| Master of Science in Foreign Service (MSFS) | |
|---|---|
| Established | 1922 |
| Type | Private |
| Academic affiliation | Georgetown University |
| Director | Anthony Clark Arend |
| Postgraduates | 185 |
| Location | Washington, D.C., USA |
| Website | MSFS Website |
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 lifelong friendships cited regularly in post-graduation surveys.
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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.
The MSFS Program provides a multidisciplinary course of study that integrates theory and practice through:
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.
Attention to the individual student is a hallmark of the MSFS Program, with small classes, faculty-student interaction, and lifelong 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 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.