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Master of Arts in Global Policy (MAGP)

  • Campus: Washington DC
  • Program Duration: 12 months; Accelerated Executive Style MA for Full-Time Working Professionals
  • Application Deadline: Open through August for the coming Fall
  • Credits: 40 Credits

Overview

This 12-month interdisciplinary program is designed for working professionals with five or more years of experience who wish to continue full-time employment while pursuing their degree. 

Become an Expert

The MAGP is designed to provide policy tools on a broad set of global issues, customized to suit your academic interests and career goals. The curriculum reflects the school’s core strengths and provides policy-relevant expertise in international politics, economics, development, conflict management, international law, cybersecurity, and sustainable energy, among other areas. Under the guidance of world-renowned scholars, diplomats and policy makers, you will move through the program as a cohort and develop strong professional connections with accomplished and diverse colleagues. Upon matriculation, you will be granted access to an optional, online preterm preparatory course in international economics. Starting in the fall term, you will complete a series of 9 core and 3 elective courses on campus and participate in several multiday experiential learning residencies (3 domestic and one international). You will concurrently complete two semester-long, self-paced online Application Seminars designed to provide you with key tools for your final capstone project. The program culminates with a global policy capstone research paper presented in a public forum. The program is delivered in Washington, DC on an alternating weekend schedule.

What Your Schedule Will Look Like

Classes meet in person every two weeks on a Friday (all day) and Saturday (half day) schedule. The multiday residencies are in Washington, DC (August, on campus); Baltimore, MD (January, two-night hotel stay); New York City (March, two-night hotel stay); and abroad (June, seven-night hotel stay). [Note: most travel-related costs, excluding the Global Residency international airfare, are covered by MAGP.]

Preterm: Optional Self-Paced Online Preparatory Course

This optional, self-paced online course offers MAGP students the opportunity to refresh basic international economics concepts prior to the in-person start of the program. This is intended as a free resource that will remain available to students throughout their studies at SAIS.

Curriculum

  • Introduction to International Economics (optional, self-paced online)

Duration

June–August

Residency 1: International Policy Residency (Washington, DC, on campus) 

In this introductory residency, students learn about the MAGP degree and are exposed to various policy perspectives from SAIS faculty and policy practitioners.

Duration

Three Days, August

Fall A: Core Courses/Application Seminar

Gain theoretical and practical frameworks for understanding core aspects of global policy and examine current debates on key topics.

Curriculum

  • Governance and Development
  • Comparative Politics
  • Global Trade & Policy
  • Application Seminar 1 (semester-long): Qualitative Research Methods (online, self-paced course, continues through next term)

Duration

September–October

Fall B

Gain theoretical and practical frameworks for understanding core aspects of global policy and examine current debates on key topics.

Curriculum: Core Courses/Application Seminar

  • Conflict Management and Negotiations
  • Issues in American Foreign Policy and Grand Strategy
  • International Monetary Policy & Banking
  • Application Seminar 1 (semester-long): Qualitative Research Methods (online, self-paced course, continued from previous term)

Duration

November-December

Residency 2: Policy Simulation Residency (Intersession, Baltimore, MD)

During the January intersession, you will travel to Baltimore and team up with members of your cohort to enhance your understanding of international bargaining and negotiating as you take on the role of international leaders and policymakers in a time of crisis.

Duration

Three Days, January

Spring A: Core Courses/Application Seminar

Gain theoretical and practical frameworks for understanding core aspects of global policy and examine current debates on key topics, while you begin your capstone research design.

Curriculum

  • International Law and the Use of Force
  • Sustainable Energy Policy
  • Cybersercurity and Emerging Technologies
  • Application Seminar 2 (semester-long): Capstone Research Design (online, self-paced course, continues through next term)

Duration 

January-March

Residency 3: Multilateral Policy Residency (New York City)

In a this residency, students will travel to New York City to study the key policy challenges that are currently addressed and discussed in multilateral settings, and examine many challenges of decision-making.

 

Duration

Three Days, March

Spring B: Electives/Application Seminar

Choose from a variety of elective courses to further enhance your studies and gain expertise in your area of interest while you complete your capstone research design. Elective offerings are chosen each year in consultation with the current cohort to best match their academic and professional interests. Recent MAGP electives have included: Politics and Risk; US Intelligence, Oversight and the Global Context; Contemporary Issues in Latin America; Social Origins of Authoritarianism and Democracy in Great China.

