The SID Second Year
Master of Arts
in Sustainable International Development
Kelley Ready, Nancy Pratt, Joshua Ellsworth, Marion Howard
Agenda
• Options for second year
– Specifics
– Requirements
– Information from recent past experiences
– Sources of funding
• Support for securing a practicum
– Career Development
– Practicum Coordinator
– Assistant Director
Options for the SID Second Year
• Practicum
• Advanced study
• Specialization
– Gender and development
– Development management
– Environmental conservation
• Alternative practicum track
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China (BNU)
Ghana (UDS)
India (TERI)
Thailand (AIT)
SID requirements
• All students must have fulfilled all first year in residence
requirements to move to the second year
• Passing grades in all required classes, a minimum of 16 credits per
semester, and no outstanding financial obligations
• For Advanced Study
– Approved proposal (Summer)
• For Specialization
– Offer from host organization with Terms of Reference (ToR)
– Approved proposal (Summer)
• For Practicum/Alternative Practicum
– Offer from host organization with Terms of Reference (ToR)
– Approved proposal (Summer)
Practicum requirements
• Professional level position at a host development
organization
• Full time (equivalent to 35-40 hour work week)
• A minimum of six months
– From at least September 1 – March 1
• Work under the leadership of a designated Field
Supervisor
Benefits of doing a practicum
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Put your graduate school learning into practice
Gain additional or new experience
Learn firsthand about organizational culture
Experiential learning about a development problem or
issue that matters to you
Acquire new contacts
May improve language ability
Be part of sustainable development initiatives on the
ground in a new setting and culture
Low tuition costs
Practicum challenges
•Identifying a practicum you want
•Finding a host organization that wants you
•Full-time work
•Probably have to move for six months
•May have to adjust to a new culture and context
– Challenge and benefit
•Writing your master’s paper on your own time, while
working full-time at a host organization
What qualifies as
a host organization?
• Development IGOs, INGOs, multi- & bilaterals,
government, private sector, NGOs, CBOs, etc.
• Major international organizations’ headquarters in
Washington, New York, Geneva, Bangkok, Nairobi, etc.
• International and national organizations’ field stations
and offices
• National and regional development organizations
• Grassroots and local development organizations
• Private development agencies
• Field and applied research institutions
Host organization requirements
• Must have been in existence for at least two
years
• Must have an office and space for you to work
– Working remotely is not an option
• Must provide a designated field supervisor
• Must have at least two full-time staff
Some of this year’s host
organizations
• United Nations, mostly UNDP but also UN Women,
UNESCO etc. in USA, Panama, Thailand, Turkey, Brazil
(10 students)
• Oxfam-America (4 students in various programs)
• Mercy Corp in Beirut, Lebanon, working with Syrian
refugees
• Sports & Development-Grassroots Soccer in Tanzania,
Shooting Star Basketball Program in Rwanda and
Boston
• World Resources Institute (2 students)
More of this year’s practicum
• BRAC in Bangladesh (3 students)
• A student from Sierra Leone is in Cambridge with the
Human Rights Education Association
• A student from India is doing a practicum with the Center
for Sustainable International Development
• A student from Uganda is working with an NGO in
Boston that provides services to mostly Somali
immigrants
• A student from US is working on the African Storybook
Project in Kenya with two SID alumni
Advanced study
• A second year of coursework in the field of holistic sustainable
development
• Second year master’s seminars in fall and spring
• Time for dedicated literature review and reading
• Go deeper into areas of interest
• Explore new approaches
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Course in other Heller programs
Courses in other Brandeis graduate schools (IBS, GSAS)
Courses in Consortium Schools
Independent study
• Contact: Prof. Josh Ellsworth
Specialization
• A practice-focused specialization in a significant sub-field
of sustainable development: development management,
gender & development, or environmental conservation
• MA/SID degree plus a certificate letter of specialization
• 3 month field practicum in fall semester with specialized
coursework (16 credits) in spring semester
• Option for advanced study students: 3 month summer
practicum with specialized coursework (16 credits) in
spring semester
• Contact: Prof Marion Howard
Alternative track practicum
• Alternative track practicum combined classroom study at a
partner university with associated field research:
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Beijing Normal University (BNU), China
University of Development Studies (UDS), Ghana
Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Thailand, in Climate Change
TERI University, India, in Climate Change
• Supervised field research
• Exposure to work of local institutes, NGOs, and
researchers
• Contact: Prof. Joseph Assan
Sources of Funding for non-US
Citizens
• Davis Putter Scholarship Fund
– provides need-based grants to students who are actively working for
peace and justice
• http://www.davisputter.org/
• Education for Sustainable Development Scholarship (ESDS)
– students pursuing advanced studies in sustainable energy development
– http://www.globalelectricity.org/en/index.jsp?p=79
• AAUW Scholarships
– fellowships for women who are not US citizens or permanent residents
– http://www.aauw.org/what-we-do/educational-funding-andawards/international-fellowships/
– Deadline to apply December 1, 2014
Fellowships for US Citizens
• Peace Corp Response
– Must be either a RPCV or have ten years of experience
• http://www.peacecorps.gov/volunteer/response/
• Switzer Foundation Fellowship
– have strong academic qualifications with academic and career
goals focused on environmental improvement.
