For those of us just finishing a college degree, the choice to join the workforce or to pursue advanced study is a tough one.  If you happen to be interested in a career in global development and wish to fight on the front lines for U.S. global policy, having a professional degree is invaluable.

Most positions that organizations such as the Department of State, for example, require advanced degrees.  Even when no advanced degree is required, having a Master’s can give you a leg up on applications.  But a few more years of school is much more than cramming for finals (although, sorry, that’s part of it).  It can provide hands-on experience and opportunities to engage with global development on the ground both here and abroad.  If you are ready to take the plunge into graduate school, here are the top five graduate programs in International Affairs:

1. Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs – Princeton University

The premiere program for graduate study in global affairs. WWS boasts multiple Secretaries of State, Congressional leaders, and corporate leaders as alumni.  One of the biggest draws is the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship.  Princeton administers the fellowship, but it is funded by the Department of State.

2. School of Foreign Service – Georgetown University

What better way to begin your career in foreign service than by studying in the nation’s capital?  Georgetown uses its prime location in D.C. to frequently attract visiting professors such as former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former USAID director Andrew Natsios.

3. School of Advanced International Study – Johns Hopkins University

Johns Hopkins’s M.A. program boasts that half of their students spend a year abroad during their course of study.  Students may also pick their region of interest, ranging from African Studies, to Southeast Asia studies, to International Economics.

4. John F. Kennedy School of Government – Harvard University

Besides the amazing resources the Kennedy School offers as part of Harvard, the School recently introduced a two-year Master in Public Administration in International Development program.

5. The Fletcher School – Tufts University

For those interested in international business development or environmental studies, the Fletcher School is an ideal choice.  Of the school’s many centers, the Center for Emerging Market Enterprises and the Center for International Environment and Resource Policy are world-renowned.

– Taylor Diamond

Sources: Princeton, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, Harvard, Tufts
Photo: Brown University