About IPED

Graduate IPED Director's Message

Welcome!

Fordham University's Graduate Program in International Political Economy and Development (Fordham | IPED) is internationally known for its academic excellence. Many of our graduates routinely win distinguished awards such as Fulbright, Boren, and US Presidential Management Fellowships. We have achieved this success by offering a unique and innovative interdisciplinary approach to analyzing contemporary global economic relations as well as international development issues. Our curriculum, as well as our location in New York City, is ideal for anyone who wishes to be at the center of the world economy.

One of the most important strengths of a Fordham education is the close interaction you will have with your faculty and your classmates. We have a very high faculty to student ratio. Class size rarely exceeds 25 and many of your classes will have 10 or so students. All of our faculty members are full-time and all have doctorates from prominent universities. Your faculty will not only be distinguished by their research and consultancy work, but also by their personal interest in mentoring and teaching you. To complement our faculty, we also welcome each year up to two visiting lecturers who are practitioners in their fields.

Your classmates will come from diverse backgrounds but share a common enthusiasm for international and development issues. About 40% of our students come from Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. To be a part of our program, you will have to meet various selective entrance requirements. On average, our students score at or above the 85th percentile on the Graduate Record Examination.

In addition to our regular fellowships, our special fellowships allow us to recruit an extremely talented and diverse student body. Ricci Fellowships will ensure that several of your classmates are individuals actively involved in international affairs, usually from the UN diplomatic community. Our Global Markets Assistantships allow us to attract highly qualified individuals interested in the analysis of international commercial and financial markets. Meanwhile, our Arrupe Fellowships enable us to attract very promising students who seek to pursue a career with non-profit international relief and development organizations. We use our Public Service Assistantships to attract outstanding men and women committed to excellence in the leadership and management of US international public policies and programs. And, through our participation in the US Peace Corps Coverdell Fellowship Program, we are able to attract highly seasoned and dedicated individuals committed to many of the ideals of President John F. Kennedy.

We are very proud of our graduates, many of whom have distinguished themselves in business, government, and in the non-profit sector. Approximately half of our alumni are employed in the business sector, usually as analysts in the financial services industry with firms such as Bank of America and Morgan Stanley. About a quarter of our alumni work in the public sector as either analysts or managers at agencies ranging from the US International Trade Administration to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Around 15% work in the non-profit sector usually as project managers with organizations such as Catholic Relief Services and Lutheran World Relief.

Please accept my invitation to visit Fordham's scenic 85-acre Rose Hill campus. If a visit is not possible, we would be happy to speak with you by phone. Our office number is 1-718-817-4064. You can also contact us by email at: [email protected] and download the IPED Viewbook to learn more about our program.

We look forward to hearing from you and answering any questions you might have.

Sincerely,

Professor Henry Schwalbenberg
IPED Director