The field of study is the basic building block of the Fletcher curriculum. These areas of specialization or concentration are the school's "depth" requirement. Fields enable you to develop a specific set of skills related to a functional topic or geographic area. Field requirements are often completed by taking courses in more than one division of our three divisions.
- MALD students are required to graduate with two fields of study.
- PhD students can complete three (with four courses per field), but most choose to complete two fields (five courses per field) on a deeper level of study.
- MIB students must complete two fields of study, including one international business field.
- MA students are not required to present fields of study, though many do.
Note: A course may be counted for credit in only one field. In those cases where a course is listed in more than one field, the student may choose the field in which it is to be credited. Courses, however, may be used to meet both divisional and field requirements simultaneously. Each field of study must consist of at least 3 course credits and, in some cases, at least 4.5 credits.
Below you will find a comprehensive listing of course requirements for our fields.
* These are the most commonly chosen major fields of study at the PhD level.
Note: As you review each Field of Study listed above, you will see posted on each of the Field’s Academic tabs the "Key" which associates each of the graphic icons with the courses that are required, optional, as well as not offered in the 2012-2013 academic year.
International Business Fields for MIB Students
All MIB students must complete one international business field and one international affairs field (from the list above, excluding International Business Relations). To fulfill an international business field, students must complete three course credits in a single field. Each field has one required class and two electives. Upon petition, MALD candidates may complete one of the International Business Fields but in doing so may not offer International Business Relations as their second field of study.