A merican
U ni v ersity
School OF
International
Service
Your Degree, Your Future
Sample of Internships and Employers | AB Bellington | Academy for Educational Development | Accenture | ACDI/VOCA | Academy for Educational
Development | AFL-CIO | Africare | American Academy for Diplomacy | American Red Cross | American Rivers | AMIDEAST | Amnesty International | Andes
Foods, Brazil | AT&T | Atlantic Council of the US | Associated Press | Association for International Practical Training | Bank of South Africa | BBC | BBS Ohta
Showa Consulting | Bearing Point | Booz, Allen, & Hamilton | Bread for the World | Bretton Woods Committee | British Telecom | Brookings Institution
| Brown Brothers Harriman | Catholic Relief Services | Center of Economic Justice | Center for International Policy | Center for Socio-Legal Studies, UK
| Center for Strategic and International Studies | Central Intelligence Agency | Chemonics International | Citizen’s Network for Foreign Affairs | CNN
| Coca-Cola, Inc. | Communication Satellite Corporation | Conservation International | Cooperative Housing Foundation | Corporate Executive Board |
Council for International Exchange | Council on Foreign Relations | Counterpart International | Creative Associates International, Inc. | Dana Farber
Cancer Institute | Delphi International Program of World Learning | DevTech Systems | Development Alternatives, Inc. | Disney Channel | Economic
Strategy Institute | Ecotropica | Eisenhower Institute | Embassy of Bolivia | Embassy of Israel | Embassy of Italy | Embassy of Liberia | Embassy of Namibia |
Environmental Resource Management | Ernst & Young | Eurasia Foundation | Executive Office of Transnational Threats | Federal Bureau of Investigation
| Federal Communication Commission | Frances Kernodle Associates | Freshman Kast, Inc. | FMAC-Residential Funding | FON Technology, Spain | Friends
of Earth | ForestEthics | Fundecor | Fund for Peace | Georgetown University Law Center | Global Action for Children | Global Environmental Facility
| Global Fund for Women | Global Mechanism | Globalization Observatory | Global Rights | Government Accountability Project | Government of Japan
Grameen Foundation | Greenpeace | Heritage Foundation | Honeywell International | HSBC Bank USA, N.A. | Human Rights Watch | HydroGeologic, Inc. | i2
Technologies Japan, Inc. | IBM | ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability | Institute for Foreign Policy Analysis | Institute for International Economics
| Institute for International Education | Institute for Kurds | Institute for Multi-Track Diplomacy | Institute for National Strategic Studies | Institute
for Social and Economic Development | Institute for World Politics | Intellibridge Corporation | InterAction | Inter-American Development Bank |
International Bureau of Broadcasting | International Criminal Court | International Crisis Group | International Executive Services Corps | International
Finance Corporation | International Foundation for Election Systems | International Fund for Agricultural Development | International Management
| International Monetary Fund | International Republic Institute | International Technology & Trade Associates | International Telecommunications
Satellite Organization | International Trade Administration | Internews | Isaac Walton League | JET Program | Kennan Institute for Advanced Russian
Studies | Korea Economic Institute of America | Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau | Kyoto News | Latham & Watkins | Lutheran Immigration and Refugee
Service | Management Systems International | Marriott Hotels | Medecins Sans Frontiers | Medley Global Advisors | Mercy Corps | Microsof | Middle
Eat Institute | Migration Policy Institute | Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Qatar | Missile Defense Agency | Morgan Stanley | MPRI Communications | NASA
| Nathan Associates | National Association for Government Communicators | National Association of Corporate Directors | National Association of
County and City Health Officials | National Council for International Visitors | National Crime Prevention Council | National Defense Council | National
Democratic Institute for International Affairs | National Endowment Trust | National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association | National Marine Fisheries
Service | National Parks Conservation Association | National Peace Foundation | National Security and Natural Resources News Service | NATO | Natural
Resources Defense Council | Nature Conservancy | NBC | NHK – Japan Broadcasting Corporation | Nippon Research Center | Nomura Research Institute |
Nonviolence International | Northern Uganda Peace Initiative | NTIAOrganization of American States | Overseas Private Investment Corporation | Oxfam
| Pacific Council on International Policy | Palmer & Dodge LLP | Pan American Woods | Peace Corps | Phido Productions Inc. | Pinkerton Global Intelligence
