Twenty-nine schools – from the USA via Europe to Japan – have combined as APSIA, the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs. These schools produce graduates with a vision to change the world they live in.We look at the exciting opportunities for prospective world leaders to launch their careers.
With diplomatic tensions and global business opportunities existing side-by-side, an international relations degree is more relevant than ever for the leaders of today and tomorrow. If you are looking for a graduate program that provides the keys to success in a career moves outside of your nation’s boundaries, you will want to consider the many professional graduate schools of international relations in the United States and other countries.
Though they differ in the specifics, international relations (IR) graduate schools share a commitment to broad training for future leaders in the public, private or not-for-profit sectors. One of the pre-eminent schools in the field is The Fletcher School at Tufts University, located near the U.S. city of Boston. Drawing students from around the world who are interested in a broad spectrum of careers, Fletcher has a seventy-plus year history of fulfilling its mission: ‘preparing leaders with a global perspective.’
'Professional international relations programs differ from the traditional academic master's-to-PhD track in that they take a less theoretical and more practical approach to the subject.’
The expanding utility of a degree in international relations means that IR students have an ever broader range of interests. Many students in IR degree programs have an area of focus that is specifically addressed in the curriculum, such as international development. Many others, on the other hand, find the degree equally valuable if they wish to move up in their careers while broadening their international expertise.
Fletcher School Dean Stephen W. Bosworth, comes from a diplomatic career, having been U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, the Philippines, and Tunisia. Reflecting on the worldwide contributions of Fletcher graduates, Dean Bosworth has written, “We train broadly knowledgeable and curious leaders to translate their thorough grounding in the latest political, economic, business, and legal thinking into practical, successful actions that shape international issues and events.”
Professional international relations programs differ from the traditional academic master's-to-Ph.D. track in that they take a less theoretical and more practical approach to the subject. The typical Fletcher student has been working for several years and has solid international experience. According to Laurie A. Hurley, director of admissions at The Fletcher School, “Although we want students to grow through their studies, the most successful students have experience in areas related to their career goals and they are able to identify the skills they need before they start their studies.”
The Fletcher School emphasizes flexibility for its students to set and meet their own goals. Students select from an array of courses and mold a program that meets their needs. There is no core curriculum but they choose fields of study, akin to undergraduate majors, that provide structure and coherence to the program. In the last three years, the most commonly selected fields have been International Business Relations, International Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, International Security Studies, and Development Economics. Students also complete a thesis, which ties together the material they have studied during their two years of study.
Compared to other professional schools, you'll find IR program graduates heading in a dizzying number of directions. Fletcher Career Services Director Susan Ingleby describes the career trajectories of Fletcher graduates as, “Diverse and impressive. Fletcher graduates enter organizations across a broad spectrum of fields, industries and sectors. You are as likely to find Fletcher graduates on Wall Street as in the United Nations; as likely to come across them in foreign ministries around the globe as working on humanitarian aid in Africa.
Corporations such as Citgroup recruit at Fletcher annually, as do NGOs such as Save the Children or Catholic Relief Services. Fletcher graduates work in all agencies of the U.S. Federal government, from Treasury to Justice, and from the State Department to Homeland Security. “This approach finds favor with many students. Marcela Prieto-Millan, part of the Class of 2005 chose Fletcher “to get an interdisciplinary understanding of the problems that affect my native country, Colombia, and its interaction with other nations in the region. The combination of legal, economic, social and political courses I have taken during my first year has allowed me to gain an ample understanding of Colombia, Latin America and the challenges ahead.”
‘The Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA) describes itself as a “cooperative association of 29 member schools in the United States, Asia and Europe dedicated to the improvement of professional education in international affairs and the advancement thereby of international understanding, prosperity, peace, and security.” ’
At one time, professional degrees in international relations were thought of as training for aspiring diplomats. The programs still perform that important function but a much smaller segment of each year’s graduating class enter diplomatic service. Ingleby went on to say that, “Fletcher graduates are driven to make a difference in the world, and our alumni influence not only the organizations they work in, but also their economies and societies. In the public sector, Fletcher graduates are heads of state (in Greece and Libya), ambassadors, U.S. Representatives and the current Governor of New Mexico. In the private sector, Fletcher alumni have been CEOs of Xerox, Lotus, Exxon Mobil and Citigroup, and have held senior positions at companies such as Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers and General Electric. In the non-profit sector, the current Presidents of the American Red Cross, the U.S.-Japan Foundation and the Juilliard School are all Fletcher alumni.”
