Overview
The Monterey Institute of International Studies, a graduate school of Middlebury College, provides international professional education in areas of critical importance to a rapidly changing global community, including international policy and management, translation and interpretation, language teaching, sustainable development, and non-proliferation. We prepare students from all over the world to make a meaningful impact in their chosen fields through degree programs characterized by immersive and collaborative learning, and opportunities to acquire and apply practical professional skills. Our students are emerging leaders capable of bridging cultural, organizational, and language divides to produce sustainable, equitable solutions to a variety of global challenges.
The Monterey Institute of International Studies was established in 1955 as the Monterey Institute of Foreign Studies by founders Gaspard Weiss, Remsen Bird, and Dwight Morrow Jr., who envisioned a graduate school that promoted international understanding through the study of language and culture. While the institute’s name has evolved, its core identity as an innovative leader in international professional education has remained constant.
Over the decades the Institute has grown, adding new programs, faculty, and students to expand its global reach and educational mission. In 1961, the school moved to its current downtown Monterey location, where it presently occupies 14 buildings that house two graduate schools, multiple research centers, and numerous special programs.
In 2005, the Institute took a major step forward by affiliating with—and five years later becoming a graduate school of—Middlebury College. Middlebury is known worldwide for its leadership in undergraduate language instruction and international studies, and features both summer language immersion programs and Schools Abroad in 13 countries and 34 cities around the globe. Middlebury is also home to the oldest environmental studies program in the nation.
Monterey and Middlebury share much more than a common interest in cross-cultural communication and the environment, though—we share a commitment to making a difference in the world, and are crafting the building blocks for a truly global network of programs for future leaders in areas from translation and interpretation to environmental policy, economic development to language education, conflict resolution to sustainable business.
The Monterey Institute offers graduate programs that prepare innovative professionals to provide leadership in cross-cultural, multilingual environments. Practical skills, collaborative processes, and innovative approaches are defining features of a Monterey Institute education. The Institute’s unique "Monterey Way" learning model ensures that students are learning through firsthand experiences in more than one language. Monterey Institute learners are problem solvers and process masters, building sustainable, equitable solutions for a global community through our interdisciplinary blend of business, policy, and language.
The Institute's Graduate School of International Policy and Management and the Graduate School of Translation, Interpretation, and Language Education offer degrees in international policy studies, translation and interpretation, language education, and international business that have propelled our alumni into international careers that address the critical challenges of this century.
Fast Facts
The Student Body:
- Enrollment (Fall 2009) - 815 students
- Gender-38% male, 62% female
- Ethnic Diversity-21% multicultural U.S. students, 33% International
- Geographic Diversity-50 countries represented in student body
- Native Languages-27 native languages represented
- Average Number of Languages- Spoken2.54 languages per student spoken
(Class Entering Fall 2009)
Financial Facts
Academics & Faculty
Academic Calendar-Two 15 week semesters with additional opportunities in January and summer
Faculty-68 full time, 49 Adjunct, 50% from outside of the United States
Degrees Offered
Graduate School of International Policy & Management (GSIPM)-
MBA in International Management
Master of Arts in International Policy Studies (MAIPS)
Master of Arts in Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies (MANPTS)
Master of Public Administration (MPA)
Master of Arts in International Environmental Policy (MAIEP)
Bachelors/MA Joint Degree Program
Master of Arts in Translation (MAT)
Master of Arts in Translation and Interpretation (MATI)
Master of Arts in Translation and Localization Management (MATLM)
Certificates and Special Programs
- Intensive English Language Programs (ESL, EAPP, EPTI, CLS)
- Intensive Foreign Language Programs (SILP, WILP, CLS)
- Certificate in Nonproliferation Studies
- Certificate in International Trade Policy
- Certificate in International Environmental Policy
- Certificate in International Negotiations and Conflict Resolution
- Certificate in Business Foundations
- Development Project Management Institute
- Conservation Leadership Program
- CNS Training Programs, Nonproliferation Critical Thinking for High Schools, Fellows, Tutorials, Safeguards Training
- Translation and Interpretation Short-term Programs
- Language Program Administration
- Computer-Assisted Language Learning
- TESOL Certificate
- TFL Certificate
MBA
Entrepreneur’s annual survey of over 2,300 schools ranks the top 25 graduate and undergraduate entrepreneurship programs in the country; the Monterey Institute placed 14th in 2009. “Being ranked among the top 15 MBA programs in the country four straight years really speaks to the sustained quality of our program and the students we attract,†commented Fisher International MBA Program Chair Bruce Paton. “Our program is enriched immeasurably by the fact that our students come here from all over the world, and are challenged constantly to apply their knowledge in practical situations through our International Business Plan program.â€
Location & Facilities
The Monterey Institute is located on the scenic Monterey Peninsula, 130 miles (210 km) south of San Francisco and 345 miles (555 km) north of Los Angeles. Monterey, California’s historic state capital, offers a rich glimpse into California’s past through historic architecture and many free museums displaying the daily life of Native Americans, early Spanish explorers, and the original Californios. Monterey is also home to contemporary interests such as the world-class Monterey Bay Aquarium, the annual Monterey Jazz Festival, and excellent water sports such as scuba diving and kayaking. The average year-round temperature is about 15 degrees Celsius (60 degrees Fahrenheit). Be sure to bring some warm clothes since the weather can be quite cool along the California coast.
