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Global Master of Arts Program

GMAP Applications Still Open for May 2025

Advance your career or pivot to a new one

The Global Master of Arts Program is a hybrid master’s program that combines the best of in-person residencies with the flexibility of online studies. The program’s interdisciplinary curriculum provides the 360-degree perspective of international affairs that is essential to succeeding as a global leader. The first hybrid program of its kind, GMAP allows seasoned professionals to earn a Master of Arts in International Relations from anywhere in the world, while maintaining a full-time career.

The thoughtfully sequenced GMAP curriculum recognizes that the cultural, historical, and external forces that shape international affairs are deeply interconnected. Drawing from the broader Fletcher curriculum, GMAP’s coursework provides the skills and building blocks required by international affairs leaders in today’s complex and globally integrated world.

Alexey Dudarev, GMAP Class of 2023

In 2020, as Protection Officer for UNHCR Syria, I was the senior international UN staff in the coastal region and was leading the humanitarian response to wildfires ravaging the area, displacing thousands and wiping out agricultural lands. This experience made me realize that my knowledge of the international human rights framework, refugee law and my managerial skills were not sufficient to effectively respond to the changing nature of humanitarian crises and new patterns of displacement. This realization inspired me to return to school to build upon my skills.  Out of several international programmes aimed at working professionals I chose GMAP due to its multidisciplinary focus and its impressive alumni network. 

Alexey Dudarev, GMAP Class of 2023

    • Tackles complex global issues with Fletcher’s world-renowned faculty in essential areas of cyber-security, global economics, diplomacy, climate, governance, leadership, and others.
    • Builds career-advancing skills in the next generation of global leaders.
    • Combines the best of online cohort-based study with two in-person residencies on Fletcher’s Boston area campus and at an international location.
    • Extensive skill-building with experiential coursework and opportunities to engage with faculty, alumni, thought leaders, politicians, and business leaders.

     

    Mission Statement:

    “Founded in 2000, The Global Master of Arts Program (GMAP) is a hybrid program that combines the best of in-person residency sessions with the flexibility of online studies. The degree’s interdisciplinary curriculum provides the 360-degree perspective of international affairs that’s essential to succeeding as a global leader. The first and only hybrid program of its kind, GMAP allows accomplished individuals to earn a Master of Arts in International Relations from anywhere, without interrupting their careers.”

  • SUMMER TERM 
    Initial Residency (3 credits) 

    1.5 credits: Global Leadership (Professor Diane Ryan) + 

    1.5 credits: Negotiation Strategy and Skills (Professors Eileen Babbitt & Diana Chigas) 

    5/19/25-5/25/25: online coursework 

    5/26/25-6/1/25: online coursework 

    6/2/25-6/5/25: online coursework 

    6/6/25-6/14/25: Fletcher Residency (8 night/ 9 day) 

    6/16/25-6/22/25: final assignments 

    6/23/25-6/29/25: off week 
    Summer Module (3 credits)  

    1.5 credits: Political Analysis: International Politics (Professor Jeff Taliaferro) + 

    1.5 credits: Global Economy (Professor Bruce Watson) 

    6/30/25-8/10/25: 6 weeks online coursework 

    8/11/25-8/17/25: final assignments 

     Year-Long Course (1 credit) 
    Leadership and Negotiation Year-Long Lab (Professors Diane Ryan, Eileen Babbitt, Diana Chigas) 
    6/30/25-8/17/25: online coursework 
     Summer Skill Summit (.5 credit) 
    .5 credit: Arts of Communication (Professor Lawrence Quartana) 

    8/18/25-8/21/25: online coursework 

    8/22/25-8/24/25: live skill summit 

    8/25/24-8/31/25: off week 
    FALL TERM 
     Fall 1 Module (3 credits) 

    1.5 credits: Global Economic Governance: Sustainable Trade and Investment (Professor Joel Trachtman) + 

    1.5 credits: International Legal System (Professor John Cerone) 

    9/1/25-10/12/25: 6 weeks online coursework 
    10/13/25-10/19/25: final assignments 
     Year-Long Course (1 credit) 
    Leadership and Negotiation Year-Long Lab (Professors Diane Ryan, Eileen Babbitt, Diana Chigas) 
    9/1/25-12/7/25: online coursework 
    Fall 2 Module (3 credits) 

