PLEASE NOTE: DUE TO THE VARIABLE NATURE OF THE COVID-19 GLOBAL PANDEMIC, THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR ACCEPTANCE TO SIT!
We are pleased to welcome you to SIT’s Graduate Institute and the Master of Arts in Diplomacy Practice program. We are excited for you to begin your studies soon. Everyone at SIT, faculty and staff alike, is looking forward to working with you. Please read through the information provided on this pre-program information page carefully. If you have any questions, please contact your admissions officer directly or [email protected].
Program Chair Welcome Letter
Program Chair Welcome Letter
Read the welcome letter from program chair and assistant professor Joseph Lanning, PhD.
Program Dates
Program Dates
Preparing for Your Program
Preparing for Your Program
Student Health, Safety & Wellbeing Services
Student Health, Safety & Wellbeing Services
Health Form
SIT Graduate Institute is committed to the health and safety of all program participants. Through our years of experience, we have found that preparation, prevention, and communication are key to keeping students healthy and safe.
A health review will occur for all admitted Global Master’s program students prior to departure. This process is outlined below.
STEP 1:
A Personal Health History Form is required for all students. All students will be required to complete this self-disclosure form. This form should be completed in your online application portal and submitted along with your other confirmation materials and is due no later than May 15. If you have concerns about meeting the submission deadline, please reach out to [email protected] ASAP.
We strongly encourage students to fully disclose their health history so we can best prepare them for their upcoming experience abroad, make any necessary special arrangements, and in some cases assess whether there may be any health reasons why a student should consider another program.
If a student has a serious medical or mental health condition, a member of our Student Health, Safety, and Wellbeing team may reach out for clarification or to set up a meeting to discuss further. In some cases, an additional medical or mental health form completed by the treating provider may be required.
This information is kept confidential and may be provided to our in-country academic and program directors to assist them with planning for any serious medical conditions and to facilitate emergency healthcare needs that may arise during the program.
STEP 2:
Make an appointment now with your regular doctor and/or a travel clinician. It is imperative that you work closely with your health care provider to discuss your routine health care and how to support this during your program. In some cases, your regular medications or medical equipment may not be available (and may even be illegal) in your country(ies) of travel.
If you work with a mental health provider, you should also schedule an appointment to discuss a plan for supporting your mental health and wellbeing in the context of your SIT program. Make sure you have a full supply of your prescribed medications prior to travel, and prepare for adjusting to changes in climate, diet, language, sleeping schedule, home life, cultural norms, altitude, academic expectations, etc.
If you have any medical or mental health conditions you are currently managing, or if you have any questions related to health and wellbeing while abroad, we encourage you to contact our Student Health, Safety, and Wellbeing team as early as possible to help us understand your needs and best support you in preparing for your program.
Health Insurance
SIT Graduate Institute provides students with accident and illness coverage for the international components of your program. Please note that this coverage is not in effect for any medical expenses incurred in the U.S. It covers you from the time you arrive at your program site until your program ends at that site. Therefore, we highly recommend that you maintain your ongoing coverage in the U.S., if applicable.
SIT does not provide dental coverage or property loss insurance. We encourage you to purchase personal property insurance independently.
More information can be found on our Participant Insurance webpage.
Student Support Services
SIT places the highest priority on each student’s safety, security, and health. SIT Graduate Institute has a team of trained Student Health, Safety, & Wellbeing managers available to respond to potential threats to student safety, and manage emergency situations, and provide guidance related to managing health and wellness in the context of a program abroad through collaboration with our local program staff all around the world. Detailed information about health, wellness, and mental health resources in each location will be delivered during your in-country orientation. Please reach out to [email protected] with any questions or concerns.
Flight, Visa, & Passport Information
Flight, Visa, & Passport Information
Program Sites
Program Sites
The legislative capital of South Africa, Cape Town is a world-renowned port city, famous for its natural beauty and is the recipient of many international travel awards. It is also regarded as the most unequal city, within the world’s most unequal country. Because of its history, politics, geography, and natural resources, Cape Town is a compelling location from which to examine the tensions, contradictions, and consequences of the global development agenda, and allows for deep insight into the implementing the Sustainable Development Goals within complex socio-economic contexts. Learn from case studies delving into the core issues of development practice, such as community analysis and assessment; local participation in project design and implementation; and the methods and tools for monitoring and evaluation.
