Check out this post by Matt Floyd ‘17.5 about his experience last summer.
Opportunities at Monterey are Often Overlooked
On July 1, 2010, the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS) became part of Middlebury College—a fact that almost all of us are tangentially aware of. But the full benefits of the union have been hard to identify, at least from a student’s perspective. Now that Middlebury has absorbed a graduate program (technically making it a “university”), what does that mean for current undergraduates? Many of us associate MIIS with their stellar Nuclear Nonproliferation Studies program, but are there benefits for people not interested in nukes?
I found myself in Monterey this past summer basically by accident. Searching for ways to continue my study of Russia and to boost my Russian language capabilities, I applied to the summer Language School but ultimately was unable to secure funding. It was through a teacher that I learned of a new program at Monterey called the Middlebury Summer Symposium on Russia, through their Graduate Initiative on Russian Studies, and a partnership between MIIS and Middlebury to fund the participation of one undergraduate student.
Other opportunities exist for Middlebury undergraduates to take advantage of the school’s new multifaceted function. A new Accelerated Degree Option allow Middlebury undergraduates and recent graduates to earn an accelerated master’s degree in areas such as International Environmental Policy, International Policy and Development, Public Administration, Second Language Acquisition, and Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies. These degrees are augmented by programs such as the Graduate Initiative on Russian Studies that leverage Middlebury’s strength in area study to compliment other focused degrees.
Beyond the Middlebury Summer Symposium on Russia, MIIS hosts other unique research and internship programs are open to current students at Middlebury. A new “Study Away” program allows Middlebury undergrads to spend a semester in Monterey in lieu of one of Middlebury’s study abroad programs to take graduate-level courses and earn credit. Other short programs include well-established internship at the Center for Nonproliferation Studies, a Summer Peacebuilding Program, the Certificate in International Development and Social Change program, and the Social Impact Ambassadors Program. MIIS also has opportunities to pursue research on the Russian Far East over spring recess, to perform research in the China Field Research program over the summer, or to pursue other projects beyond those listed here.
Most importantly, thanks to the College’s integration with the Middlebury Institute, there is generous funding available for Middlebury students. My time in Monterey this summer was fully funded by Middlebury (thank you President Patton!) and yours could be too!