Services | RAND | Reuters Television | Refugees International | Sabanci University | Samaritan’s Purse | Save the Children | Science Applications International
| Search for Common Ground | Senate Committee of Foreign Affairs | Sierra Club | Smithsonian Institution | Social Science Research Council | Social
Security Administration | STE Corp | Survey Action Center | TASC | Teach for America | The Nature Conservancy | The Scowcroft Group | Taiwan News
| Timor Aid | Transport Logistics International | United Nations Association of the National Capital | United Nations Development Program | United
Nations Education, Culture, and Science Organization | United Nations High Commission for Human Rights | United Palestine Appeal | Urban Forestry and
Landscape Planning for San Jose | US Agency for International Development | US Air Force | US Army | US-Brazil Business Exchange | US-China Business
Council | US Defense Intelligence Agency | US Department of Agriculture – Foreign Service | US Department of Commerce | US Department of Defense |
US Department of Energy | US Department of Homeland Security | US Department of Justice | US Department of State | US Department of Treasury | US
District Court of the Virgin Islands | US Environmental Protection Agency | US Institute for Peace | US House of Representatives | US Naval Criminal
Investigative Systems | US News & World Report | US-Saudi Arabian Business Council | US Small Business Administration | Vital Voices Global Partnership
| Wachovia Bank | Wall Street Journal | Washington Post | Western Resource Advocates | Woodrow Wilson Center | World Bank | World Federalist
Association | World Health Organization | World Learning | World Resources Institute | World Science Federation | World Space Foundation | World
Vision | Worldwatch Institute | World Wide Fund for Nature | World Wildlife Fund for Nature | Youth Advocacy Program International | Zeitgeist
Photo courtesy of NBC News.
Welcome
“The mission of the
school is not only the
development of good
thinkers, but the
development of people
who are concerned
about the world...”
to American University’s School of
International Service, a unique environment
for learning and practical training. As
a member of this community, you will
>>
develop the knowledge and the practical
David Gregory, BA ’92,
Moderator, Meet the Press.
skills necessary for a successful career in
international service. Whether you choose
a career in the public or private sector, SIS
alumni and current students distinguish
themselves through their commitment to
>>
service. We hope that after you look through
this publication you will have a sense of
Anita Dey, MA ’00, Asia
Regional Specialist, Federal
Communications Commission.
what SIS has to offer you and your future.
To see more of our graduates’ success stories, visit
http://www.american.edu/sis/success/index.cfm.
>>
Timothy Burroughs, MA ’05,
Program Officer for the Cities for
Climate Protection Campaign
at ICLEI-Local Governments for
Sustainability.
Natalie Hausknecht, BA ’04,
Co-founder, The Institute for Kurds,
2006 Marshall Scholar.
Dr. James Schear, BA ’75,
Director of Research, Institute
for National Strategic Studies.
“So I come out this
evening… to express
my good wishes to all
students who will enter
that school to go into the
service of our country
in the noblest work that
our nation can possibly
pursue, and that is
the seeking of a peace
based on justice and the
right.”
>> The School of
International Service is the
largest school of international
relations in the United States.
The School’s goal is to build
a cosmopolitan community
that creates knowledge
through teaching, research,
and public dialogue.
The faculty challenge
students to care about the
moral, philosophical, and
practical implications of an
interdependent world. The
multidisciplinary curriculum
emphasizes the operative
word in the school’s title:
service.
John Prendergast, MA ’90,
Senior Advisor, International Crisis
Center and an activist focused
on human rights issues in Africa
including Darfur, Congo, and
Uganda.
>>
>>
Be Part of
the School of
International
Service’s
Legacy and
its Mission
“Political and economic
development challenges
are at the root of so many
of the world’s problems.
We have to understand
the issues if we are
going to advocate for
meaningful change.”
U.S. President
Dwight D. Eisenhower
SIS ground-breaking ceremony
1958.
>>
“My startup company,
International
Transparency Solutions,
is designed to provide
social investors with the
due diligence tools they
need to make investment
in the developing world
more effective, secure, and
comfortable. I continue
to maintain a close
relationship with SIS to
assist in advancing new
and innovative approaches
to global development, and
to make sure all students
have access to the exciting
opportunities taking place
in social innovation!”
