Yale University,
Jackson Institute for Global Affairs

 

One of the strengths of Yale University’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs is its strong group of senior fellows, leading practitioners who teach classes and serve as mentors to students. Senior Fellow Clare Lockhart is drawn to Jackson’s deeply effective approach to addressing global challenges.

“There is something very different here,” says Lockhart, who is also director of the Institute for State Effectiveness in Washington, D.C. “It’s the culture—the Jackson Institute is an unusually diverse group of academics, international affairs professionals, and students with a deep commitment to sharing creative and practical ideas for addressing global challenges. There is space here for genuine reflection and thinking.”

Small by design, with only 25 to 30 students in each cohort of MA students, the Jackson Institute attracts creative, intellectually curious graduate students who are interested in forming their own path to a career in global leadership and service. The students, faculty, and senior fellows form an intimate and tight-knit community distinguished by their wide diversity of viewpoints and experiences, profound respect for one another, and enduring commitment to grappling with global challenges. About half of each cohort is international.

“The Jackson Institute is built on the longstanding tradition of international relations programs, but it is also new enough to have a culture of innovation and creativity,” observes Lockhart, who was named by Foreign Policy magazine as one of the “100 Most Influential Global Thinkers” of 2009 and 2010 for her work on fragile states.

In addition to prominent academics, Jackson faculty include key players in international affairs, such as Tony Banbury, who led the UN’s response to the Ebola crisis, negotiated the establishment of the Syrian chemical weapons mission, and led the operational response to the Haiti earthquake as assistant secretary-general for field support.

Jackson’s impressive roster of senior fellows includes:

• John Kerry, the 68th U.S. secretary of state;
• General (ret.) Stanley McChrystal;
• Emma Sky, a seasoned expert in Middle Eastern politics, who has been a leading U.S. adviser in Iraq, Afghanistan, and more;
• Robert Ford, former U.S. ambassador to Syria;
• New York Times columnist David Brooks;

and many other leading practitioners. Senior fellows bring a real-world perspective to the classroom and serve as an important resource for career exploration and mentorship.

Over the course of the Jackson Institute’s two-year MA program, students build out their own portfolio and choose courses from across Yale’s graduate and professional schools. Students determine their core focus, not from a predetermined list, but from conversations with their course adviser and guidance from Jackson’s dedicated career adviser. Students also work closely with Jackson’s Career Services Office to identify a site for their summer experience, whether it takes place in D.C. or around the globe.

In addition to financial support for summer experiences, research projects, and academic projects, Jackson students receive generous funding for their overall graduate studies. Most receive some level of fellowship support from the Jackson Institute or other sources at Yale. Some fellowships also include a stipend for living expenses.

Jackson students leave Yale with lifelong connections to colleagues working around the world in the public, nonprofit, and private sectors in diverse fields that include policy analysis, security analysis, trade and economic development, foreign affairs, human rights, international finance, and environmental policy.

Graduate Degree Programs in International Affairs:

• MA, Global Affairs
• Master of Advanced Study (MAS), Global Affairs (mid-career)
• Joint degrees

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