SPEA Graduate Exchange: National Institute of Development Administration

Spend a semester studying in Thailand while earning course credit toward your SPEA graduate degree

SPEA has partnered with the International College of the National Institute of Development Administration (ICO-NIDA) in Bangkok, Thailand, to offer a semester long exchange program to SPEA MPA students. As a SPEA MPA, you will have the opportunity to study public administration management and develop policy expertise from a United States, Thai, and global perspective.

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Application deadline is March 1 for fall exchange and September 1 for spring exchange.

Learn more about SPEA's graduate exchange with ICO-NIDA

ICO-NIDA was established following His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s vision to advance Thailand’s development through an advanced educational institution that prepares students to become agents of change. In addition, ICO-NIDA focuses on the linkages of interdisciplinary subjects and its role in international, national, and regional development.

Although the courses offered are taught in English, the courses are not just for SPEA students. Many ICO-NIDA master's students take these courses, and SPEA students will be directly immersed in the daily life of Thai students. Through direct immersion, you'll become a part of the city’s diverse culture, and by living there, you will learn some of Thailand’s most ancient traditions that are widely preserved in the city of Bangkok.

You should prepare to take 12 credits worth of classes per trimester (four courses). ICO-NIDA provides a trimester system from January to April, May to August, and September to December. Possible course topics range from corporate finance, organizational management, financial management, customer relationship management, communication and negotiation across cultures, business innovation, project planning and evaluation, risk analysis and assessment, public policy and social change, nonprofit marketing, to marketing and mergers and acquisitions.

This program is open to SPEA graduate students at IU Bloomington. The program is only open to MPA students. To apply, you must be in good academic standing and must have completed at least one semester of graduate study at SPEA.

You will have a variety of options for living provided by ICO-NIDA both on campus and off campus. Bangkok is the metropolitan capital city of Thailand. It has a population of 10 million, and continues to shape Thailand’s history while being a place of cultural wealth and modernization.

For this semester exchange program, you will pay tuition at Indiana University (no tuition will be paid to ICO-NIDA). You will also be responsible for covering your own overseas expenses including airfare, food, and housing.

Student Blog from an independent internship in Thailand