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Overview:

One of the world’s premier graduate schools of international relations, The Fletcher School offers a broad range of courses and a flexible curriculum which enable students to meet their individual education and career goals.

History of the School

The Fletcher School opened in 1933 in the midst of the Great Depression as an act of hope in a time of despair and a boost to internationalism in a time of isolationism. Today, as the oldest graduate school in the United States dedicated exclusively to the study and understanding of international affairs, we continue to meet the demands of a world in which the only constant is change.

Professional Degrees

  • Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy (MALD): A two-year, highly flexible, interdisciplinary, professional degree in international affairs.
  • Masters of International Business (MIB): A two-year hybrid international business, international affairs master’s degree program.
  • Masters of Arts (MA): A one-year degree program designed for mid-career or senior level professionals with eight or more years of professional experience.
  • Masters of Law (LLM): A one-year program in international law for professionals practicing law or for those eligible to practice law.
  • Global Masters of Arts Program (GMAP): A twelve month program designed for mid-career or senior level professionals with eight or more years of professional experience. Courses are conducted through a combination of Internet-mediated instruction and three two-week residencies.
  • Doctor of Philosophy (PhD): An interdisciplinary, advanced study of international affairs.

Regardless of the degree, all students are required to pass written and oral comprehension exams in a language other than their native tongue. The master's degrees require the completion of a substantial thesis. Ph.D. candidates must write and defend a dissertation. For more information on degree requirements, http://fletcher.tufts.edu/academic/degree.shtml

Fields of Study

Fields of study are the basic building blocks of a Fletcher education. Each field consists of related courses designed to develop specific knowledge and skills related to a particular topic or geographic area. Combining these fields allows students to mold their education to meet a specific personal interest or professional goal. MALD and MIB students are required to graduate with two fields of study; Ph.D. students must complete three. Fletcher's current fields of study are: International Affairs Fields of Study (for MALD, MA, PhD, MIB candidates)

  • Development Economics
  • Human Security
  • International Business and Economic Law
  • International Business Relations
  • Iternational Environment and Resource Policy
  • International Information and Communication
  • International Monetary Theory and Policy
  • International Negotiation and Conflict Resolution
  • International Organizations
  • International Political Economy
  • International Security Studies
  • International Trade and Commercial Policies
  • Law and Development
  • Pacific Asia
  • Political Systems and Theories
  • Public International Law
  • Southwest Asia and Islamic Civilization
  • United States
  • Self designed
  • International Business Fields of Study (for MIB candidates)
  • International Finance and Banking
  • International Marketing
  • International Public and NGO Management
  • Strategic Management and International
  • Consultancy
  • International Law Optional Tracks (for LLM candidates)
  • Public International Law
  • International Business Law
  • International Economic Law
  • Certificates (for MALD, MA, and PhD candidates)
  • Diplomatic Studies
  • Human Security
  • International Development
  • Political and Social Change
  • Economic Analysis, Trade and Investment
  • Sustainable Development
  • International Finance and Banking
  • Strategic Management and International Consultancy

With faculty approval, students may also combine courses from Fletcher, other graduate programs at Tufts University, Harvard University and other institutions to create a specialized Field of Study. Recent examples of student-created concentrations include: International Human Rights, International Migration and Refugee Studies, and Private Sector Development.

Fletcher’s Students and Alumni

Fletcher’s talented and diverse student body is a source of informal learning and an inspiration for growth. More than 40 percent of Fletcher's students come from outside the U.S., representing more than 70 countries, and a quarter of those who are U.S. citizens are persons of color. Students come from professional backgrounds as varied as investment banking, community activism, the military, and the Peace Corps. The kaleidoscope of religious beliefs, political opinion, and personal experiences our students bring to the classroom will hone your ability to see your culture through the eyes of another—an invaluable tool in any facet of international relations.

Fletcher alumni, who can be found in the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors, are firmly committed to the mission of the institution and the success of its current students. Fletcher graduates recognize that the unique opportunity they've had to shape the course of international affairs, through their careers as diplomats, civil servants, industry executives, military officers, journalists, scholars, lawyers, researchers, and consultants might not have been there were it not for the doors opened by Fletcher alumni before them. They are eager to provide the same opportunity to the Fletcher graduates who follow them.

Fletcher’s Commitment to Diversity

Each year, The Fletcher School actively seeks to enroll talented women and people of color from throughout the U.S. The school works in partnership with several programs that support graduate students of color, and recruits students from the Historically Black Colleges and Universities, among other initiatives. Fletcher’s collegial atmosphere fosters a spirit of equality and learning among all its students.

Career Planning

Fletcher’s Office of Career Services provides a comprehensive, constantly updated career planning program that prepares Fletcher students to compete in the international job market and that promotes more broadly the distinctive value of Fletcher graduates to businesses and institutions around the globe. For more information on career services, http://fletcher.tufts.edu/ocs/default.shtml.

Financial Assistance

Fletcher offers students a variety of financial aid resources, including scholarships, grants, teaching and research assistantships, loans, work-study, and on-campus employment. Each year, Fletcher awards over $3 million dollars in both need- and merit-based scholarship aid. Most scholarship awards are renewable for the second year of study.

Our Home Town

Fletcher is in the heart of the Tufts University campus, only a short subway ride from the great city of Boston. The surrounding communities of Medford and Somerville provide the friendliness and tranquility of a classic college town along with the latest in arts and music.

Much like Fletcher's own community, Boston is thoroughly multicultural. Second only to New York as an eastern port of entry to the United States, Boston is home to many vibrant immigrant communities—some new, others with deep roots in the city. With more than 60 distinguished colleges and universities, Boston also boasts the largest concentration of international students in the world, as well as one of the most stimulating intellectual environments you'll find anywhere.

For more information please contact:

Office of Admissions
The Fletcher School
Tufts University
Medford, MA 02155
Telephone: 617-627-3040
Email: fletcheradmissions@tufts.edu
Web: www.fletcher.tufts.edu

Division:
The Fletcher School