SIA students in a classroom during the annual Army War College simulation

Master of Science

Apply to the Master of Science (M.S.) in Global Economic and Business Relations Program

Our new M.S. in Global Economic and Business Relations is a distinctive degree that positions students to respond to a range of emergent market needs and to use data to address global policy problems.

Students in the M.S. program will:

Complement rigorous quantitative methods training with coursework on international actors, legal frameworks, cultures, diplomacy and international relations theory, and the international system; and
Approach analytical problems from a broad global perspective and with a powerful toolkit.

Combining quantitative and analytical skills with international relations and issue expertise distinguishes our M.S. in Global Economic and Business Relations from programs that develop quantitative analysis skills but lack a strong foundation in global institutions and dynamics.

International business and politics have never been more intertwined. With professional career paths becoming ever more prone to economic and political shocks, it is critical for students to acquire skills that are readily transferable across sectors. Students in our program will be equipped to navigate a new world of increased complexity defined by geoeconomic competition, fragmented supply chains, and novel macroeconomic pressures. Graduates of the M.S. program will be able to pursue careers in a broad range of entities—private companies, NGOs, and multilateral organizations.

STEM-Designation

The M.S. in Global Economic and Business Relations is officially recognized by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as a STEM-designated degree program. As such, international students who graduate from the program may qualify for up to 36 months of Optional Practical Training (OPT) in the United States after graduation.

*Please note that OPT eligibility and approval are determined solely by the U.S. government, not by the Penn State School of International Affairs. OPT policies and availability may change at any time, and approval is not guaranteed.

Application Deadline: March 31

All application materials must be received by this date. Complete applications will be automatically considered for merit-based scholarships. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

M.S. Application Requirements

To be considered for admission to the School of International Affairs, all applicants must complete The Graduate School's online application, which includes:

Recommendation letters should be written by individuals well placed to discuss your academic qualifications for graduate study (unless you are five or more years removed from your undergraduate studies).

Recommendations that come from former supervisors should comment on and provide examples of your performance as an intern and/or an employee, including the nature of your work and what you contributed to the company or organization.

Please note that letters from personal acquaintances or those who are not familiar with your academic or professional qualifications are not helpful to the admissions committee.

Provide a current résumé or curriculum vitae, which includes your education, employment history, awards and accolades, international exposure, publication credits, and leadership roles in any volunteer and/or extracurricular activities.

You are required to upload copies of official transcripts/records/degree certificates from all institutions you've attended. All transcripts and academic records uploaded to the application are then considered “unofficial” and will be used for application purposes only.

Official/original transcripts/records/degree certificates are required for any degree or diploma earned, as well as any and all institutions attended that are listed on your application to the Graduate School. If you are recommended for admission to a graduate degree plan of study, you will be notified with detailed instructions on how to submit the documents.

If your transcript is in a language other than English, you are asked to provide an official translation of the entire transcript and an explanation of the grading system of the university. You are strongly encouraged to use a credential evaluation service, particularly if you are not sure of how to obtain original transcripts or face difficulties obtaining them. See the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services for a list of providers. Transcripts and translations must be received by the Office of Admissions before the relevant deadline, so please make any requests well in advance.

The M.S. program places significant emphasis on quantitative methods and analytical skills. Therefore, applicants are strongly encouraged to submit GRE scores. While GRE scores are not required for admission or merit-based scholarship consideration, providing them can strengthen your application and help the admissions committee more accurately assess your quantitative readiness for this program.

SIA will only accept scores directly from the testing service. Please arrange for all standardized test scores to be sent in advance of the application deadline using our school code, 2660.

Applicants who do not have GRE scores may submit GMAT scores as an alternative.

While the Penn State School of International Affairs permits the use of AI to generate ideas, assist with structure, and check grammar and spelling, your statement of purpose should ultimately be entirely in your own words. Authenticity—the extent to which you tell your story in your own voice—is a central criterion for our evaluation of your essay AND for decisions regarding admission and merit scholarship awards. Although not guaranteed, applicants who write their statement of purpose authentically are more likely to present a stronger application and be more competitive for admission and larger merit-based scholarships.

