Alumni Leverage Master’s in International Business and Policy Degree to Boost Their Globally Oriented Careers

James Sinocchi (IBP’17) was looking for ways to advance his career and move into a leadership position. At the time, he was a counterterrorism analyst for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and he was seeking a graduate program that would deepen his knowledge in global security studies.

“Government agencies were increasingly in demand for information about global business and business technology, as well as for partnerships with the business sector to maintain a decision advantage against a range of asymmetric national security threats,” Sinocchi said. “I decided to choose a program that would provide me with the tools and experience to analyze business on a global scale and expand my understanding of security affairs.”

Sinocchi enrolled in Georgetown’s Master of Arts in International Business and Policy (IBP), which both provided him the training and skills to excel in his government role and propelled him to the next stage in his career.

Offered by Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business and Walsh School of Foreign Service, the IBP explores the frameworks relevant to international relations in tandem with contemporary issues in global business. The 12-month graduate program — with modules in Washington, D.C., around the world, and online — blends the strengths of the world’s oldest and most highly regarded school of foreign service with a top-tier business school that has proven experience in educating global, principled leaders who serve business and society.

Sinocchi applied frameworks from the interdisciplinary curriculum to his work in analyzing the landscape of threats affecting global business and leveraged the program’s experiential learning in job interviews with top consulting firms.

“Hiring managers explained to me that my resume stood out,” he said, adding that employers were particularly interested in the class’s consulting project in Chile to help a winery evaluate international expansion, as well as a big data analytics project that used scripting languages to conduct sentiment analysis on Amazon’s Prime Day consumer reviews.

Sinocchi accepted an offer at Booz Allen Hamilton within two months of graduation and now works in their Strategic Innovation Group. There he delivers cutting-edge technologies to the federal government, such as how to employ data science solutions and integrate Robotic Process Automation technology to improve organization-wide efficiencies.

“Given that many of Booz Allen’s clients either manage or are part of global organizations with a national security focus, the hiring manager indicated that my education would allow the firm to apply my skills to a range of different client projects in several markets,” he said. “Additionally, the technical skills I acquired gave the firm confidence that I could assist them in managing and deploying technological solutions to government clients.”

The Georgetown IBP proved to be the ideal program for Sinocchi. “The IBP program provides students with the tools and experience to confidently navigate the global environment. They also become part of the Georgetown community and have access to the incredible faculty, staff, and career advisors whose support I am especially grateful for in helping me advance my career,” he said.