Prep Program 2009
Registration information will be emailed mid-April.
Registration begins Thursday, April 16.
The IR/PS Prep Program is designed to equip students with the skills and abilities to succeed in the demanding environment of MPIA graduate studies. The program provides a review of skills required in the IR/PS classroom, as well as insight into the academic and cultural environment at IR/PS. The program consists of three components: Academic Writing (AW), Quantitative Methods (QM), Economics (ECON), plus an optional class in Excel.
Component Descriptions
Academic Writing (AW)
August 3-September 7
Registration fee: $600
The Academic Writing component of the IR/PS Prep Program concentrates on written English skills for academic purposes and provides the opportunity for students to improve their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills necessary for successful MPIA academic study. Students will participate in seminars, attend faculty lectures, make presentations, develop reading strategies, as well as write short essays and research papers. This component allows students to practice public speaking and working in groups with fellow classmates. AW also includes a section on case study methods (CASE).
Check-in will begin Monday, August 3 in the IR/PS Courtyard from 9:00a.m.-10:00a.m. Continental breakfast will be provided. A Welcome Session will take place from 10:00a.m.-10:45a.m.. Lunch will be provided in the IR/PS Courtyard from 12:30p.m.-1:30p.m.
Class begins on Wednesday, August 5 at 10:00 a.m. All students should provide their own materials such as pencils, paper, and IR/PS certified laptop. Any additional materials needed for the course will be provided to you. The last session of class will be held on Monday, September 7.
Quantitative Methods (QM)
August 3-September 9
Registration fee: $500
The QM component provides students with a set of quantitative skills required for IR/PS core courses, such as Quantitative Methods, Managerial Economics, and International Economics. Topics include:
• Elementary arithmetic: real numbers, absolute value, multiplication, division, powers, roots, logarithms, and sets
• Equations: linear equations, quadratic equations, and higher-order equation solving
• Elementary calculus: functions, derivatives, optimization, and area under the curve
• Elementary statistics: descriptive statistics, distributions, sampling and probabilities
Check-in will begin Monday, August 3 in the IR/PS Courtyard from 9:00a.m.-10:00a.m. Continental breakfast will be provided. A Welcome Session will take place from 10:00a.m.-10:45a.m.. Lunch will be provided in the IR/PS Courtyard from 12:30p.m.-1:30p.m.
For the first week of QM, lectures will be held Tuesday through Friday from 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. The purpose of this week is building a strong mathematical foundation that culminates in a review of basic calculus.
Begining Monday, August 10, lecture will be held from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. Review sessions held by teaching assistants will be held from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This part of the QM component focuses on forming a basic foundation in statistics.
All students should provide their own materials such as pencils, paper, and IR/PS certified laptop. Any additional materials needed for the course will be provided to you. The last session of class will be held on Wednesday, September 9, and will include a final exam that all participants must pass with a grade of C or better.
Economics (ECN)
August 3-September 10
Registration fee: $500
The ECN component prepares students for IR/PS core economic and management courses, such as Managerial Economics, International Economics, and Finance. The course builds on the basic mathematical tools acquired in the first week of the Quantitative Methods component and provides students with a set of useful tools and concepts for economics and finance. Topics include:
• Comparative advantage and specialization
• Demand: utility, individual vs. market demand, and consumer surplus
• Supply: profit maximization and producer surplus
• Elasticity: price, income, and cross-price
• Maximization: using calculus and graphs
• Market structure: perfect competition, monopoly, and oligopoly
• Expected value and net present valuation
Check-in will begin Monday, August 3 in the IR/PS Courtyard from 9:00a.m.-10:00a.m. Continental breakfast will be provided. A Welcome Session will take place from 10:00a.m.-10:45a.m.. Lunch will be provided in the IR/PS Courtyard from 12:30p.m.-1:30p.m.
For the first week of Econ, lectures will be held Tuesday through Friday from 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. The purpose of this week is building a strong mathematical foundation that culminates in a review of basic calculus.
Lecture will begin at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 11. Your attendance is required at the lectures, which will be held every Tuesday and Thursday until Thursday, September 10. From 3:00p.m.-5:00p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, review sessions will be held by teaching assistants. This will be the time for you to review homework and receive additional instruction.
All students should provide their own materials such as pencils, paper, and IR/PS certified laptop. Any additional materials needed for the course will be provided to you. There will be a final exam given on the last day of the PREP-ECN, which is Thursday, September 10. You must pass this exam with a grade of C or better in order to successfully complete the PREP-QM component.
Excel
August 3-September 10
Registration fee: $0
The Excel component prepares students for the IR/PS core courses in Quantitative Methods, Globalization, and Finance. The component is optional and combines both in-class learning as well as on-line training. Students who have not used Excel in a professional setting are strongly encouraged to attend the sessions. Interested students may attend as no registration is required. Topics include:
• Formatting data and worksheets
• Importing, moving, referencing and organizing data
• Presenting data in charts and tables
• The use of functions, solver and macros
• Using data analysis tools and building scenarios
