Dear Students, Parents, Alumni, Friends, and Visitors,
Welcome! We are an inquisitive, caring group of teacher-scholars, and we’re so glad you are here. The Department of International Affairs was formed in 2001 when the School of Public & International Affairs was founded. Formerly, it was part of the larger Political Science department in Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. We offer a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Affairs, two master’s degrees (Master of International Policy and Master of Arts in Political Science and International Affairs), and a Ph.D. in Political Science and International Affairs. We are also home to a Minor in International Affairs and a Minor in Human Rights and Security. Our students are the most decorated on campus, with more Rhodes, Truman, and Fulbright Scholars from our major than any other at UGA.
We currently have 27 tenured and tenure-track faculty and lecturers in the Department who specialize in a wide array of topics, including international conflict, human rights, political institutions, extremism, political economy, and the environment. Our faculty are world-renowned researchers, often winning research awards and external grants and serving in editorial positions at top peer-reviewed journals. Our research trajectory is leading the nation.
While we are a group of exceptional scholars, we are also deeply committed to instruction. Many of our faculty have won prestigious teaching awards at the school and university levels. Our Department is now 100% active learning, with simulations and real-life professional experiences part of every undergraduate class.
International Affairs graduates pursue a variety of career paths. Some undergraduates go directly into the workforce, with recent graduates finding excellent positions at Argonne National Laboratory, UPS, BSI, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Some pursue graduate degrees for careers as scholars, lawyers, civil servants, or public managers. Recent undergraduates have gone on to graduate school at Georgetown’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, the National University of Singapore, and Yale University.
Our graduate students have excellent career outcomes in academia and policy. Recent Master of International Policy and Master of Arts in Political Science and International Affairs students have gone to work at Los Alamos National Lab, Pacific Northwest National Lab, Deloitte, and KPMG. Graduates have also won the Presidential Management Fellowship and National Nuclear Security Administration Graduate Fellowship. Recent Ph.D. graduates have secured tenure-track positions at liberal arts and research-focused institutions and taken prestigious think-tank, business, and policy positions.
We want you here, and we’re proud to tell our success story. The Department of International Affairs is equally excellent in teaching and research. We are a world leader in preparing tomorrow’s diplomats and international affairs professionals. Please contact me at [email protected] if I can help you connect to our phenomenal programs and faculty.
All the best,
Dr. Amanda Murdie
Regents’ and Georgia Athletic Association Professor
Department Head, Department of International Affairs
NOTE: If you have questions regarding visa and immigration issues, please contact UGA’s Office of Global Engagement.
