Founded in 1919 to educate students and prepare them for leadership roles in international affairs, the School of Foreign Service remains committed to intercultural understanding and service in the global arena, ideals held by its founder and first dean, the Rev. Edmund A. Walsh, S.J. Today, the School conducts an undergraduate program for over 1,400 students and graduate programs to the Master’s level for over 600 students from 70 countries.
Located in the heart of Washington, D.C., students at the School of Foreign Service benefit from opportunities in a unique environment which is not only the seat of the nation’s government but also the headquarters of major international organizations and non-profit institutions, trade and consulting groups, and high technology firms.
The School’s liberal arts undergraduate program includes a two-year required core curriculum followed by two years of multidisciplinary electives. Major fields of study include history, international politics, international economics, comparative and regional studies, culture and politics, and science and technology. Eight interdisciplinary graduate programs — five regional studies programs as well as the Master of Science in Foreign Service, Global Human Development, and the Security Studies Program– are designed to teach students to think about, analyze, and act in the world of the twenty-first century with imagination, good judgment, and compassion.
