School of Diplomacy and International Relations at Seton Hall University

Executive MS Program Offers Accelerated Degree for Mid-Career Professionals

For professionals with several years of experience, the Executive MS in International Affairs at Seton Hall University’s School of Diplomacy and International Relations offers a compressed path to higher-level training that can elevate a global career.

The program accelerates students’ hands-on learning by omitting some of the standard theoretical courses that are offered with the traditional degree program. “Students come in and do the 30 credits that are more practice-oriented,” explains Catherine Ruby, Ph.D., assistant dean of graduate enrollment management and director of internships and career development. This allows the Executive MS to be completed in one year of full-time study, including summers, or on a part-time basis.

Incoming students select two specializations from 13 options, such as international security, foreign policy analysis, international economics and development, and global negotiation and conflict management. The specializations also enable students to earn micro-credentials.

“Post-COVID, we have great interest in the global health and human security specialization,” Ruby notes. For example, the current student body includes a dentist who, Ruby explains, wants to transition into the public policy side.

“There’s a lot of flexibility in the course selection,” she says. “You’re creating a portfolio for yourself that matches your professional experience and allows you to move ahead in your career.”

Faculty members who lead these areas of expertise have “one foot in the professional side of the field,” Ruby explains. For instance, Professor Yanzhong Huang leads the school’s Center for Global Health Studies and is also a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. “He’s testified before Congress, and his expertise was called upon during COVID,” Ruby explains. “I can’t even tell you how many times he was on TV or in the media. He is very well regarded.”

Graduates’ career opportunities are further bolstered by the program’s affiliation with the United Nations community. For example, its Semester in Washington, DC, program is offered at the UN Foundation building. Students can also take classes through the school’s Center for UN and Global Governance Studies, and go to the UN to follow topics of interest to them.

The Executive MS program draws interest from a diverse pool of applicants, both domestically and internationally. The schedule is flexible, with many students working full-time and attending classes in the evening, either in person or online.

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Supportive Network Enables a Post-Graduation Job Pivot to Yemen

Sushant Naidu had offers of a Rotary Fellowship to work in Thailand and a position with Peace Corps North Macedonia after graduating with an MA in Diplomacy and International Relations in 2020—but the COVID-19 pandemic squelched those plans.
>>>Professor David Wood, an international peace mediator with projects throughout the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and Naidu’s professor while at Seton Hall University, learned of his change in plans. He invited Naidu to become a project officer on his Yemen team, where their work centers on economic development, social cooperation, and peace.
>>>“What is most rewarding about the work that I am doing now, with the MENA program, is seeing how things we studied in class look similar and different on the ground,” Naidu says.

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