The Fletcher School is a leader among professional international relations graduate schools, but a student seeking such a program has many choices.With the differences and similarities that distinguish the many international relations graduate schools, you may not know how to find the program that best meets your needs. Fortunately, many IR graduate schools are linked by a consortium, which is a good place to start your search. The Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA) describes itself as a “cooperative association of 29 member schools in the United States, Asia and Europe dedicated to the improvement of professional education in international affairs and the advancement thereby of international understanding, prosperity, peace, and security.” Though the degree requirements and precise course offerings differ from school to school, APSIA member schools train students in a spectrum of areas including economics, human rights, development, security, management, policy analysis, communications and foreign languages.
All APSIA schools offer master's degrees; some offer doctoral programs. A few APSIA members divide their curriculum between international relations and public policy. Some have a strong core curriculum while others, like The Fletcher School, allow more flexibility. Many have a foreign language proficiency requirement and a few have a strong focus on economics.When you research the APSIA schools, look for the one that provides the right content and level of structure or independence for your graduate studies. If you have a particular segment of the broad field of international relations in mind, you may want to pursue a joint degree, combining the IR study with a degree in law, business, public health, or another related field.
Beyond curriculum, schools of international relations are linked by a common commitment to educating students from outside of the host country's borders. Among APSIA members, The London School of Economics, for example, draws 60 percent or more of its students from outside the United Kingdom. The Master of Science in Foreign Service program at Georgetown University draws approximately 35 percent of its students from outside the U.S. Each year, between 40 and 50 percent of the students at The Fletcher School come from outside the U.S.
Professional IR programs generally seek students who have significant work experience and international experience before enrolling. Though the schools may not have a minimum work requirement, they still seek individuals who can enhance the conversation inside and outside the classroom and take it beyond the theoretical discussion. Though certain backgrounds are more common than others, students bring the insights from dozens of different types of work organizations to their studies. Studying alongside economic development and foreign ministry officials of many nations at Fletcher are engineers, practicing doctors, current and former military officers, and teachers. “Every year, the admissions staff knows we will receive an application from someone in a field that has never been represented at Fletcher before. The diversity of backgrounds makes every single class session more interesting than it would be if everyone brought common experiences,” Admissions Director Hurley has said.
Discussing the impact on her career of her Fletcher degree, Cynthia Harvey a 2002 graduate recognizes the way in which her IR studies empowered her to juggle a variety of challenges. “Through my Fletcher education, I developed strong analytical skills that I employ every day in my career with the U.S. Foreign Service. My professors and classmates encouraged me to challenge assumptions and consider problems from a variety of angles. The flexibility of the curriculum allowed me to take a wide range of classes ranging from international development to business strategy. I graduated feeling confident that I could operate on a professional level in a variety of settings.”
A Fletcher alumnus with a very different career path, Charles R. Scott '94 sees the larger connections between his broad-based studies in international affairs and his membership in the global business community. “Fletcher's multidisciplinary education and emphasis on understanding global interdependencies provided an excellent foundation for my work at Intel, where over 70 percent of the business comes from outside of the United States. As my job has taken me all over the world, I have not only appreciated Fletcher’s international orientation, but the wonderful hospitality of my classmates as well.”
Professional IR programs generally seek students who have significant work experience and international experience before enrolling.
As connections between nations continue to grow, the value of an international relations degree is poised to follow suit, leading greater numbers of professionals to seek out IR graduate schools as a platform from which to launch their careers to new heights. If you seek the excitement and rewards of an international career, you'll want to learn more about professional international relations graduate schools.
Learn more about APSIA and its member institutions at www.apsia.org