Georgetown University, School of Foreign Service

Combining Academic Rigor and Real-World Experience for Future Global Leaders

At Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service (SFS), student success is achieved by combining pedagogy and a strong sense of community. The faculty of the school’s postgraduate programs consists of academic experts and seasoned practitioners who are passionate about sharing their skills and experience. Practitioners and alums are invited to lecture, which helps contribute to students’ understanding of their career and service opportunities.

Professor George Shambaugh, director of the Master of Science in Foreign Service (MSFS) program, explains that alums who serve as practitioner lecturers represent a variety of fields, from business development to investment banking. Their experiences help students think beyond policymaking in terms of the types of professions their degree can lead them to. It’s an “extraordinarily eye-opening experience,” Shambaugh explains. “We’re not a business school, but global business is international affairs. You can’t think about global networks without thinking about business and politics.”

Outside of the classroom, faculty members leverage their professional networks to help students build relationships in the field and participate in experiential learning opportunities. Recently, students have toured Japanese governmental facilities; met with Qatari negotiators working with Jordan, Egypt, and the United States on a ceasefire solution in Gaza; and attended the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) to observe the meetings.

Through its Practitioners in Residence program, SFS further promotes interactions between students and leading practitioners. Every year, a handful of professionals — often SFS alums — volunteer to mentor students, offer career guidance, and conduct skills clinics and seminars. “What we’re really trying to do with alums, faculty, and practitioners is to use our networks to better engage the students, teach them how to ask difficult questions, and refine their thinking,” Shambaugh says.

Students are also connected to the wider Georgetown community, from the College of Arts and Sciences to the Schools of Law or Business, where they can take additional courses, deepen their research, and debate with colleagues. The nature of SFS programs “allows students to connect outside the classroom as well as in it … creating a strong community and learning from it,” Shambaugh notes.

The school’s holistic approach leads to successful student outcomes, as evidenced by SFS being a top producer of finalists for the Presidential Management Fellows Program and Fulbright scholar awardees (for which Georgetown ranked number one for the second consecutive year). Additionally, more than 96 percent of SFS graduates find employment within six months of graduation.

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A Range of Program Offerings for SFS Students

In addition to their primary program of study, students may also pursue a range of thematic and regional graduate certificates while fulfilling their program requirements. Regional programs include Arab Studies; Asian Studies; Eurasian, Russian, and East European Studies; German and European Studies; Latin American Studies. Thematic programs include Environment and International Affairs,* Foreign Service, International Migration and Refugees, and Security Studies.

*Joint degree offered with The Earth Commons Institute.

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Georgetown University, School of Foreign Service
https://sfs.georgetown.edu/admissions/graduate-programs
[email protected]
202-687-9267