    1.5 credits: Global Security Governance: International Law and Institutions (Professor Ian Johnstone) + 

    1.5 credits: Addressing Global Environmental Challenges (Professors Kelly Sims Gallagher & Melissa McCracken) 

    10/20/25-11/30/25: 6 weeks online coursework 
    12/1/25-12/7/25: final assignments 
     Fall Skill Summit (.5 credit) 
    .5 credit: Data Science and AI for Global Leaders (Professor Anna Haensch) 
    12/8/25-12/11/25: online coursework 
    12/12/25-12/14/25-: live skill summit 
    12/15/25-1/4/26: 3-week winter break 
    SPRING TERM 
    Spring Module 1 (3 credits)  

    1.0 credit: Policy Lab (Professors Kim Wilson and Melita Sawyer) +

    1.5 credits: Public Policy Formulation and Practice (Professor Carlos Alvarado) + 

    1.5 credits: The Role of Force in the 21st Century International Security and Conflict Environment (Professors Richard Shultz & Michael Sullivan) 

    1/5/26-2/15/26: 6 weeks online coursework 
    2/16/26-2/22/26: final assignments 
    2/23/26-3/1/26: off week 
     Year Long Course (1 credit) 
    Leadership and Negotiation Year-Long Lab (Professors Diane Ryan, Eileen Babbitt, Diana Chigas) 
    2/1/26-3/22/26 
     International Residency (2.5 credits) 

    1.0 credits: International Security Simulation + 

    .5 credits: Policy Lab (Professors Kim Wilson and Melita Sawyer) 

    3/2/26 -3/11/26 online coursework 
    3/13/26-3/22/26: International Residency (9 night/ 10 day) (Fletcher Spring Break) 
     Spring 2 Module (2.5 credits) 

    1.5 credits: Cyber Policy Analysis & Risk Management (Professor Josephine Wolff) + 

    1 credit: Policy Memo Development (Professor Kim Wilson)  

    3/23/26-5/3/26: 6 weeks online coursework 
    5/4/26-5/7/26: final assignments 
    5/17/26: Fletcher Commencement 


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Inside GMAP

William Lee

“GMAP helps you find your place in the world […]. It provides so much context for who you are, and what this world is. It allows you to have rational paths forward.”

 -William Lee, GMAP Class of 2024

GMAP Videos

Alumni Spotlight

H.E. JOYCE ALUOCH

I feel that joining Fletcher has been one of the best decisions I’ve recently made. It is a vibrant, intelligent, and very warm circle of dedicated people who share similar interest in international relations,” she concludes. “The professors are the best of the best, but the things you learn from discussions with your classmates are really priceless

H.E. Joyce Aluoch - Former First Vice President, The Hague, The Netherlands

Janine DiGiovanni

I honestly think I would not have the intellectual confidence to initiate the projects that I am now working on if I had not done Fletcher's GMAP. IT stretched my cognitive abilities but it also honed me - made me more incisive, enhancing and surpassing my previous capacities. It made me feel that if I could do this - I could do anything. Incredibly empowering

Janine DiGiovanni - Senior Fellow, Jackson Institute for Global Affairs, Yale University

Harriet Cross

I have made friends for life and have access to a vast network of Fletcher alumni who are in every corner of the globe doing all sorts of really interesting work

Harriet Cross - British Consul General to New England, Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Mohamad Al-Arif

Fletcher's GMAP is the program for mid-careers on the cusp of leadership roles and who cannot leave their jobs. The program helps connect the dots between global affairs and public policy

Mohamad Al-Arif - Commissioner, Indonesia Infrastructure Finance

GMAP Alumni Podcast by Philippe Rose and Christian Bachheimer

At the Coalface is conversations among friends working in international affairs. What connects us is our desire to think beyond ideologies and noisy headlines. We took time away from our jobs to think deeply about our world during the Global Master of Arts Program (GMAP) at the Fletcher School. We learned about international trade, security, negotiations, leadership and more and work in these fields as practitioners. This podcast is our space for candid chats about our life stories and the lessons learned at the coalface.

Listen Today
Coalface Podcast

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