Walsh School of Foreign Service

The Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service (SFS) is the school of international relations at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. It is considered to be one of the world's leading international affairs schools,[2] granting degrees at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Notable alumni include former U.S. president Bill Clinton, former CIA director George Tenet, and King Felipe VI of Spain, as well as numerous other heads of state or government. Its faculty has also included many distinguished figures in international affairs, such as former U.S. secretary of state Madeleine Albright, former U.S. secretary of defense Chuck Hagel, and former president of Poland Aleksander Kwaśniewski.[3]

"School of Foreign Service" redirects here. Not to be confused with Foreign Service Institute.

Walsh School of Foreign Service
TypePrivate
Established1919 (1919)[1]
FounderEdmund A. Walsh
Parent institution
Georgetown University
Religious affiliation
Roman Catholic (Jesuit)
Academic affiliations
APSIA
DeanJoel Hellman
Academic staff
134 (main campus)
Students2,273[1]
Undergraduates1,423[1]
Postgraduates850[1]
Location
Washington
,
D.C.
,
U.S.

38°54′32″N 77°4′25″W
CampusUrban
Websitesfs.georgetown.edu

Founded in 1919, the School of Foreign Service is the oldest continuously operating school for international affairs in the United States,[4][5] predating the U.S. Foreign Service by six years, and is known for the large number of graduates who end up working in U.S. foreign policy.[6] Despite its reputation for producing prominent American statesmen and diplomats, the SFS is not a diplomatic academy, and its graduates go on to have careers in a diverse range of sectors, including Wall Street.

The School of Foreign Service was established by Fr. Edmund A. Walsh, S.J. with the goal of preparing Americans for various international professions in the wake of expanding U.S. involvement in world affairs after the First World War. Today, the school hosts a student body of approximately 2,250 from over 100 nations each year. It offers an undergraduate program based in the liberal arts, which leads to the Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service (BSFS) degree, as well as eight interdisciplinary graduate programs.[1]

History
Healy Hall in Georgetown's Main Campus in Washington, D.C.

With the help of Georgetown University president Fr. John B. Creeden, S.J., Fr. Walsh spearheaded the founding of the School of Foreign Service and its establishment was announced on November 25, 1919.[4][5] The school’s use of the name “Foreign Service” preceded the formal establishment of the U.S. Foreign Service by six years. The school was envisioned by Fr. Walsh to prepare students for all major forms of foreign representation from commercial, financial, consular to diplomatic.[7]

In 1921, it graduated its first class of Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service (BSFS) undergraduate students.[8] The following year, the school began to offer the first international relations graduate program in the United States, the Master of Science in Foreign Service (MSFS).[9][10] In August 1932, the SFS was moved to the Healy Hall, a National Historic Landmark.[11]

Iin 1958, two years after the death of Fr. Walsh, the school was renamed after him[12] and moved to its present location, the Walsh Building. The building was dedicated by President Eisenhower in honor of Fr. Walsh.[13]

Academics

Undergraduate programs

The SFS offers the Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service (BSFS) degree rooted in the liberal arts. Following completion of the core requirements, students declare one of the following interdisciplinary majors:

  • Culture and Politics (CULP)[14]
  • Global Business (GBUS)[15]
  • International Economics (IECO)[16]
  • International History (IHIS)[17]
  • International Political Economy (IPEC)[18]
  • International Politics (IPOL)[19]
  • Regional and Comparative Studies (RCST)[20]
  • Science, Technology, & International Affairs (STIA) [21]

There is also a joint degree in Business and Global Affairs (BGA)[22] offered in partnership with Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business.

Graduate programs

Graduate students can pursue eight interdisciplinary graduate degrees in the school:[23]

  • Master of Science in Foreign Service (MSFS) with concentrations in:
    • Global Business & Finance (GBFS)
    • Global Politics & Security (GPS)
    • International Development (IDEV)
    • Science, Technology, and International Affairs (STIA)
  • Master of Arts in Security Studies (SSP)
  • Master of Global Human Development (GHD)
  • Master of Arts in Arab Studies (MAAS)
  • Master of Arts in Asian Studies (MASIA)
  • Master of Arts in German and European Studies (MAGES)
  • Master of Arts in Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies (MAERES)
  • Master of Arts in Latin American Studies (CLAS)

There are also two joint degrees offered in partnership with Georgetown's McDonough School of Business. The first is the Global Executive MBA, which is offered in collaboration with the ESADE Business School in Spain. and the INCAE Business School in Costa Rica. The second is the MA in International Business and Policy (MA-IBP). SFS is a member of the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA), a group of public policy, public administration, and international affairs schools.

