Rice University to offer Master of Global Affairs degree

Rice University will begin offering a Master of Global Affairs degree in fall 2015. The new program is designed to offer graduate students professional education that simultaneously requires high standards of scholarship and offers practical training for global affairs careers in government, the private sector and international organizations.

The degree program is a joint effort between Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and School of Social Sciences. It supports one of the goals of Rice’s Priorities for the New Century — international engagement.

“The Baker Institute is proud to partner with the School of Social Sciences on this important degree,” said Baker Institute Founding Director Edward Djerejian. “At the Baker Institute, our goal is to bridge the gap between the theory and practice of public policy. Students in the program will benefit from our fellows’ expertise on key issues facing governments, the private sector and society today and the institute’s national and worldwide connections.”

The Master of Global Affairs (MGA) program will involve a unique seven-week core schedule within the university’s regular two-semester academic year. The first year will present rigorous theoretical and methodological training to provide students with a firm grounding in modern scientific approaches to global affairs. It will include required courses in complex global systems, international conflict, domestic institutions, micro- and macroeconomics and research methods. In the second year, students will select a topic of concentration from among three areas (international political economy, international security and international political development) and pursue in-depth course work on this topic. This concentrated course work will be combined with an internship and capstone workshop on the chosen topic, which delves into real-world policy aspects of the subject.

Applicants for the program are encouraged to have a B.S. or B.A. degree, approved scores from the Graduate Record of Examination  and good critical thinking and communication skills.

Rice undergraduates may apply to the MGA program in the first semester of their junior year and, if accepted, take courses toward their master’s degree in their senior year while completing requirements for their baccalaureate degree.

“The Master of Global Affairs program is a first of its kind,” said Lyn Ragsdale, dean of  social sciences. “It creates a partnership between the School of Social Sciences and the Baker Institute and it offers Rice students the opportunity to begin a master’s degree while they complete their bachelor’s degree.”

The deadline to apply for the MGA program for entry in fall 2015 is January 5, 2015.

For more information on the Master of Global Affairs program, including application requirements, visit http://mga.rice.edu/.