ITEP's rigorous curriculum gives students a strong background in the foundations, practice and principles of social justice, experiences in policy formulation, program/project design and management, training program design, and intercultural learning.

ITEP's coursework aligns with specific learning objectives around key content areas in education, equity and culture. Additional objectives include applied skills such as grant writing, quantitative evaluation and research skills, program design and training skills, and analytical writing. A capstone/thesis course is the culminating student experience. Students design their own elective sequence based on their individual interests. Most students complete the program in 2 years; however, the MA can be obtained in as little as 15 months including summer study. Students have the flexibility to choose to study at a part-time or full-time pace.
 

ITEP's core faculty are leaders in the field of international and comparative education. School of Education Associate Professor Dr. Elizabeth A. Worden is a prolific researcher who specializes in post-conflict education, including education and transitional justice and international exchange. Professor Dr. Cynthia Miller-Idriss is a sociologist with expertise in far-right extremism and in university internationalization. Dr. Jermain Griffin is an interdisciplinary specialist whose research includes higher education internationalization and regional university partnerships. Dr. Emily Morris is an international education and development practitioner whose research and expertise focuses on gender and education, program evaluation, non-formal education, and youth development and education. Dr. Michael Gibbons has taught at ITEP for 20 years, has led programs in education, social justice and children's rights since the 1970s in Africa, Asia and Latin America, and is particularly interested in the role learning plays in personal development and social transformation. Dr. Tom Lent has taught at ITEP for 12 years, and has worked in the education sector, development, child rights, and social justice programs for 48 years in over 50 countries, and seeks to support and facilitate processes and the kinds of transformation that help individuals, teams, organizations, systems, and fields get from where they are to where the world is needing and asking them to be. 

ITEP students have had internships at the institutions:

• Alliance for Global Education: Program Intern
• American University International Student and Scholar Services Office
• Department of State: Web Team intern
• ETS (Educational Testing Services): Governmental Relations Intern
• Georgetown University: Office of Overseas Studies Graduate Intern
• Intercultural Management Institute (IMI) at American University
• NAFSA: Conference Intern
• Sookmyung Women's University , Seoul, South Korea: Office of International Affairs Graduate Intern
• University of Maryland, College Park Office of International Services
• World Vision : Humanitarian and Emergency Affairs Intern

Where are ITEP Alumni?

ITEP has a post-graduation rate of 92-100% employment rate post-graduation; those who are not employed are typically pursuing further education or taking time off for caregiving responsibilities. Upon graduating, ITEPers find themselves in a variety of organizations, companies and institutions. Many of our alumni work in teacher or cross-cultural training in non-profits and universities, or in training. positions within the Department of State, Foreign Service, or INGOs.

After completing her BA in International Studies at AU, Emily Bird, 2015 ITEP alumna, worked in non-profit business development and advocacy focused on Africa. In 2009, she departed to Niger where she served with the Peace Corps as a Municipal and Community Development Volunteer. Emily implemented a number of projects in Niger but found working with students in her community to be the most rewarding. While completing her ITEP degree she participated in an AU Alternative Break trip to Israel focusing on refugee rights and issues. Emily currently works as a Business Development Manager at Plan International, designing projects that focus on child-centered development and youth participation.

After spending two years in Japan teaching English through the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) program, one year in Botswana teaching history and geography at Maru a Pula School as a Princeton in Africa Fellow, and one year teaching English to Venezuelans at the Latin American Caribbean Centre at the University of the West Indies, Mona in Jamaica, Kwame Gayle began his graduate degree with ITEP. In the summer of 2016, after his first year at AU, Kwame served as a graduate summer service-learning fellow in Myanmar, working with disadvantaged students at a monastic education high school in their pre-college program. Originally from Jamaica, Kwame did his undergraduate degree in anthropology and African studies at Macalester College in Minnesota, where he served as a residential assistant for two years, as an admissions intern in his senior year, and was involved in many international-related activities and clubs. He is passionate about the performing arts and contributed to many theater, dance and music productions at Macalester. His research interests include race, ethnicity and educational access for minority groups, especially in Africa and the Caribbean. He is also interested in international and cultural exchange through different modes of expression, such as language, communication, the performing arts and diplomacy. Kwame designed a study abroad course on diversity and higher education in Jamaica for ITEP as part of his final MA capstone, which ITEP hopes to offer as an elective in 2018.

