Master's Programs

Students and Alumni

The International Comparative Education program draws students from diverse backgrounds. They represent many countries, undergraduate majors, and experiences. ICE students are willing to question conventional beliefs about the role of education in society, and value learning from others with different perspectives.

Master's papers

An integral part of the ICE/IEPA master’s program is the planning, research, and writing of the master’s paper—considered the most demanding, yet rewarding, aspect of the program.

Limiting Students’ Capabilities: Drug Trafficking Organization Violence and School Leaving in Mexico, 2000-2017

Greta Olivares, ICE MA '20

Weighted School Funding for Economically Disadvantaged Students and Academic Achievement: The Case of the Every Student Succeeds Act in Massachusetts’ School Districts

Koki Matsumoto, IEPA MA '19

View master’s papers

Careers

Four ICE Students standing in front of a Stanford building

Graduates of the International Comparative Education program enjoy many options for career paths, including research and program management positions in education research and development organizations as well as private sector jobs.

Sample job placements of ICE/IEPA master’s graduates

Administrative Coordinator, National Institute of International Education, Ministry of Education, Republic of Korea, Seoul
Assessment & Evaluation Manager, Global Nomads Group, New York City
Associate, Global Network Development, Minerva, San Francisco
Basic Education Learning Research Specialist, Save the Children, Washington, DC
CEO, Instituto Sonho Grande, São Paulo, Brazil
China Program Assistant, Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society, Stanford University
Co-Founder, Lab pre-school, the American University of Cairo and Hypatia
College Counselor/Senior Project Coordinator, BASIS Independent Silicon Valley
Consultant, Digital Development and Education, World Bank, Washington, DC
Consultant, Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University
Consultant and Policy Analyst, Proyecto Educativo, Mexico City
Country Manager, Knewton, São Paulo
Curriculum Designer and Program Facilitator, ESL Program, African Leadership Unleashed Ltd., Mauritius
Curriculum Developer, Conceptua Math, San Francisco Bay Area
Data Support Associate, New York City Department of Education
Developer, Iranian Scholarship Foundation, San Francisco Bay Area
Director of Teacher Support, OneGoal New York
Early Childhood Development Specialist, World Bank, Washington, DC
Education Consultant/Instructional Designer, Mosaic, San Francisco Bay Area
Education Director, Mexican Migration Field Research Program, UCLA
Education Officer, UNICEF, Herat, Afghanistan
Education Policy Analyst, San Francisco Unified School District
Education Policy Coordinator, Fundação Lemann, São Paulo
Education Policy and Government Relations Manager, Todos Pela Educação, Brasília, Brazil
Education Product Consultant, TAL Education Group, Beijing
Education Program Coordinator, Department of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, Stanford University
Evolutionary Learning Fellow, Center for Public Research and Leadership, Columbia University
Executive, Abril Educação, São Paulo
Executive, SRG Education Group, China
Executive Director, D3e, São Paulo
Founder, Kai Alpha Education, China
Head of Content and Education, Pillar Learning, San Francisco Bay Area
Head of Marketing & Content Development, Ponycody Inc., San Francisco Bay Area
Instructional Reform Facilitator, San Francisco Unified School District
Instructor and Web Developer, App Academy, San Francisco Bay Area
International Programs Coordinator, Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies, Stanford
Investment Analyst, ZhenFund, San Francisco Bay Area
Investment Associate, FoundersX Ventures, San Francisco Bay Area
Product Designer, New Oriental, Beijing
Project Manager, Conviva Platform in Instituto Natura, São Paulo
Project Manager, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University
Project Manager, Krea University, Chennai, India
Program Coordinator, Fulbright Teacher Exchange Programs, IREX, Washington, DC
Program Manager, Peking University Education Foundation, San Mateo
Program Manager, Room to Read, San Francisco
Project Manager, Rural Education Action Program (REAP), Stanford
Program Manager for Online Education, Stanford Graduate School of Business
Program and Research Associate, Room to Read, San Francisco
Qualitative Researcher, Challenge Success, Stanford Graduate School of Education
Research Analyst, Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education
Research and Policy Associate, Learning Policy Institute, Washington, DC
Research and Policy Fellow, Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Washington, DC
Research Assistant, Center for Global Assessment, Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ
Research Assistant, Challenge Success, Stanford Graduate School of Education
Research Assistant, John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities, Stanford Graduate School of Education
Research Assistant, Peking University
Research Assistant, WestEd, San Francisco Bay Area
Research Associate, Learning Policy Institute, Palo Alto, CA
Research Associate, Lemann Center, Stanford Graduate School of Education
Research Associate, Quality Evaluation Designs, San Mateo
Research Associate/Lab Manager, Ardoin Lab, Stanford Graduate School of Education
Research Manager, Empirical Education, Palo Alto
Research Manager, Innovations for Poverty Action, Freetown, Sierra Leone
Research Project Manager, Literacy Boost, Kigalil, Rwanda
Research Specialist, Save the Children, Washington, DC
Researcher and Curriculum Designer, CSET, Stanford
Senior Manager, Research and Policy, Innovate Public Schools, San Francisco Bay Area
Senior Program Manager, Central Square Foundation, New Delhi
Social Science Research Professional, Program on Poverty and Governance, Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University
Special Projects Manager, SchoolMint, San Francisco
Strategic Finance Manager, KIPP Bay Area Schools, Oakland
Student Services Advisor, HotChalk, San Francisco
Teacher, Reach Academy, Oakland
Team Member, 7EDU Impact Academy, Cupertino
Technical and Research Associate, Management Systems International, Washington, DC
Undergraduate Admissions Counselor, Due West Education, Beijing
User Operations Associate, Quizlet, Inc., San Francisco

To learn more about Stanford EdCareers, the career resources center at the Graduate School of Education, visit the EdCareers website.

Visit EdCareers

Hear from our alumni

“When I started at Stanford, I had no research background, no familiarity with statistics, and no experience with data coding. In one year, with the help of my mentors and collogues, I co-wrote a complete quantitative research paper, and was hired at the Rural Education Action Program to assist with data collection, data analysis, and research publications.”

Hannah Johnstone, ICE MA '20

“It is a life-changing experience to be surrounded by such a diverse cohort, made of brilliant people who are all moved by their common passion for education and learning. Their experiences and cultural backgrounds brought so much to the table during discussions and debates, and it is both inspiring and enlightening to understand what international policies actually mean.”

Camille Fabo, IEPA MA '22

“... learning and collaborating with researchers and students passionate about providing equitable learning opportunities to all students motivated me to pursue my goal further. Every scholar I spoke with in the GSE was deeply concerned about one’s contribution to education and believed that learning could improve lives.”

Risako Ninomiya, ICE MA '22

What you need to know

Admission requirements

To learn more about requirements for admission, please visit the Application Requirements page.

Financing your education

To learn more about the cost of the program and options for financial support, please visit Financing Your Master’s Degree on the admissions website.

Contact admissions

For admissions webinars and to connect with the admission office, see our Connect and Visit page.

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