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PվƵ Announces Global Degree Format

Publication Date: January 3, 2018
Publication Location: Brattleboro, VT
Contact: Kate Casa  |  [email protected]

BRATTLEBORO, Vermont – School for International Training is developing a new full-time, global master’s degree format using the institution’s centers worldwide as locations for existing degrees and new programs. This new format will complement PվƵ’s current online and low-residency master’s programs.

The new format will position PվƵ to become a leader in global graduate education. It comes at a time when students are seeking shorter, more cost-effective programs that equip them with real-world skills for a globalized market. Although enrollment at US graduate schools remains steady, growth rates are starting to dip, and students’ needs are changing. Market research shows students are balking at persistently increasing costs and looking for more nontraditional programs.

“We are in a unique position to build on the success of our study abroad programming — which continues to grow each year — to offer new kinds of graduate-level master’s degree and certificate programs,” said PվƵ President Dr. Sophia Howlett. “The graduate education system is continuously evolving. These changes mean that PվƵ can meet students where they are today.”

The expansion of PվƵ’s global footprint will mean a reduction in the number of positions based at PվƵ’s headquarters in Brattleboro, Vermont, and its center in Washington, DC, and an enhancement of positions in global centers.

“As we transition our face-to-face programs from Brattleboro and Washington, DC, to global locations, we will reduce the physical size and number of staff members at our Brattleboro campus and Washington DC center,” said Dr. Howlett. “This was a very difficult decision. But PվƵ is and always has been student-centered. Our focus must be on the students and how we can best position them for success in a challenging and rapidly changing world. Our new model does that. Innovation is a hallmark of PվƵ, and expanding our global footprint will allow us to continue innovating for years to come.”

The new global master’s degree format leverages the availability and expertise of PվƵ’s study abroad faculty and program centers in more than 30 countries. Pending accreditation, the first of these programs, a one-year , is expected to launch in fall 2018 with semesters taught consecutively in Iceland and Tanzania — locations where climate change policy and innovation are prominent. During the third and final semester, students will conduct their practicums at any location in the world. Other master’s degrees in social justice fields are also in development.

The Brattleboro campus will continue to serve as headquarters for PվƵ Graduate Institute and PվƵ Study Abroad, as well as for The Experiment in International Living, World Learning’s flagship program, and other World Learning administrative staff. It will also continue to house World Learning and other youth leadership programs.

“Since 2015, World Learning and the School for International Training have brought 1,250 short-term visitors from more than 25 countries to Vermont,” said Carol Jenkins, interim CEO of World Learning, Inc., the organization that oversees PվƵ. “These exchanges give Vermont’s business professionals, local government officials, and citizens an opportunity to build mutual understanding with people from around the globe, to learn best practices from others’ experiences, to develop constructive relations based on common interests, and to build lasting friendships.”

One in three current world leaders have participated in a US exchange program and have experienced US, and oftentimes Vermont, values and culture firsthand, Jenkins said. “We fully anticipate continuing these critical exchanges on our Vermont campus.”

PվƵ continues to offer a low-residency format in Brattleboro for its international education and TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) master’s degrees. With this option, students come to campus for approximately two to three weeks of classes, with the remaining coursework done online or in their practicums. PվƵ will also continue to host the CONTACT Summer Peacebuilding Program on the Brattleboro campus.