My feeling of IEPM

How is Vanderbilt’s ranking and reputation?

I previously worked in recruitment in China. In the education industry in China, Vanderbilt is recognized as a good school—sometimes even earning a “wow,” though not as often as Ivy League schools. In other industries, Vanderbilt graduates are not as commonly seen, and whether the school’s reputation provides an advantage depends on the HR’s perception. The more internationally oriented a company is, the greater the advantage.

Internationally, Vanderbilt is a “wow” school, especially Peabody College—I’ve heard this from multiple local students. When I attended conferences and introduced myself as being from Peabody, people were generally willing to engage in conversation.

How many students are in the IEPM program? Are there many Chinese students?

The International Education Policy and Management (IEPM) program became a STEM-designated program in 2022, allowing graduates to qualify for 3 years of OPT (including the STEM extension). I think IEPM is a program where you can graduate happily, but it also offers a high ceiling for academic and professional growth. In general, the program is very flexible:

1️⃣ Half of the elective courses can be taken across different disciplines and schools (e.g., study-abroad opportunities from the business school).
2️⃣ Students can apply for independent study courses to do internships using CPT.
3️⃣ The four core courses can be substituted with PhD-level courses.
4️⃣ Students can earn a Global Health Certificate.
5️⃣ There is an option to study at Columbia University for one semester as an exchange student.

In my cohort of 2022, there were about 15-20 students from 5-6 different countries, with around 7 Chinese students (the next cohort had about 4-5). The ratio is such that you can always find people to gather with for Chinese meals, but class group work is well-mixed. Overall, Vanderbilt has a relatively small international student population.

Regarding student backgrounds, the previous cohort included graduates from Princeton and Peking University, while my cohort had students from Yale and Harvard, and past years reportedly had Tsinghua graduates as well. Although it may seem like everyone on social media has an Ivy background, our cohort consists of hardworking, ambitious individuals pushing toward their own limits! Since there are many international students, the program is highly inclusive.