In an increasingly multipolar world, the relationships between states, nonstate, and substate actors are becoming more interconnected and complex, delicate and dynamic. International organizations create norms, develop policies, and deliver programs that govern conflict management, human rights, sustainable development, humanitarian crises, migration, and international trade – holding the keys to a smarter and more responsive global order.
Prepare for a career in government, international organizations, or non-governmental actors by studying Global Governance and International Organizations at Fletcher.
Through your coursework, you’ll amass a working knowledge of the functions and forms of global governance, as well as an understanding of how institutions create and implement international law. You will acquire the intellectual breadth and skills needed for leadership positions in intergovernmental organizations, the diplomatic corps, NGOs, or the private sector. Get career-ready through research opportunities with the Center for International Law and Governance, and build real-world experience through the International Law Practicum.
Fletcher is an intellectual community – the way of learning is collaborative. That intellectual community makes it a vibrant place while the students are here, and lives on wherever their careers may take them. Not only do you have a fellow traveler if you need an apartment to stay in when you’re in any corner of the world, but also if there’s something puzzling you in your professional life, there are many people you can turn to for help and advice. You develop that community here – and that community lasts a lifetime.
Ian Johnstone, Professor of International Law
If you just learn about the laws divorced from the sociopolitical context, it's not going to mean much. One thing that's wonderful about the Fletcher international law practicum is that half of my students on this project have a law background, and half have an international affairs background or have worked in foreign ministries or in humanitarian aid; and many come equipped with multiple languages. This interdisciplinary background is important for being able to engage in this type of research and analysis.
Christine Bustany, Senior Lecturer in International Law
Global governance is no longer the job of governments only. Non-governmental organizations, technology companies, philanthropies, and thinktanks are also influential actors, often in partnership with intergovernmental organizations. Fletcher’s state-of-the-art curriculum accounts for this, preparing students to help manage complex global challenges in all professional settings.
Global Governance and International Organizations requirements
MALD and MIB students complete 9 credits in their field of study. MGA students complete 18 credits, plus a practicum. In addition to the required course, MALD students must take two courses from the list below, and MGA students must take four courses from the list below, at least one of which must address multi-stakeholder/transnational governance (indicated by an asterisk).
ILO L220 International Organizations
DHP D216M Networks, Analytics, and Organizations*
DHP D220 Processes of International Negotiations
DHP D225 Conflict Resolution Practice
DHP D227M Small States: Asymmetry and Influence
DHP D230 Humanitarian Action in Complex Emergencies
DHP D232 Gender, Conflict and Culture in Complex Humanitarian Emergencies
DHP D234 Humanitarian Leadership: The Political and Policy Challenges of Being in Charge
DHP D238 Current Issues in Global Immigration Policy
DHP D239 Forced Migration
DHP D241 Climate and Migration
DHP D251 Leadership and Global Institutions: The UN and Beyond
DHP D253 Global One Health Diplomacy
DHP D262 Conflict Management in a Polycentric World Order
DHP D280 U.S.-EU Relations in the 21st Century: A multidisciplinary Analysis of Transatlantic Affairs
DHP D282 Contemporary Russian Foreign Policy
DHP D283 US-EU Relations Since the Fall of the Berlin Wall
DHP D284 Europe in the Changing World Order
DHP D288 Leadership in the Public Sphere
DHP H250 Global Decolonization
DHP H275 South Asia and the World
DHP P202M Security Sector Reform: Conceptual and Contextual Issues in Peacebuilding
DHP P203 Analytic Frameworks for International Public Policy Decisions
DHP P222 Development Aid in Policy and Practice
DHP P225 Design, Monitoring and Evaluation of Peacebuilding and Development Programming
DHP P228M Advanced Evaluation and Learning in International Organizations*
DHP P253 Sustainable Development Diplomacy*
DHP P257 Corporate Management of Environmental Issues*
DHP P264 Artificial Intelligence: Algorithms, Ethics and Policy
DHP P292 The End of the World and What Comes Next
EIB B223 Informal and Underground Finance*
EIB B230 Managing NGOs and Social Enterprises*
EIB B242 Innovation Models for Building Inclusive Businesses*
EIB B252 Corporate Social Responsibility in an Age of Globalization*
EIB B254M Cross-Sector Partnerships*
EIB B264 Strategic Marketing for Non-Profit Organizations*
EIB B291 Leadership: Building Teams, Organizations and Shaping Your Path*
ILO L200 International Legal Order
ILO L201 Public International Law
ILO L210 International Human Rights Law
ILO L213 International Criminal Justice
ILO L214M Transitional Justice
ILO L215 Ethics in the Practice of Foreign Affairs
ILO L221 Actors in Global Governance*
ILO L222 Selected Issues in Law of the Sea
ILO L223 International Environmental Law
ILO L224 Conflict Management Tools
ILO L240 Legal and Institutional Aspects of International Trade
ILO L250 Law and Development
ILO L264 Non-Proliferation Law and Institutions
ILO L270 International Law Practicum
MGA students must complete one skills course. MALD and MIB students may not use these courses as a field elective unless otherwise indicated above. The following courses that teach skills that are valuable for careers in this field.
DHP D216M Networks, Analytics and Organizations I
DHP D220 Processes of International Negotiations
DHP D225 Conflict Resolution Practice
DHP D234 Humanitarian Leadership: The Political and Policy Challenges of Being in Charge
DHP P203 Analytic Frameworks for International Public Policy Decisions
DHP P225 Design, Monitoring and Evaluation
DHP P228M Advanced Evaluation and Learning in International Organizations
EIB B291 Leadership: Building Teams, Organizations, & Shaping Your Path
ILO L270 International Law Practicum
MGA students must complete either the International Law Practicum or an ad hoc practicum, which varies year to year.