Anna Lippard, 2014 ITEP alumna, is an International Services Specialist at Southern Methodist University with a Master's degree in International Training and Education from American University. She is originally from Gaffney, South Carolina, and has lived in Bratislava, Slovakia and Washington, DC before moving to Dallas, Texas. She graduated with a Bachelor's degree in history in 2010 from Coker College, where she discovered a love of learning about other cultures through meeting international students on campus and through study abroad. Anna completed a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Bratislava, Slovakia 2010-2011, teaching high school students conversational English. Anna earned a Master's degree in International Training and Education in 2014 from American University, focusing on international student exchange and minority education. She now is an International Services Specialist working with F-1 and J-1 international students at Southern Methodist University. Her duties include immigration advising and cultural/educational programming.

At Global Ties US, Franziska Rook, 2014 ITEP alumna, is working with over 110 organizations worldwide that engage in international exchange. Additionally, she is also responsible for designing and running exchange programs. Prior to joining Global Ties US, Franzi has worked extensively in international student recruitment, marketing, program design, and community outreach. Her work experience spans three continents and organizations such as the UN World Food Program, HHL -Leipzig Graduate School of Management, and American University. Franzi is a Fulbright Scholar and aside from German (her native language), she speaks English, Portuguese, and French. Franzi received her Master in Public Administration (MPA) with a focus on Nonprofit Management and Leadership from Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan, and her Masters in International Training and Education from American University in Washington, DC. You can follow her on Twitter at @franzirook.

Pauline A. Shams, 2005 ITEP alumna, is a training specialist with extensive experience working on security and business improvement focused trainings both internationally and domestically. Having spent much time working on the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region, she has also cultivated experience in program management, proposal development, program implementation, events coordination, and training design. She has worked on projects directly related to Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Mexico, Morocco, Panama, Paraguay Saudi Arabia, and Tunisia. Prior to joining Los Alamos Technical Associates, Inc. (LATA) as a Training Program Coordinator, Ms. Shams worked for the U.S. Department of Commerce, the World Bank, the National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce and other organizations focusing on the MENA and South and Central Asia regions. She played a leading role in developing proposals and implementing programs funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of State, USAID, U.S. Trade & Development Agency among others. She currently supports an Emergency Management training program for the Department of Homeland Security's TSA division. She has experience developing online modules as well as in classroom exercises.

Originally from Rochester, NY, Ashley Whittington, 2015 ITEP alumna, completed a dual BA in international relations and foreign languages and literatures at the University of Delaware. After graduation, she joined the Peace Corps where she taught English as a Foreign Language in a small village in Mongolia. As an AU student, Ashley worked as the Graduate Assistant for the Bilingual Education program as well as interned in the Training Unit at Peace Corps. Her studies in ITEP focused on multilingual education, primarily in the former Soviet states. She currently works as the TEFL E-learning Specialist at Peace Corps Headquarters.

ITEP brings together a dedicated group of faculty, staff and students whose academic backgrounds and international experiences are rich and varied; this diverse educational and experiential background enhances the value of conversation in the classroom. Because of our location in Washington, D.C. – a city well known for its global diversity – we work to ensure that all who join the program can take full advantage of the culturally and educationally enriching resources available in the city.  Many ITEP graduates seek employment with organizations and agencies such as the World Bank, the Peace Corps, the Department of State and USAID, domestic and overseas universities, K-12 schools, or a variety of other governmental or international non-governmental organizations and agencies.