Students who choose the Practicum option
must take two courses: Program Development and Project Management and
the Practicum in International Affairs. The Practicum provides student
teams with the opportunity to complete a discrete consulting engagement
for an international client organization. In conjunction with the
client, the students establish Terms of Reference, conduct data
collection and analysis, and write a report or produce some other
product (e.g., a brochure, manual, or film). Finally, the team makes a
formal presentation to the client and the New School community. The
course is treated as a consultancy rather than an internship, in that we
ask organizations for a specific project with an end deliverable, and,
as the Practicum is the equivalent of a Master's thesis, the project
itself should be substantial and challenging. To the extent possible,
the course simulates a professional experience, emphasizing deadlines
and professional standards for work products and the importance of being
responsive to clients and working closely with teammates.
The Practicum prerequisite course Program
Development and Project Management provides students with the
opportunity to gain a systematic and comprehensive understanding of key
concepts and skills essential to effective program development and
project management. By examining the project cycle using their Practicum
projects, students master techniques and tools used in formulating and
managing projects and programs for desired impact. By the end of the
course, students will have become familiar with aid and development
project work, industry language and terminology, project structures,
implementation practices, and strategies to address potential conflicts
and obstacles. More important, they will have developed skills—needs
assessment, logical framework and monitoring and evaluation, proposal
and report writing, budgeting, advocacy—that practitioners need in order
to be effective in a range of professional contexts.
Course Information
Practicum in International Affairs I and II
Students will work on discrete assignments of several months duration
for client organizations from the not-for-profit, public and private
sector, and multilateral agencies.
For more information see:
Current Students
FAQ
What can I expect from the PIA course?
In conjunction with the client, the team first clarifies the assignment and drafts a Terms of Reference. Then, over the course of the semester, they undertake research and data collection, conduct analysis, and write a report or produce a final product according to the client, and then present their findings to the organization. Most clients meet with students at least a few times throughout the semester.
After the first week classes are not lectures, but are rather project management sessions. Teams have a weekly meeting time with their faculty supervisor throughout the semester. The faculty supervisor acts as a project manager, meeting with students to review work, and offering technical guidance as needed.
The course is not run, nor projects completed, as an academic exercise; the project work and final product is meant to be used by the client organization.
What kinds of Projects are typically available?
Past projects have included the following:
- Developing material for refugee and immigrant schoolchildren and conducting staff trainings for the International Rescue Committee.
- Producing a toolkit for field staff training on the Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse for the International Rescue Committee.
- A comparative analysis paper for Human Rights Watch on amnesties granted in Cambodia, Chile and Mozambique.
- Research on evidence in the Milosevic trial for Human Rights Watch.
- A survey on New York City health facilities' capacity to recognize and treat immigrant victims of torture for Doctors of the World.
- An organizational needs assessment for the Consortium for Haitian Empowerment.
- Policy and analysis papers on: universal children's "social security" for UNICEF, equitable aid distribution to fragile states for UNICEF, human trafficking outreach for the International Rescue Committee.
- Writing a grant proposal to construct and fund a health center in Kenya for the East African Center for the Empowerment of Women and Children.
- Making an advocacy film on international HIV and Aids activists for the ATHENA Women's Network.
Will I have to present my work on the project?
Yes. At the end of the semester, each team develops and rehearses a formal presentation, and then presents their work and results before the GPIA faculty. The Final Presentation is an integral element to the Practicum. Public speaking and making a presentation are useful skills, as well as being real parts of many people's jobs.
What are the key differences between the Practice Option and the Thesis Option?
A major objective of the Practicum is to serve as a transition from the academic to the professional world. For students in their final semester, especially those about to graduate and join the working world, the Practicum is treated as a "consultancy" rather than an internship; emphasizing deadlines and professional standards for work products. Projects are substantial, rigorous and challenging; and student-consultants are expected to produce professional standards of work. Unlike a Thesis, the Practicum project work is not academic. A work product should not be theoretical, but is produced to be used by the client in their work.
How much time should I expect to spend on a Practicum project during the semester?
Students should be in their final semester and have completed 33 credits to register for the Practicum. Clients assign the PIA substantial projects; the time needed to complete these projects is therefore significant. To be in this class and on a team, each person must commit significant time. All teams have a regular meeting outside of class, and often on the weekend. In addition, there are periods, particularly toward the end of semester, when large blocks of time are needed for completion of the project on deadline.
Students who work full time and are taking a full course load should think about whether they will be able to meet their obligations to the project and team. It might be better to undertake the Practicum, for example, as a single and final class, or a semester later when they might have more time. If your schedule is such that you will never have extra time and flexibility, you may want to consider writing a thesis, which can be done entirely on your own schedule.
