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Map Your Future: College Seniors & New Graduates

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Discover your future in global affairs

Thinking about graduate school in global affairs but want to try the workforce first? Consider the Map Your Future (MYF) Pathway at The Fletcher School.

A deferred-enrollment program, MYF guarantees admitted applicants a place in the Master of Arts in Law & Diplomacy (MALD) or Master of International Business (MIB) Fletcher degree program after completing two years of professional work experience. You can apply to MYF in your final year of undergraduate study or within four months of graduating.

Questions about the program or application process? Email us at fletcheradmissions@tufts.edu

Why Map Your Future?

  • Guaranteed scholarships: Admitted MYF students who submit a scholarship application are guaranteed a minimum scholarship of $10,000, though many receive larger awards.
     
  • Mandatory work period: Meet professionals and gain experiences that fuel your passion for international relations. Explore your niches and get inspired before diving into grad school. 
     
  • Meet Fletcher friends: Join the Fletcher community of impassioned students, empowering professors, and devoted alumni. Gain a global education with peers from around the globe and find Fletcherites wherever you go!
     
  • Smooth transition: Applying to MYF while in college means you can leverage on-campus connections to request timely letters of recommendation.

  • A major objective of MYF is for students to explore career options and gain professional experience before enrolling at Fletcher. Students can split their time between one or more organizations during MYF’s mandatory two-year work period. 

    Work that fulfills the MYF requirement:

    • Volunteer positions such as the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps or other service programs 
    • Paid or unpaid internships that are long-term and substantive in nature

    Past Map Your Future students used the work period to explore international relations in many different sectors, including: 

    • Private: Google, Boston Consulting Group, IBM
    • Public: U.S. Department of State, Fulbright Program
    • Nonprofits and NGOs: Human Rights Watch, National Democratic Institute
    • International organizations: International Monetary Fund, The UN Refugee Agency

    The work period also lines up with Peace Corps, Americorps, and Teach for America deployment terms.

    MYF students are responsible for finding their own employment and should look to the career resources provided by their own undergraduate institutions for guidance and support.

  • Map Your Future alumni have taken their Master’s degrees to various organizations, from government to non-profit sectors. Matthew Reitz, MYF MALD 2021, said that the MYF work period “allowed me to understand the reality of the fields I was interested in, and see how international relations, public diplomacy, and security studies are approached in the real world.” Now, Matthew works in the U.S. Department of the Army. Read more about Matthew’s MYF work period.

    Diana Haber, MYF MALD 2021, uses her Fletcher education to advocate for international educational equity. She gained a global perspective and a global family at Fletcher; “The anxiety of choosing classes, searching for an internship, and applying to jobs has melted away, trusting that there is a team of leaders out there willing to offer me their support.” Read more about Diana’s Fletcher community.

    Want to learn more about life during and after Fletcher? Check out our student and alum profiles!

  • Because MYF is designed for college seniors or those who have recently graduated, we offer two deadlines: one in December and another in June, enabling students to apply during their senior year or within four months of graduating. Admission to the Map Your Future Program is not binding for applicants. However, there is a non-refundable $1000 deposit required to hold your place in the future class.

    Apply by December 10: Notification by February 1; Enrollment decision and deposit due by May 1.

    Apply by June 10: Notification by July 1; Enrollment decision and deposit due by August 1.

    Application Requirements

    • Application for Admission
    • Official Transcripts
    • Two Letters of Recommendation
    • Essay 1: Please tell us your goals for graduate study at Fletcher and for your career. Describe elements of your personal, professional, and/or academic background that have prepared you for your chosen career path. Why is The Fletcher School the right place for you to pursue your academic objectives and to prepare you to meet your professional goals? Why have you selected the degree program to which you are applying?
    • Essay 2: To help the Committee on Admissions get to know you better, please share an anecdote, or details about an experience or personal interest, that you have not elaborated on elsewhere in the application.
    • Essay 3: What professional opportunities do you plan or hope to pursue during the next two years? What do you hope to learn and what skills do you hope to cultivate?
    • Résumé
    • GRE or GMAT score report (optional)
    • Official TOEFL or IELTS scores. (Required for international students whose native language is not English and who have not earned a university degree where English was the primary language of instruction.)
    • Evaluative Interview (Optional)
       

    Evaluative Interview

    An evaluative interview is a valuable way for you to share information about yourself and to learn how The Fletcher School will meet your academic and professional goals. We offer both in-person interviews as well as a limited schedule of Skype interviews. The interview is strongly recommended, but is not a required part of the admissions process. Please see our interview schedule.

    If you would like to interview during a time that is not offered on the schedule, please email fletcheradmissions@tufts.edu for availability. Be sure to mention that you are applying via the Map Your Future pathway.

Let's map your future.

Ready to apply or want to learn more? Email fletcheradmissions@tufts.edu.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Yes. To be considered, email nick.gleason@tufts.edu with a detailed request. You will be required to submit additional application materials, and will be notified of next steps after your initial request for consideration.

  • You may apply (not through Map Your Future) to one of Fletcher's degree programs in a future year using our reapplication procedures.  You are not disadvantaged in your future application as a result of being denied admission to the Map Your Future Program.

  • Yes, Fletcher admits a small number of highly qualified candidates directly from undergraduate studies. However, work experience is an important part of the Fletcher student profile, and we encourage students still in college to consider applying to MYF instead.

  • Not until you have officially matriculated at Fletcher will you have access to these resources. However, Map Your Future students will have the opportunity to attend Fletcher events and network with other Map Your Future students during this time.

  • Yes, but the program still requires you to complete two years of professional experience prior to enrollment at Fletcher, and an MYF student cannot be enrolled as a full-time student at another institution during those two years. Should your dual degree require you to begin your studies at the other institution, you should request a deferral from Fletcher. Upon approval of your written request, a non-refundable deferral deposit is required, which will be applied to your first semester tuition bill.

  • Yes, we will consider requests to extend your work for an additional year. Should you seek a work extension, you must submit a written request to nick.gleason@tufts.edu.