Curriculum

  • Elective
  • Elective
  • Elective
  • Application Seminar 2 (semester-long): Capstone Research Design (online, self-paced course, continued from previous term)

Duration

April-May

Summer: MAGP Capstone/Global Residency

During the summer term, you will focus your attention on your capstone research project and the one-week Global Residency. The capstone project will address a global policy challenge related to the Global Residency country (selected each year in consultation with the cohort) and propose recommendations in the form of a policy paper and briefing. Past global residency locations have included India, Indonesia, Georgia, Morocco, Italy, Colombia, and Chile. Final deliverables are due in mid-July and the degree is conferred in late August.

Curriculum

  • Independent capstone research/writing
  • Global Residency (one-week research trip abroad, June)
  • Capstone submission & presentation (mid-July)

Duration

June-July

Learn From the Best

Study with world-class experts who are renowned for their scholarship, influence, and networks.

Sinisa Vukovic

Senior Lecturer of Conflict Management and Global Policy, Director of the Master of Arts in Global Policy (MAGP)

Filipe Campante

Vice Dean for Faculty Affairs and Research, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor

Johannes Urpelainen

Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Professor of Energy, Resources and Environment, Founding Director, Initiative for Sustainable Energy Policy (ISEP)

Elayne Whyte

Professor of Practice


In the News

The ‘Putin Doctrine’ becomes clear in Ukraine and Kazakhstan.

Hal Brands wrote in Bloomberg Opinion, 01/06

Kazakhstan reminds Putin what he really needs to fear.

Eugene Finkel wrote in Washington Post, 01/06

China is running out of water and that’s scary for Asia.

Hal Brands wrote in Bloomberg Opinion, 12/29

Beijing’s gambit.

Hal Brands wrote in Engelsberg Ideas, 12/10

America and China are in a global fight over military bases.

Hal Brands wrote in Bloomberg Opinion, 11/30

U.S. and China at the brink?

Hal Brands participated in The Hayden Center webinar, 11/24

Belarus’s Lukashenko has mastered the global autocrat handbook.

Hal Brands wrote in Bloomberg Opinion, 11/19

U.S. can't rely on Tripwire Forces to deter China and Russia.

Hal Brands wrote in Bloomberg Opinion, 11/07


Advance Your Career

From consultants to entrepreneurs, leaders of nongovernmental organizations to policymakers, Johns Hopkins SAIS graduates put their degrees to work.

100% of the one-year Master of Arts in Global Policy Class of 2023 were employed (continuing and new), pursuing fellowships or internships, or had gone on for further study within six months of graduation.

Recent Employers

  • European External Action Service
  • MIT Technology Review
  • U.S. Department of Defense
  • U.S. Department of State
  • U.S. General Services Administration (GSA)
  • U.S. House of Representatives
  • U.S. Marine Corps
  • U.S. Navy
  • Unitarian Universalist Association
  • World Resources Institute

 *Based on results of a survey of students who graduated in December 2022. MAGP survey participation rate was 91%. 


Build Your Network

A tremendous strength of the MAGP is the cohort format which allows students to move through the program with other working professionals from the public, private, nonprofit, and multilateral sectors. On day one, you will begin to strengthen your network by making lasting connections with accomplished classmates from diverse backgrounds.

Johns Hopkins SAIS students

Students of MAGP's fourth cohort take a group photo following the presentation of their thesis.

Johns Hopkins SAIS students on an energy trek

Students traveled to the country Georgia where they conducted interviews and site visits for their individual capstone projects related to a wide range of global policy challenges.

Johns Hopkins SAIS student

For their final project, students tackle a global policy challenge and propose recommendations.

photo of pablo

Building My Expertise on US Foreign Policy

"The tools I’m receiving from the Master of Arts in Global Policy (MAGP) program will help me to better understand the foreign policy of my own country and where we stand in the world arena."

View Story

photo of Nirupama

A Flexible Program for a Full-Time Professional

"I currently work as an International Program Specialist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service, where I manage international school meal projects in Ethiopia, Guatemala, and Nepal."

View Story

Beyond the Classroom

Experiential learning is an important component of this degree program for working professionals. In addition to a variety of core and elective courses, students participate in experiential learning opportunities through multiday residencies focusing on various applied aspects of key global policy issues.

Application Seminars

The Application Seminars are semerster-long, self-paced online courses designed to provide an additional academic toolkit in broad international relations concepts and research methods and design in preparation for the MAGP capstone projects.

Residencies

Participate in intense, multiday exercises that take you out of the classroom and challenge you to apply lessons learned from your coursework. Three of the residencies take place locally/near DC. For the fourth, you will travel abroad to a country selected in consultation with your cohort.

World-Class Events

The school's academic programs and research centers regularly host expert policymakers, CEOs, heads of state, and scholars to campus. Students are encouraged to explore topics of interest by attending lectures, presentations, and special programming.

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MAGP Program Updates