I decided to do MESCI because I have an undergraduate degree in economics and wanted to further my studies in this field. I found development economics to be both the most interesting concentration in economics and the most likely to lead to international opportunities. The advantage of this masters is that it gives the student a foundation in quantitative methods and economic theory while providing a practical overview of the multi-dimensional field of development. Shortly after taking final exams, I completed an internship with the Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN working on a software tool to harmonize international commodity coding practices. The internship was valuable because it gave me professional experience in the field of development even if only 3 months. After completing the internship, I earned a consultancy with the International Food Policy Research Institute on a project studying investment in agricultural R&D and capacity trends in developing countries. I recommend MESCI to those who have a desire to work in the field of development/international cooperation, but lack the tools and practical knowledge to get a start. Furthermore, MESCI is a quality MA for the price compared with other similar masters offered by universities in the US.
In July 2014, Michael was hired as a Statistician (Research Officer) by the Global Strategy to Improve Agricultural and Rural Statistics hosted by the Statistics Division in FAO.