Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

SFS Master’s Degree Named Best in U.S.

International relations professors nationwide recently gave the School of Foreign Service a shining report card, in a survey that ranked Georgetown as one of the top schools for international relations at both the undergraduate and graduate level. In a biennial survey conducted by researchers at the College of William and Mary, Georgetown ranked first for master’s degree programs in international relations, moving up from second place in 2005, the year the survey was last released. The university ranked 13th in Ph.D. programs in international relations, moving up one spot from 2005, and its undergraduate program placed fourth, behind Harvard, Princeton and Stanford. Columbia and Yale occupied the fifth and sixth spots. The survey asked 1,112 professors of international relations to name the five best universities for both undergraduate- and graduate-level programs. Johns Hopkins University was ranked second for best master’s degree programs, with Harvard University, Tufts University and Columbia University rounding out the top five. SFS Dean Robert Gallucci said that he was not surprised by Georgetown’s high ranking in each category, and that the rankings affirm the strength of Georgetown’s programs. “As we look at the results, we cannot help but be pleased,” Gallucci said. “We have first-rate scholars in all of our master’s programs, and taking advantage of our Washington, D.C. location with adjunct faculty has put us at the top.” The SFS offers six different master’s degree programs. The survey considered the programs collectively rather than focusing on one individual program. John Kline, director of the Master of Science in Foreign Service program, said that the school’s philosophy and personnel distinguish it from its counterparts. “Our focus on theory and practice as well as our combination of core faculty and strong adjuncts, professionals and practitioners in their fields, constitute the strength of our program,” he said. The most recent survey asked scholars to rank the best schools for undergraduates interested in international relations – a factor that was not part of the 2005 survey. Gallucci said that he has tremendous confidence in the SFS undergraduate curriculum and is dedicated to improving Georgetown’s programs. “I think that it is true that our undergraduate program, by the criteria given in the study, is unambiguously the best in the country. I would not at all be surprised if we had been No. 1,” he said. “There is always a pressure and a commitment, though, to keep programs current and sensitive to the best in scholarship.” Jason Hwang (SFS ’08), chair of the International Relations Club and an international politics major, attributed the high ranking to what he considers Georgetown’s practical and modern attitude toward the study of international relations. “The SFS teaches its students to approach international affairs from a policymaker’s perspective,” Hwang said. “An SFS student emerges understanding how international affairs today is conducted.” Reza Marashi (GRD ’08), who is pursuing his master’s in Foreign Service, credited the SFS’s experienced faculty. “Exposure to different viewpoints from the people that are actually making the policies is second to none,” Marashi said.

More to Discover