Esther Benjamin, MA ’92, Director
of Global Operations for the United
States Peace Corps and 2009 SIS
Alumna of the Year.
Sarah Ahmed, MA ’05,
Senior Program Assistant for
Iraq Programs at the National
Democratic Institute.
>>
Marco Puccia, BA ’09,
Founder and CEO, International
Transparency Solutions.
>> SIS students participate
in a number of significant
projects domestically and
internationally through
academic exploration and
professional experience.
SIS students have won
the largest number of
Presidential Management
Fellowships of any school
in the country — 18 in
2009 alone. This means
that these students are
guaranteed jobs within the
U.S. Federal Government
immediately after graduation
and are fast-tracked into
management positions.
David Schneider, BA ’07,
Analyst, U.S. Government
Accountability Office
“AU’s strong international
relations program at
SIS, the cosmopolitan
environment of
Washington, D.C., and
SIS’ support for my study
abroad in Beijing
provided the foundation
for launching a career
path in China. An
internship at Coca-Cola
China and experience
in China jump-started
my career within the
Coke system here.”
J.C. Brooke, BA ’95, Strategic
Customer Manager, Shanghai
Shenmei Coca-Cola Bottling
Company
related research around the
world. Marshall Scholars,
Truman Scholars, Boren
Fellows, Fulbright Fellows,
Tinker-Walker Fellows, and
many others have extended
their educational opportunities
outside the AU classroom. SIS
graduates and students work
and conduct research around
the world from Afghanistan
to Australia, from Canada
to China, from India to
Israel, and from Sri Lanka to
Sweden.
>>
>> According to Princeton
Review, American University
is ranked as the “most
politically active campus”
in the United States. In the
Princeton Review’s annual
Best Colleges guidebook,
Washington, D.C. is ranked
as one of the “top 10 Great
College Towns” in the United
States. American University’s
84-acre campus is located in
Northwest Washington, D.C.
just minutes from downtown
Washington, and near
Embassy Row, the National
Cathedral, and other historic
landmarks.
“I wrote my SIS/Honors/
capstone on food aid
shortfalls and the World
Food Programme, with
great support coming
from SIS faculty. After
graduation, I was fortunate
to land a job with the U.S.
Government Accountability
Office (GAO). Within
the International Affairs
and Trade group, we
examined the use of local
and regional procurement
in international food aid.
I cannot imagine a more
rewarding experience,
and I really have the staff >> SIS students win many
other prestigious fellowships.
and faculty at SIS and
This provides them with
AU to thank for that.”
financial assistance for career-
“I found SIS to be the
preeminent school of
international service in
the United States because
it gave me and other
students the intellectual
tools to be successful in
any sector — private,
public, non-profit —
while challenging us to
use our careers to serve
the global community.
SIS helped me
realize that a job in
international relations
extends far beyond the
oft-thought of careers
of diplomacy and
intelligence.”
Ann Blair Mersinger, BA/MA ’08,
International Relations Specialist,
Office of African and Middle East
Affairs, U.S. Department of Energy.
Presidential Management Fellow.
>>
>> American University is
a culturally diverse campus
with students from 135
countries. The School of
International Service enrolls
more than 2,500 students
in its undergraduate and
graduate programs. With
widely divergent opinions
and perspectives, students
engage in critical global
debates in class, in SIS
community events, and in
their work and service off
campus—advancing ideas
into global public service.
>>
>> The School of
International Service offers
distinctive opportunities
for learning about peoples
and cultures as well as
rigorous preparation
for professional careers
requiring international and
intercultural understanding.
Akinori Yoshida, MA/MBA ’00,
Manager of Export Department
(Asia Pacific Region) for Andes
Foods in Brazil.
>> SIS faculty encourage
students to explore and
engage in world affairs.
Class projects, campus
organizations, and
professional internships
facilitate immersion in the
Washington D.C. culture,
while a common sense
of curiosity binds the
SIS community to global
awareness and action.
>> Through AU Abroad, SIS
students can study more
than 95 programs in cities
in 34 countries around the
world, including Beijing,
Beirut, Buenos Aires, Cairo,
Havana, Madrid, Moscow,
Nairobi, Rome, Oxford, and
Sydney. Students learn
practical skills and gain realworld experience through
internships or other serviceoriented opportunities.