Lilongwe, Malawi
The SIT Global MA in Sustainable Development Practice partners with faculty from the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR). Students access library, classroom, and dining facilities on the Bunda campus of LUANAR, which enrolls more than 4000 students. Offering degrees in agriculture, environmental sciences and development studies, LUANAR and the nearby campus farm serve commercial, practical, academic, and research purposes for the city of Lilongwe and the region. During rural field visits to the Ntcheu District, classes occur in the open-air amphitheater space at Zisinthe Farm and Community Garden. Students have access to Zisinthe’s working agro-ecological demonstration farm, student meeting spaces, and walking trails. Classes, office hours, and student gatherings are immersed in nature as well as over 60 different plant species, goats, chickens, and rabbits at the farm.
Greater Quito, Ecuador
The SIT Global MA in Development Practice partners with Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ) and Balance Works, an organization focused on educational and cultural exchange programs. USFQ is a liberal-arts university located in Cumbayá, just outside of Quito. It is the first liberal-arts institution in the Andean region and its faculty comprises one-half of all Ecuadorians who hold doctoral degrees. USFQ is the top-ranked university in Ecuador with an educational model focused on entrepreneurship, innovation, and service to local and regional communities. At USFQ, SIT graduate students have access to the library, education and research laboratories, classrooms, and seven restaurants. Faculty office hours and professional development meetings occur in the office and classroom of Balance Works. The classroom sits at 9,000 feet above sea level in the Mariscal sector in the northern part of Quito, overlooking the Andes mountains.
Registering for Classes
Registering for Classes
Dear Student,
Congratulations on your acceptance to the School for International Training (SIT) Graduate Institute! As Registrar, it gives me great pleasure to welcome you to our community.
The registrar’s office staff are happy to support you in your academic career with all that concerns course registration, enrollment certification, veterans’ benefits, grades, academic policy, degree audits, transcripts, application to graduate, and issuance of diplomas.
Approximately two weeks prior to the beginning of your first term of enrollment, I will send more detailed information to you via your SIT email address about when and in which courses you should register, rather than overwhelm you with information now. In the meantime, I invite you to familiarize yourself with Colleague Self-Service, the online interface with Colleague, our Student Information System, which you will use to register for classes, consult your course schedule, final grades, tuition bill and financial aid, and progress toward graduation.
Should you have any questions, please never hesitate to contact us. We are happy to help!
Ginny Nellis, Registrar
Office: 802-258-3283
Cheryl Haskins, Associate Registrar
Office: 802.258.3582
Academic and Technical Support
Academic and Technical Support
The following support services will be available to you as soon as your program begins.
Language Support
Mango Languages is a service available to all current SIT students, faculty, and staff. Mango Languages provides access to more than 70 foreign language courses and 17 English as a Second Language (ESL) courses.
Academic Writing Support
The Online Writing Center is available to all Graduate Institute students who are working on course and degree related writing projects. Students can work one-on-one with a trained writing coach to receive objective, constructive feedback on their writing projects at any stage of development by scheduling a synchronous or asynchronous appointment with the Online Writing Center at https://sit.mywconline.net.
Library Services
The Donald B. Watt Library provides access to electronic resources including e-books, journals, online databases, and DigitalCollections@SIT, which include selected Graduate Capstone Papers, MA TESOL Independent Professional Projects (IPP), and Undergraduate Independent Study Projects (ISP). In addition to these resources, our professional librarians provide both real time and asynchronous general reference consultations, database navigation and research assistance, citation management instruction, and liaison with other libraries to obtain outside materials via Interlibrary Loan. For library hours, collection access, or to schedule an appointment please visit us at http://library.sit.edu or contact us at [email protected].
Canvas Support
Online courses at SIT utilize the learning management system called Canvas. In Canvas, students interact with online learning environments created by their instructors. Canvas is a secure and integrated system that can be used to review syllabi, watch embedded video, post in forum discussions, and submit assignments.
URL: https://sitedu.instructure.com/login/canvas
Canvas Username Recovery/Password Resets
For Canvas support issues or questions, please send an email to: [email protected]. To reset Canvas passwords, click HERE and select “Forgot Password?”.
Technical Support
For technical issues or questions, please send an email to [email protected].
Career Services
Career Services
SIT offers a variety of services to help students explore their career options, develop their professional networks, build their job seeker skills, and connect them with internship and job opportunities. Learn more here.
