Notre Dame Global Affairs: Student Views

A Master of Global Affairs degree from the University of Notre Dame's Keough School provides rigorous coursework, fully-funded practical experience, and direct faculty support, according to current students and alumni. The program offers three specializations: Governance and Policy, International Peace Studies, or Sustainable Development.

Program Structure and Financial Support

All admitted students are considered for financial support. This includes scholarships ranging from partial to full tuition coverage, plus stipends for living expenses. Practical experiences like internships and practicums are also fully funded.

Lauren Elizabeth Serfas, a dual Master of Global Affairs and MBA student, says the value comes from combining academic training with real-world application. She shares that she has been able to build technical skills in areas like data analysis while also applying what she has learned through fieldwork. She chose the Sustainable Development major to gain the quantitative skills needed to measure the effectiveness of international social enterprises, an interest sparked by reading "Poor Economics."

Hands-On Fieldwork and Experience

Practical experience is a cornerstone. Serfas participated in two key hands-on components: the Regenerating Ecologies and Economies for Livelihoods (REEL) course and a Consulting and Development project.

Her REEL team explored supporting a cacao cooperative in Peru. For Consulting and Development, her group created marketing and financial tools for a local real estate agency and a vegan food startup. These projects allowed classroom learning to be applied with real partners.

Serfas also completed a field experience with the Integration Lab (i-Lab) in the Pacific. Partnering with the Pacific Farmers Organisation, her team spent two months in Fiji and Tonga interviewing farmers and agencies to support smallholders adapting to climate change. The work resulted in a policy white paper for government and funding agencies.

Academic Rigor and Career Outcomes

The program is described as academically rigorous and rewarding. Students come from diverse academic and professional backgrounds, which leads to meaningful, sometimes challenging conversations on global issues. Faculty are noted for being highly supportive and personally invested in student success.

Anna Lande, a 2022 graduate specializing in Conflict Transformation, says the program was instrumental for her career. The networks and practical experiences helped her land a job as a Conflict Stabilization Advisor with the State Department's Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations. She was drawn to the program because the academic staff featured academic heavyweights and practitioners.

Is International Experience Required?

Prior international work is not a prerequisite for success in the Master of Global Affairs. Serfas emphasizes that curiosity and a willingness to learn from diverse perspectives matter most. The program itself provides opportunities to develop cross-cultural skills through the classroom, the i-Lab, and work with global partners.

Both students highlight the close-knit community fostered by the intentionally small cohort size. This allows for deep engagement with professors who are committed to helping students grow and map out their career steps after graduation.

Serfas gained technical research methods like interviewing, transcribing, coding, and data analysis from her fieldwork, which she can apply directly to a future career in sustainable development. For more detailed program information, you can view the squad of faculty and the stats on career outcomes.