Program in International Relations and Diplomacy - American Graduate School in Paris - Overview
AGSIRD Offers Diverse Array of Programs to Fulfill Student Ambitions
AGSIRD recognizes the need for diversity to meet the ambitions of its students, and this is reflected in the programs available through the school. To begin with, AGSIRD offers both full-time and part-time programs.
One of the programs available is the Master of Arts (M.A.) in International Relations and Diplomacy. This can be completed as a two-year, full-time M.A. program, an accelerated eighteen-month program, or an extended part-time program, and each include optional specialization certificates.
Other offerings include a Ph.D. program in International Relations and Diplomacy and a dual-degree program -- American M.A. in International Relations and Diplomacy and European Master's degree in Diplomacy and Strategic Negotiation (which can be completed in two years), in partnership with the University of Paris Sud XI.
A second dual-degree program, which can be completed in three years, is the American M.A. in International Relations and Diplomacy and European LL.M. (Master of Laws) degree in French and European Union Law, in partnership with the Law School at the Université de Cergy-Pontoise (UCP).
Also available are a one-month intensive summer program in French language and French and European history, politics, and diplomacy, in partnership with Alliance Française; as well as two-course certificate programs in various subjects, such as conflict resolution, conflict and geopolitics, foreign policy, economics, and international law. Single courses can also be chosen for professional training, personal enrichment, or credit transfers.
Internships Integral Part of AGSIRD M.A. or Ph.D. Program
Internships can count for credit towards M.A. or Ph.D. degrees at AGSIRD, and graduate students are given opportunities to take advantage of this excellent avenue for practical education and skill acquisition.
In order to assist students in choosing the best-suited internship for their area of interest, AGSIRD approves each internship project. To help students merge their internship experience with their academic program, the school assigns an internship director to each student to guide them in their written and oral requirements (a minimum twelve-page research and writing paper on their experience and an oral report and discussion).
AGSIRD has developed relationships and agreements with many organizations that provide internship opportunities for the graduate students. Some of these include the United Nations, United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization), OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development), INTERPOL, Brookings Institution, Time Magazine, U.S. Embassy in France, L'Oréal, Embassy of Bosnia-Herzegovinia in France, Publicis, International Chamber of Commerce, and Solidarité Aide Humanitaire d'Urgence.
AGSIRD's Mission Focuses on Student Success in Many Areas
The American Graduate School of International Relations and Diplomacy's standards for academics are high. As such, AGSIRD focuses on helping its students thrive academically. The school also values cultural diversity. Students and faculty come from varied countries, bringing multicultural perspectives on areas of study as well as nurturing a more peaceful world through mutual knowledge, understanding, and tolerance.
AGSIRD again focuses on student success by ensuring that students take advantage of its Paris location through French language courses, field trips, local internships, academic partnerships with French or Europeans institutions, and encouragement of cultural exploration of France and Europe.
Student research is also supported through the organization of student conferences and close guidance of master's theses and doctoral dissertations. AGSIRD also considers the individuality of each student and emphasizes close student-faculty interaction.
To stimulate professional success following graduation, AGSIRD encourages interaction between the academic and professional arenas and provides students with the skills necessary for careers in international organizations, NGOs, diplomacy, governmental agencies, private corporations, media, journalism, teaching, or research. Students are also prepared for international business by thorough education of the political, social, and cultural context of the countries with which they interact.
AGSIRD's Method Fosters Success with Its Three Elements
The factors of analysis and prediction and the theories surrounding today's international relations and diplomacy are the focus of the AGSIRD program. The method the school uses to express this focus contains three elements.
First, AGSIRD not only teaches the traditional international relations curriculum -- political science, economics, international law, international organizations, and diplomacy -- but also recognizes that alone they cannot provide full understanding of the present and future foreign affairs. In light of this, AGSIRD enhances the curriculum with relevant information from social and physical sciences, ethics, and the humanities.
Secondly, all AGSIRD courses are interactive and collaborative; no subject is isolated. The third element relates to efforts to join theory and practice. This is accomplished in two ways -- faculty members have spent time as career professionals, providing personal knowledge of their areas of expertise, and requirements exist for students to observe foreign affairs firsthand.