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Master of Science in Foreign Service

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Master of Science in Foreign Service (MSFS)
TypePrivate
Established1922
AffiliationGeorgetown University
DirectorAnthony Clark Arend
Postgraduates185
Location
Washington, D.C., USA
WebsiteMSFS Website
This redirect is about Master of Science in Foreign Service. For other uses, see MSFS (disambiguation).

MSFS is recognized as one of the most selective professional international affairs masters programs in the world. It is distinguished by its well-respected faculty, the Washington, DC location, a selection of the world top international affairs students and a multidisciplinary curriculum that integrates theory and practice which integrates core requirements with skills, training, internships and field experience.

The MSFS curriculum is both practical and theoretical. Practical, because most students seek a two-year master's degree as a stepping stone to professional careers. Theoretical, because the opportunity to think conceptually about particular problems is the "value added" that the university brings to professional training.

Attention to the individual student is a hallmark of the MSFS Program, with small classes, faculty-student interaction, and life-long friendships cited regularly in post-graduation surveys. MSFS students take small classes designed to meet their needs, taught by a faculty devoted to their development.

International careers increasingly require knowledge and skills that transcend the confines of traditional academic disciplines. The MSFS Program addresses this with a

History

Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service conferred the first graduate degree in international affairs in 1922, pre-dating the US State Department's adoption of the term "foreign service." Since that initial class, over 3,000 students have completed the Master of Science in Foreign Service (MSFS) Program. Graduates have attained notable success in careers with national governments, international organizations, private businesses and civil society groups.

Today MSFS is recognized as one of the most selective professional masters programs in the world.

Curriculum and Faculty

The MSFS Program provides a multidisciplinary course of study that integrates theory and practice through:

  • A full-time, two-year, 48-credit program
  • Small classes with interactive teaching and learning
  • Required core courses that provide cross-disciplinary insights into the dynamic international system
  • Advanced courses in economics, history, politics and business as well as quantitative methods, analytical skills and foreign languages
  • A choice of three professional concentration areas: international relations and security, international development, international commerce and business
  • Specializations that integrate classes, skills training, internship opportunities and unique, practitioner-taught workshops

Practitioners serve as Concentration Coordinators for each field of study. Their applied professional insights complement the full-time faculty's role in advising on course selection, internships, career preparation, and employment opportunities. Practitioners also offer optional one or two-day skills clinics; recent examples include global strategy concepts and approaches, international development project design and evaluation, and business risk assessment and management technique

The MSFS faculty encompasses scholar-teachers and practitioners. Faculty teaching MSFS students include Charles Kupchan, Victor Cha, Kathleen McNamara, John McNeill, Carol Lancaster and Theodore Moran. Among the more notable practitioners are Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Georgetown alumnus Andrew Natsios (Director, US Agency for International Development). Adjunct faculty include executives from the World Bank, Citigroup, Exxon, ITT, McKinsey, Sidley Austin, FINCA and Knight Ridder Newspap ers.

Reputation and Ranking

Attention to the individual student is a hallmark of the MSFS Program, with small classes, faculty-student interaction, and life-long friendships cited regularly in post-graduation surveys. Other attractions include the Program's distinguished faculty, the Washington, DC location, and a curriculum that integrates multidisciplinary core requirements with skills training, internships and field experience.

In February of 2009, a survey published in Foreign Policy magazine ranked the professional masters degrees in the School of Foreign Service, including MSFS, #1 in the world.

Prominent Alumni

Prominent Faculty

References

  • MSFS Website [8]
  • Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs Profile [9]
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