The Institute's campus setting is conveniently located walking distance from downtown Monterey. Many students walk or ride their bicycles in this small, safe community of 30,000 people. Take a tour of our campus and its facilities.
Learning in Monterey
The Monterey Institute of International Studies is different in its approach and strategic in its location. As the premier graduate learning institution in international policy studies and language education, the intimate setting of Monterey, California provides a focused learning atmosphere that is conducive to building personal and professional relationships among colleagues that will last a lifetime.
Monterey is also known as “The Language Capital of the World†owing to the presence of the Monterey Institute and its educational neighbor up the street, the Defense Language Institute, the U.S. Armed Force’s language training facility. Additionally, the Naval Postgraduate School, a military officer training institution, California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB), and the nearby Monterey Peninsula College (MPC) all contribute to an enriching educational environment, often finding ways to share resources to strengthen the Monterey Institute’s offerings. Several well-known foreign language and communication businesses are firmly established in Monterey including Language Line Services, Media locate USA, Inc., and China Education Resources, Inc.
Sustainable Campus
We are committed to realizing sustainability in our operations, while promoting it through the education and engagement of our students.
Several unique aspects of the Institute have fostered our commitment to sustainability. First, we are international. With a faculty and a student body that is truly global, we understand the scope and the urgency of the current environmental crisis. We recognize that every business, individual, and academic institution must do its part.
Second, we are the solution. Our world-class faculty, students, and alumni bring decades of experience in creating and affecting the policies that drive the environmental movement today.
Third, we are Monterey. Our location on the Monterey Peninsula between the stunning Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and picturesque Big Sur has ingrained the stewardship of our environment into the culture of our campus.
For these reasons, MIIS has made sustainability a fundamental operating principle, and a goal toward which its community continually strives.
The first step in accomplishing this goal was the formation of the Sustainability Council in the spring of 2008 as an interdisciplinary organization serving as the hub for all campus sustainability initiatives. Members from all departments, academic programs, and areas of study within the Institute are represented.
This page contains everything you need to know about sustainability at MIIS. Our past accomplishments, current initiatives, and goals for the future are summarized on the What We Do page. Get involved and start your journey on a path to making a difference in this area.
Student life
The Monterey Institute is one of the facilities (along with the Defense Language Institute just a few blocks away) making Monterey the Language Capital of the World. At any given moment you can hear more than 50 different languages on campus grounds. The flags at the main building are not just decorative but represent the nationalities of students currently enrolled.
About one third of the 700 students are from foreign countries and nearly all the Americans enrolled at the institute have lived, worked or studied abroad, in such programs as the Peace Corps, AFS Intercultural Programs or Rotary International.
The Student Council acts as a liaison between the student body and the administration and is responsible for voicing student opinions, organizing numerous events on campus, and supporting a variety of student clubs. In addition, the Student Council leads a wide spectrum of initiatives through the Academic Affairs Committee, the Social Activities Committees, the Environmental Task Force Committee, IT Committee, and other ad-hoc Committees. Student Council meetings are open to all students.
The Student Council budget partially funds Student Clubs and many activities such as Happy Hours, an annual Halloween party, and other events. It also sponsors special programming and contributes to all-campus events such as the International Bazaar and the Follies Talent Show.
Each year the Follies, a long-standing tradition at the Institute, amazes its audience with the wide range of talent, imagination and stage presence in the student body. Each new member of the student body is urged to bring musical instruments, dancing shoes, music, costumes and whatever it takes to participate.
Another annual tradition is the widely-anticipated Monterey Institute International Bazaar. This is the Institute's opportunity to celebrate the diversity of its campus with international food, exhibits, entertainment and costumes. Because each new member of the community contributes to the Institute a diverse background and an array of experience, each new student is considered a cultural ambassador and sharing is not just encouraged, it is expected