Welcome Message

The Penn State School of International Affairs (SIA) is truly distinctive. While we are a member of the prestigious Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA), we remain modest in size, making community essential to our identity. When you come to study at SIA, you will interact intensively with your classmates, engage directly with world-class faculty, and receive personal attention as you cultivate your plan of study and intended career path.

SIA is simultaneously a professional graduate school of international affairs and a locus of shared global engagement. Our signature International Affairs Discussion, which convenes three times per semester, is a primary forum for open-ended discussion of global affairs. The INTAF discussion reveals the wide range of perspectives students bring to the analysis of global developments. This breadth of perspectives is in turn a reflection of the many undergraduate majors, countries and U.S. states of origin, and life experiences represented by our students. The beauty of the INTAF discussion is that students listen carefully and respectfully to one another -- and learn from each other.

Beyond the INTAF discussion, opportunities abound for engagement with distinguished speakers and panelists. Students discover new potential career pathways through our semesterly professional development trips to New York and D.C., and our interaction with the SIA alumni community during each year's D.C. visit.

Finally, consistent with SIA's identity as a small, globally-engaged community, as director my door is always open to student questions, feedback, and initiatives. Our community thrives because everyone's ideas are welcomed.

Mitchell Smith
Director of the School of International Affairs
Professor of International Affairs