• http://www.switzernetwork.org/become-fellow
• Boren Fellowships
– An initiative of the National Security Education Program (NSEP)
– Provides funding for U.S. graduate students to study less
commonly taught languages in world regions critical to U.S.
interests
– Has a NSEP Service Requirement
http://www.borenawards.org/boren_fellowship
Sites to Use to Search for Funding
• http://heller.brandeis.edu/admissions/financial/externalaid.html
• http://www.scholars4dev.com/6499/scholarships-in-usafor-international-students/
• http://www.iefa.org/
• http://www.internationalscholarships.com/
• http://www.oas.org/en/rowefund/FinancialGuideForHighe
rEducation.pdf
Support for securing a practicum
• The Career Development Center (Resumes, letters, interview prep)
– Nancy Pratt (international students)
– Adam Monteko (domestic students)
• Practicum coordinator
– Prof. Kelley Ready
• SID web page (http://heller.brandeis.edu/sid)
– Current Students
• MA/SID
• First year practicum students
• SID Second Year Handbook (new version in spring)
• Spring workshops
• Faculty and alums
Networking & online resources
• Online resources
• heller.brandeis.edu/careers
• hellercareerconnect.com
– List of SID host organizations and the students paper titles on
the Heller website
• LinkedIn
• MA/SID First Year General Information
• Heller.brandeis.edu/students/academics/ma-sid/first-year/index.html
• Network!
– Informational interviews
– Fellow students, faculty, alumni, prior practicum placement sites,
Heller Research Institutes and Centers (Health, Youth, Assets,
Global Development, etc.)
LinkedIn groups
• A major advantage of LinkedIn is the ability to connect
with groups of like-minded individuals
• Examples include:
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Heller School subgroups
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Sustainable International Development
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Geographic specific groups
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Sub-categories of SID – environment, finance, etc.
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Moja Link – NGO, nonprofit, & philanthropy jobs
Networking and negotiation
• All of this Networking will help you with your job search as
well…
• Brush up on your negotiation skills. For those doing a
Practicum, you might have to negotiate the following to
include in your Terms of Reference (ToR):
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Job description/roles & responsibilities
Work schedule
Compensation/transportation/housing
Supervisory relationship and commitments
Other important information
• Meet with Career Advisors. We are here during the winter
break with phone or Skype appointments available!
• Attend career events
• Make sure that you have a complete profile with a
reviewed (and uploaded) resume in
hellercareerconnect.com
• Meet with the Practicum Coordinator
• Make sure that you have a LinkedIn profile
• Get business cards on heller.brandeis.edu/careers
• Join the trip to NY and D.C. in January and February and
make connections during the trip
Timeline for Practicum
• Before winter break – Meet with Career Development to
create a generic/targeted resume.
• During winter break, research opportunities, using
Hellercareerconnect.com, LinkedIn, and other resources.
• Refer to Career Guide on Networking and Information
Interviewing.
• If you have not yet met with Kelley Ready, Josh
Ellsworth, Joseph Assan or Marion Howard for an initial
discussion, please meet with them by February 1.
QUESTIONS?
Thank you!
Keep in mind that in Spring Semester you will:
• Receive training to prepare for your second year
• Identify a development problem or issue on which to
focus and start reading about it
• Request your permanent academic advisor
• Search dedicatedly for a practicum, if you are doing
practicum or specialization in your second year