint Master’s Degree

Earn two master’s degrees in just four semesters with our Joint MA in International Policy and Development/MA in International Trade.

Faculty: Professors and Practitioners

Our faculty combine academic expertise with years of professional experience and include the former chief economist of the U.S. International Trade Commission. Together with career advisors, they mentor each student to ensure that they receive the academic and professional experience that will help them realize their career goals.

Meet your faculty

Advisory Council

The International Trade program’s advisory council is a group of highly successful professionals, including many alums of the program, who work with faculty, providing counsel and advice to keep the program on the cutting edge of the dynamic world of trade and diplomacy. In addition, advisors often work directly with students as they prepare to begin their careers. The group includes leaders from the WTO, IBM, Visa, Cisco, Dell, the American Chemistry Council, and the International Working Group on Export Credits.

Meet the advisory council

Research and Practice

Build valuable professional experience while earning your degree through our research centers, labs, and initiatives:

  • The working paper series showcases research by students in the International Trade program ranging from China’s digital trade to NAFTA.
  • CoLab cultivates relationships between neighboring universities and communities to collaboratively address complex local problems.
  • The Mixed-Methods Evaluation, Training, and Analysis (META) Lab addresses the growing need for data-savvy professionals across a broad range of fields.
  • The Monterey Initiative in Russian Studies enables students with advanced Russian language skills to professionalize their interest in Russia and Eurasia.
  • Team Tandem is an intercultural exchange program, connecting Institute Spanish students with English learners in Salinas. 
  • The Digital Learning Commons is your campus hub for technology, creative problem solving, exploration, and peer-to-peer teaching and learning.

Scholarships and Financial Aid

More than 95 percent of students who request scholarship consideration receive institutional support. You may receive merit, need-based, partner, and external scholarships and financial aid, which are available to both U.S. and international students.

The 12-month and 16-month options for this program allow you to get back into the workforce—earning a salary—faster and potentially save on housing costs.

Your personal enrollment advisor can help you think through financing this important investment in your career development.

Review tuition costs

How to Apply

We take a holistic approach when considering your application, looking at your academic background, international exposure, professional experience, and career goals. We welcome applicants with or without work experience, and our program has numerous opportunities for you to gain professional experience before you graduate. This approach aligns with the Institute’s core values of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

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

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ITED Career Outcomes

Our graduates find careers in policy analysis, trade compliance, and trade negotiation in private businesses, government, and civil society around the world.

Career Outcomes

99%
employed within one year of graduation
75%
earn $61K+ annually
40%
using a second language at work
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Next Application Deadline: February 1

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