Seton Hall University, School of Diplomacy and International Relations

High-Value Experiential Learning Opportunities Prepare Students for Career Success

The master’s degree programs at Seton Hall University’s School of Diplomacy and International Relations are designed to ensure that students achieve a high return on their educational investment. One of the most impactful ways the school prepares students for career success is by offering a variety of experiential learning opportunities that help students develop practical skills and strengthen their professional portfolio through real-world challenges.

“We continue to include experiential learning in our curriculum because that adds to the value of the degrees,” explains Catherine Ruby, PhD, assistant dean of graduate enrollment management at the School of Diplomacy and International Relations. “Employers expect that graduates have work experience and professional skills.”

Students can take part in various experiential learning opportunities that enable them to practice diplomacy and international relations, as well as engage with experts in the field. This includes a visiting scholars program; a semester to study and intern in Washington, DC; international study seminars that take students overseas; a world leaders forum that features distinguished guests; and four research centers, run by faculty members who are experts in their field, where students can hone their research skills.

Each year, approximately 10 students are selected to participate in the National Security Fellowship Program, led by Seton Hall alumnus Mohamad Mirghahari, a former presidential appointee under the Obama administration and current special advisor to the Department of Defense. This cohort of students acts as a consulting group for a selected US government agency, completing operational research for the client’s foreign policy problem, developing a recommended solution, and presenting their findings to government officials in the requesting agency.

“The program offers incredible exposure for the students in their client’s sector,” Ruby says. “Students demonstrate their ability to analyze geopolitical threats and opportunities, identify US objectives, and they really learn how to develop, present, and write operational policies. It’s really a wonderful professional development tool.”

Courses in the school’s MA in Diplomacy and International Relations program average 20 students and allow for flexible scheduling, with online, in-person, and hybrid options. Students select two areas of coursework concentrations and choose from a range of functional and regional specializations. “There’s a real opportunity to personalize the degree and develop a portfolio that is unique to each student’s career interest,” Ruby explains.

There are also several degree programs for mid-career professionals, including the school’s newest addition, the Online Executive MS in International Affairs and Diplomatic Practice. In this unique program, specialization courses are taught by diplomacy faculty, while module courses, which are focused on professional skill development, are taught by trainers from the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). “We’re the only school in the US that offers that,” Ruby notes.

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Seton Hall University, School of Diplomacy and International Relations
https://www.shu.edu/diplomacy
[email protected]
973-275-2515