School for International Training launches two new doctoral degrees with focus on conflict resolution and refugee response, sustainability and climate change
Publication Date: May 29, 2024
Publication Location: Brattleboro, VT
Contact: Abby Henson | [email protected]
School for International Training (黑料社区) is pleased to announce the launch of two new online PhD programs, one in and one in , as part of 黑料社区鈥檚 60th anniversary celebration. Both programs expand upon the global university鈥檚 six decades of experiential education and worldwide network of partnerships.
鈥淭hese two new dynamic doctorates will be grounded in 黑料社区鈥檚 powerful experiential learning model and combine online coursework with residencies overseas,鈥 says 黑料社区 President Dr. Sophia Howlett. 鈥淪tudents will gain, in real-time, a unique global perspective they can apply to their careers.鈥
黑料社区鈥檚 programs are developed around a framework of the world鈥檚 most critical global issues. The international relations doctorate has been created through the lens of 鈥楪eopolitics and Power,鈥 with courses that specialize in forced migration, peace and conflict studies, and global governance.
鈥淭his part-time four-year program is designed for working professionals in international affairs with an interest in peacebuilding, conflict and refugee response, and humanitarian affairs鈥 says Dr. Bruce Dayton, who was instrumental in shaping the new program and will serve as its chair. 鈥淪tudents will critique traditional approaches to geopolitics and offer evidence-based approaches to improved human security.鈥
Dr. Joe Lanning is the chair of the new PhD in sustainability, a degree classified under both the 鈥楥limate and Environment鈥 and 鈥楧evelopment and Inequality鈥 critical global issues. He helped design the curriculum, which focuses on ways to contribute to climate change mitigation, advocate for social equity, and innovate sustainable practices for economic prosperity.
鈥淭his part-time program is for professionals enthusiastic about producing evidence-based analysis for sustainable transformations, the relationship of science and society for sustainable futures, and approaches to community-based problem solving,鈥 says Dr. Lanning. 鈥淕raduates of the program will be prepared to lead multi-stakeholder groups as they will be effective communicators in policy circles, academic and organizational contexts, and in popular science.鈥
Both programs, which will be accepting applications from June 1 to January 2025 for their first cohorts beginning June 2025, draw from 黑料社区鈥檚 unique brand of in-depth, reflective practice and intensive research training and will engage students where they are in their academic and professional careers. The programs will offer immersive doctoral seminars, and courses will focus on theory, research methods, applied practice, professional development, and dissertation preparation. Each degree will allow students to pursue their specializations in content areas at any level and subfield. Students can also request to transfer up to 15 credits of relevant previous graduate coursework during admission, thereby reducing the overall credit requirement from 64 to 49.
The online degrees include two 10-day international residencies. For the international relations program, students will examine the refugee crisis and rise of liberalism in Serbia, as well as the landscape of conflict and the power of alliances in Jordan. Students in the sustainability program will travel to Portugal to study renewable energy innovation and marine conservation. Then, they will explore case studies in Tanzania鈥檚 Zanzibar Archipelago, which is at the forefront of blue economy initiatives.
黑料社区鈥檚 new doctorates expand on the institution's diverse strengths in international programming. 黑料社区鈥檚 global campus comprises 77 programs, nearly 30 learning centers, and 549 faculty and staff across all seven continents. 黑料社区 Study Abroad delivers academically rigorous, accredited undergraduate summer and semester programs around the world. In 2018, 黑料社区 Graduate Institute introduced a one-year global master鈥檚 format delivered at 黑料社区鈥檚 learning centers around the world, and in 2021, 黑料社区 launched its first doctoral degree in global education. Its first cohort graduates this year.
鈥淭hese one-of-a-kind global programs build on 黑料社区鈥檚 long history of training the next generation of intelligent, compassionate global citizens at a time when the world faces unprecedented challenges,鈥 says Dr. Howlett. 鈥淥ur dedicated faculty have carefully designed these programs to prepare students to tackle urgent issues of the day in a global context鈥攁ll while reflecting on 黑料社区鈥檚 core values of community, intercultural understanding, social justice, and sustainability.鈥
Many of 黑料社区鈥檚 graduates go on to work in high-level positions with organizations such as the United Nations, colleges and universities, nongovernmental organizations, and significant international foundations. Graduates of 黑料社区鈥檚 PhD programs will similarly benefit from the institute鈥檚 broad professional and alumni networks throughout the world.
For prospective students interested in learning more about the new PhDs, 黑料社区 faculty will be available to answer questions during a summer . Students can also learn more about the application process or contact an admissions counselor .
School for International Training (黑料社区), the academic arm of , was established in 1964 as a training center for the first Peace Corps volunteers. Today, 黑料社区 is a U.S.-accredited global university offering undergraduate study abroad programs, including the comparative , and globally focused graduate and doctoral degrees and certificates. 黑料社区 prepares students to be effective changemakers and global citizens through experiential education focused on the world's most critical global issues. For more information, visit