Welcome to The Institute of World Politics, a graduate school founded to fill a major national need: to supply professional education in statecraft, national security, and international
affairs offered nowhere else.
By teaching all the arts of statecraft and how they are integrated into national strategy, we emphasize the development of a capacity to think strategically. We believe that when governments resort to force, it is often a sign of the failure to use the many non-military instruments of power effectively.
Here, the study of statecraft rests on a foundational curriculum of selected liberal arts that, today, are seldom mastered sufficiently for purposes of successful professional work in the most dangerous and sensitive functions of government.
A key element of our philosophy is our concern with character development: specifically, the cultivation of those personal and civic virtues that are optimally suited to producing the moral and ethical conduct of our nation’s highest public policy priority – national security.
It is a cornerstone of our curriculum that one cannot effectively defend a country and civilization that one neither fully understands nor appreciates. In a nation where all who are responsible for the defense of our country must take an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States, patriotism is an absolute requirement for the profession. The question, then, is whether that patriotism is to be primitive and tenuous or well informed and morally ordered.
The Institute of World Politics is dedicated to the education and formation of the next generation of leaders who understand the harsh realities of the world and who are fully intellectually and morally equipped to defend our country and civilization – men and women committed to a cause greater than themselves.
History
Founded in 1990, the Institute began offering summer courses in 1992 and expanded to a year-round program in 1994. In 1998, the Institute began offering Certificates of Graduate Study, and in January 2001 the school launched its Master of Arts degree program. The Institute’s first Master’s degree candidates received their diplomas in November 2002.
From 1991 until 2005, the Institute was affiliated with Boston University. During that time, however, the two institutions were entirely separate and the Institute’s Master of Arts degrees and certificates were awarded solely by The Institute of World Politics. This affiliation concluded on December 31, 2005 when the Institute became wholly independent of the University.
On June 22, 2006, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) granted accreditation to the school through the 2010-2011 academic year. According to MSCHE (3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, 215-662-5606), accreditation “attests to the judgment of the Commission that an institution has met the following criteria:
• That it has a mission appropriate to higher education;
• That it is guided by well-defined and appropriate goals, including goals for student learning;
• That it has established conditions and procedures under which its mission and goals can be realized;
• That it assesses both institutional effectiveness and student learning outcomes, and uses the results for improvement;
• That it is accomplishing its mission and goals substantially;
• That it is so organized, staffed, and supported that it can be expected to continue to accomplish its mission and goals; and
• That it meets the eligibility requirements and standards of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.”
On June 24, 2009, the Institute’s application for Title IV status was granted by the U.S. Department of Education, allowing its students to participate in federal student aid programs. In addition, on June 18, 2009, the Institute was approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs for the use of education benefits by qualified students.
The Institute is a participating member in the following organizations: American Council on Education (ACE), American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO), Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC), Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA), National Military Intelligence Association (NMIA), Association for Intelligence Officers (AFIO), and the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association International (AFCEA International).
The Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, tax-exempt educational institution, and is licensed by the District of Columbia Education Licensure Commission. It is supported solely by tuition and donations from foundations, corporations, and individuals. Contributions to the Institute are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.