Overview
Established in 1964, School for International Training is an accredited college specializing in developing individual and institutional capacities for responsible leadership in global and local contexts. It began in 1932 as The Experiment in International Living and remains one of the oldest international education service organizations in the world.

SIT came into its own in the 1960s shortly after The Experiment provided the original language and culture training for the U.S. Peace Corps. In fact, through a special arrangement, SIT graduate programs continue to offer students the opportunity to combine Peace Corps service with other degree requirements.

Accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, SIT is a global leader in language education, intercultural training, human resource development, policy advocacy, conflict mediation, and nongovernmental organization (NGO) partnership and management.

SIT also maintains two centers for on-campus research, training, and project management: the Center for Professional Development and the Center for Teacher Education, Training and Research.

In addition to offering graduate degrees, SIT administers study-abroad programs (for credit) in more than forty countries for undergraduate students enrolled in other colleges and universities.

The student body of the college is diverse, with an annual enrollment of about 270 students who range in age from 20 to 45 or older. A typical group may include students from over thirty countries and many regions of the United States, representing half a dozen basic language groups. The composition of the student body gives the campus a multicultural character that complements the academic programs. Many students have had extensive work experience, often in another culture, and are returning to school to acquire skills to help them advance professionally or change careers.

The Location and Community
School for International Training is located in Brattleboro, in southeastern Vermont. By car, Brattleboro is about 2 hours from Boston and 4 hours from New York City and Montreal. Skiing, hiking, canoeing, and climbing can be enjoyed nearby. In addition, the area is a center for a thriving arts community that includes the Brattleboro Music Center, the Yellow Barn Music Festival, the Marlboro Summer Music Festival, numerous community theater and dance groups, visual artists, and fine craftsmen.

Programs of Study and Degree Requirements
School for International Training (SIT) offers master’s programs in intercultural service, leadership, and management (M.A. in conflict transformation, M.A. in international education, M.A. in social justice in intercultural relations, M.A. in sustainable development, M.S. in organizational management, and M.A. in intercultural service, leadership, and management) and in language teaching (M.A.T.).

The academic programs that lead to the Intercultural Service, Leadership and Management degrees develop the intercultural, managerial, and training skills necessary for careers in international and intercultural management. Alumni work in the fields of sustainable development, exchange management, global education, international student advising, cross-cultural training, and refugee relief. The program is based on the college’s philosophy of learning through experience. It combines on-campus academic study with a minimum six-month professional-level internship and concludes with a capstone seminar. The organization that provides the internship can be located anywhere in the world and should be appropriate to the student’s area of professional interest. Course work focuses on project management, development administration, training and organizational development, intercultural communication, and leadership and managerial skills. There is a special track for nongovernmental organization leaders and managers working in the global South, which begins with a postgraduate diploma program in Bangladesh, Peru, the Philippines, or Kenya.

With a focus on applied classroom practice, the academic program that leads to the M.A.T. degree is designed to prepare its graduates for a successful and effective career in language teaching. Concentrations offered are Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), French, and Spanish, and the program can be taken as a one-academic-year program or in a two-summer format designed for working teachers. In the one-year program, the teaching internship, supervised by program faculty members during the winter quarter, is a period of rapid professional growth as the student is called upon to put theory into practice in the classroom and to make individual choices regarding teaching styles and approaches. The practical focus of the program serves to equip graduates to achieve a high professional standing in their field. Internship sites in the U.S. are located primarily in New England; overseas sites include Mexico, Morocco, Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Haiti, Hungary, Thailand, Turkey, and South Africa. Students in the academic-year format are eligible for public school certification in ESL after a second teaching internship during the fall following the course work. The Summer M.A.T. Program consists of two 8-week sessions in consecutive summers, with the teaching practicum supervised by program faculty members during the intervening year. This format brings together experienced TESOL, French, and Spanish teachers from all over the world who can earn the M.A.T. degree without taking time off from their jobs. New programs offer public school certification in French and public school certification in Spanish. These programs feature an international field study and homestay and are completed in two summers plus an academic year of course work.

Facilities & Resources
The college’s Donald B. Watt Library includes a specialized collection of some 30,000 volumes and 400 periodical titles and is supported by an interlibrary loan network. The library’s reading and study areas are open 24 hours a day. The library also has various electronic and online databases that provide in-depth abstracting and indexing of over 100,000 articles, journals, directories, and reports.

Expenses and Aid
The total tuition and fees for graduate programs for the academic year are $27,548 for intercultural service, leadership, and management students and $25,298 for M.A.T. students. Summer M.A.T. students pay half their tuition each summer; the total is $24,420.

Financial Aid:
The college participates in all federally sponsored financial aid programs, including the Federal Perkins Loan, Federal Work-Study, and Federal Stafford Student Loan programs. Institutional grants and scholarships are also offered. Financial aid is awarded based on need, with a few specific merit scholarships offered. Restricted scholarships are available for returned Peace Corps volunteers; staff from development management, refugee assistance, population control, and exchange organizations; and members of minority groups.

Housing/Living Expenses:
The on-campus room and board costs for the intercultural service, leadership, and management students were $7,945. For M.A.T. students, costs were $6,656; summer M.A.T. students paid $1684 per summer. All costs depend on accommodations and length of enrollment in the program.

How to Apply
Application forms for admission and financial aid are available through the Admissions Office and also on the Web at http://www.sit.edu. Applications are accepted throughout the year; admission decisions are made on a rolling basis upon completion of the student’s file. Applications must be accompanied by a $45 nonrefundable application fee. GRE scores are not required.

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