Kristen Hamaoui, BA, ’08
Associate, Chemonics
International Inc.
>>
Discover Your
True Potential,
Engage in
Practical,
Hands-On
Opportunities
“SIS certainly
opened many doors
for me-because of its
reputation, location,
programs, and
opportunities. But
more importantly SIS
helped define who I
am, what I want to
do, and how I can
realize my goals. My
experience at SIS has
launched me onto
my career path and I
couldn’t have asked for
a stronger foundation.”
>>
“In addition to their
exceptional accessibility
and dedication to
students, the faculty’s
blend of academic and
practical experience
brought a real world
dimension to class
discussions and
coursework. The
knowledge and skills I
gained at SIS have been
invaluable in both my
professional work, and
in the publication of
my first book.”
“I was looking for a school
that embraced a certain
level of activism and
professionalism, while
at the same time trained
first-rate researchers. It
made sense to come to
SIS. The School allows
students to get their boots
muddy, go to the places
you’re interested in and
see things first hand.”
Eve Bratman, PhD ’08,
Fulbright Fellow with research
focus on conservation and
development policies in the
Brazilian Amazon.
Rebecca Byerly, BA ’06,
Independent journalist.
>>
Patrick Quirk, MA ’06, Technical
Manager for Electoral Education
and Integrity Programs, Creative
Associates.
Career Center’s
SIS Advising Team,
Working For You
Preparing
You for a
Career in
Service
>> SIS Alumni find employment
in the public, private and notfor-profit sectors.
Public Sector
The public sector includes
federal, state, and local
governments in the United
States, governments of other
countries, and international
organizations. SIS is one of the
top providers of Foreign Service
Officers for the U.S. Department
of State. The School’s graduates
work in nations around the world
and Washington, D.C. for the
Central Intelligence Agency, the
U.S. Department of Energy, the
International Trade Commission,
the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, and in many
other public sector settings.
SIS Graduate Employment
39%
Nonprofit
32%
Public
Private Sector
According to data compiled
from the Class of 2008,
17% of SIS graduates
found employment working
in the private for-profit
sector. Booz Allen Hamilton,
BrooksBowerAsia, BearingPoint
and Hill & Knowlton, and small
start-up or family businesses
are examples of private sector
employers of SIS graduates.
Non-Profit Sector
The private not-for-profit sector
is where 39% of our 2008
graduates found employment.
Employers include CARE,
the Center for Strategic
and International Studies,
World Wildlife Fund, and the
International Research &
Exchanges Board.
17%
Private
12%
International
>> SIS Alumni play key roles
helping students reach their
career and academic goals.
Alumni actively recruit SIS
students for internships
and jobs. In recent years,
alumni from the World Bank,
International Resources Group,
and the U.S. Institute of Peace
have participated in discussions
and hosted site visits. The
School’s alumni community
serves as an essential resource
for current students through a
new mentoring program, and
promotes an understanding of
how an education at the School
of International Service forms
the foundation for pursuing
careers in international service.
School of International Service
4400 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20016
For more information,
call 202-885-1600
or visit us at
www.american.edu/sis
Competition for internships
and jobs in international
service is very intense.
Much depends on academic
training, on prior experience,
and on a student’s
ability to present his/her
accomplishments in resumes,
cover letters, networking
sessions, and in interviews.
The AU Career Center
helps students stand out
among their competitors
developing unique job and
internship search portfolios;
connecting with alumni
in key organizations; and
interviewing with confidence
and ease. The SIS advising
team is available to make
sure that students find jobs
that enable them to grow
professionally; that apply their
excellent academic training;
and allow them to blend
professional practice while
making a difference.
Time and again graduate
students who participate
in internships say that their
experience in an internship
directly influenced their career
plans.
The Career Center posts
tens of thousands of jobs and
internships online each year.
Students have access to AU’s
job site from any computer on
campus or around the globe.
The Career Center hosts
several networking receptions
each year and sponsors
career information events,
which allow students to
meet alumni working in their
field of interest. The Center
also supports the AU Online Community—a means
for staying in touch with or
searching for AU alumni.
Students can network with
more than 30,000 alumni who
live and work in Washington,
D.C. and around the world.