Certificates

Georgetown offers a number of undergraduate certificate programs: African studies, Arab studies, Asian studies, Australian & New Zealand studies, German and European studies, international business diplomacy, international development, Muslim-Christian understanding, Jewish civilization, justice & peace studies, Latin American studies, medieval studies, Russian & East European studies, social & political thought, and women's and gender studies.

Reputation and rankings

Georgetown's programs in international relations have consistently ranked among the best in the world in surveys of the field's academics that have been published biennially since 2005 by Foreign Policy magazine.[24] In 2014 and in 2018 Foreign Policy ranked Georgetown's master's programs first in the world and its bachelor's programs fourth.[25] In a separate survey of makers of American foreign-policy from 2011, Georgetown ranked second overall in the quality of preparation for a career in the U.S. government, regardless of degree earned.[26]

Campuses
Main article: Campuses of Georgetown University
See also: Georgetown University in Qatar

The School of Foreign Service main campus, which is part of the main campus of Georgetown University, is located in the Georgetown neighborhood in Northwest Washington, D.C. In 2005, it opened another campus, the School of Foreign Service in Qatar (also known as SFS-Q or GU-Q), in Qatar Foundation's Education City in Doha, Qatar. Many SFS undergraduates spend a minimum of one semester or a summer abroad, choosing from direct matriculation programs around the globe as well as programs of other universities and those run by Georgetown, including SFS-Q and Villa Le Balze.

Notable alumni
Main article: List of Georgetown University alumni
Bill Clinton, class of 1968, ran for student council president his senior year.

References
  1. "Georgetown Key Facts". Georgetown University.
  2. Foreign Policy Magazine "The Best International Relations Schools in the World", Inside the Ivory Tower 2018
  3. "Walsh School of Foreign Service, Faculty List". Archived from the original on October 21, 2007. Retrieved February 25, 2008.
  4. "Georgetown University". Forbes. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  5. Oren, Ido (December 14, 2020). "Schools of international affairs in the United States: a historical sketch". Cambridge Review of International Affairs: 1–25. doi:10.1080/09557571.2020.1855630. ISSN 0955-7571. S2CID 230562181.
  6. Lim, Alex (January 23, 2010). "Foreign Affairs". The Straits Times. Retrieved February 25, 2012.
  7. "A Legacy of Service". Georgetown University. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  8. "The first class of undergraduates is granted degrees". SFS - School of Foreign Service - Georgetown University. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  9. "Master of Science in Foreign Service / Master of Public Policy (MSFS/MPP)". Quacquarelli Symonds. Retrieved May 3, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. "First master's degrees are granted". SFS - School of Foreign Service - Georgetown University. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  11. "The School of Foreign Service moves to Healy Hall". SFS - School of Foreign Service - Georgetown University. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  12. McNamara, Patrick (2005). A Catholic Cold War: Edmund A. Walsh, S.J., and the Politics of American Anticommunism. New York: Fordham University Press. p. 13. ISBN 0-8232-2459-7. Archived from the original on September 17, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019 – via Google Books.
  13. "President Eisenhower dedicates the Walsh Building in honor of Father Walsh". SFS - School of Foreign Service - Georgetown University. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  14. "Culture and Politics Major - School of Foreign Service - Georgetown University". November 1, 2015.
  15. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 16, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  16. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 23, 2015. Retrieved March 16, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  17. http://bsfs.georgetown.edu/academics/majors/ihis#_ga=1.226613530.683932198.1423808401
  18. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 5, 2015. Retrieved March 16, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  19. "International Politics Major - School of Foreign Service - Georgetown University". October 27, 2015.
  20. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 5, 2015. Retrieved March 16, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  21. "Science, Technology and International Affairs Major - School of Foreign Service - Georgetown University". October 24, 2015.
  22. "B.S. in Business and Global Affairs". bga.georgetown.edu. December 31, 2020.
  23. "Graduate Programs". sfs.georgetown.edu.
  24. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on February 5, 2012. Retrieved February 5, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  25. "The Best International Relations Schools in the World" – via Foreign Policy.
  26. "Pipeline to the Beltway?" – via Foreign Policy.
  27. "Goei, Dexter". Reuters. Archived from the original on October 19, 2015. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  28. "Prominent Alumni – School of Foreign Service". sfs.georgetown.edu. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  29. Courtney Stadd
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