Please complete the prompt below. You must save your statement in PDF format before uploading.

In a statement of 600-800 words, tell us about your academic interests and career objectives, why these are important to you, the preparation and skills you would bring to SIA, and how a degree from SIA will help you pursue your objectives.

Academic Integrity: Follow academic integrity guidelines regarding plagiarism – "using someone else's words or ideas without properly giving credit." Plagiarism includes the use of material from sample essays and any website. To ensure academic integrity, all essays will be confirmed through iThenticate software. Failure to follow these guidelines will result in a "deny" decision.

The M.S. in Global Economic and Business Relations at SIA includes a demanding quantitative methods sequence focused on the ability to deploy methods of causal inference and to evaluate policy propositions and analyze complex data structures common to real-world issues including panel, multi-level, categorical, and time series data.

In a statement of approximately 250-400 words, please explain how your educational and professional background has prepared you for advanced quantitative coursework in the MS program, with reference to specific coursework on your transcript and/or the use of quantitative/econometric tools in prior employment.

An application will not be reviewed until the application fee is paid. Applicants should pay within the application as the final step after all other sections of the application are completed. All application fees are nonrefundable.

Prospective students interested in applying to the Master of International Affairs (MIA) program may request a fee waiver by completing the following fee waiver form. Please note that fee waivers are approved on a case-by-case basis and not all fee waiver requests will be granted.

Please note: the School of International Affairs may request additional information in the form of an admissions interview prior to making an admissions decision on your application.

Important Application Guidelines

Once an application has been submitted, no changes can be made. We ask that all applicants carefully review their materials before submission. Please note that failure to follow these guidelines will result in ineligibility.

At the time of application submission, the following materials are required:

Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV)
First Name, Last Name, and Email Contact Information of Recommenders
Copy of Official Transcripts
Statement of Purpose
Answers to All Supplemental Essays

You are responsible for submitting your application by the necessary deadlines. Though you can submit your application up until 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the deadline date, this is not recommended.

Allow extra time for ALL application materials to be received and posted to the application by the necessary deadlines. A number of application items (such as letters of recommendation) will take time to collect after your application has been submitted. Your application will not be reviewed until all materials are received. We begin reviewing complete applications in early December.

Please monitor the status of your application by checking the application portal to ensure all required materials are received and posted. Only complete applications will be reviewed by the admissions committee.

Information for International Applicants

If you are an international applicant, you may have additional requirements to complete your application, including:

Applicants whose native language is not English must submit either an official Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score report demonstrating an adequate knowledge of English. The Institutional TOEFL (ITP) and Duolingo Exam are not accepted.

The minimum scores considered acceptable for admission by the Graduate School are:

TOEFL—80 on the Internet-based test (iBT)
IELTS—An overall band of 6.5 on the Academic Examination

Scores must be sent to the university by the testing agency (self-reported scores are not accepted). The Educational Testing Service (ETS) institution code for Penn State University is 2660. There is no institutional code for the IELTS examination. To fulfill the requirement with scores from the IELTS, please use the IELTS electronic score delivery service to send your scores to the “Pennsylvania State University - The Graduate School, 310 Kern Building, University Park” account.

As of November 2022, Penn State has added Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Singapore, South Africa, and Uganda to the list of countries that are exempted from the TOEFL/IELTS requirement. Applicants who were educated in one of these countries DO NOT need to submit a TOEFL or IELTS score to be considered for admission to the Penn State School of International Affairs. Visit the Graduate School website for a full list of countries that are exempt from the TOEFL/IELTS requirement.

The Penn State School of International Affairs recognizes that educational systems are different across the world. For admission to SIA, applicants must have received a four-year baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution earned under residence and credit conditions substantially equivalent to those required by Penn State. To help you determine if your degree is comparable to a U.S. bachelor's degree and to understand the documents that need to be submitted for admission, please review the requirements for the country from which your credential was earned on the Graduate School's Admission Eligibility by Country website.

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