here for the latest job news, tips, and more!
A Whole New World
Expand Your Career Horizons With International Relations Studies
A career in international relations used to mean proficiency in several languages and a trajectory that led inevitably to the United Nations or government diplomatic corps. But the new global economy requires business people, economists, lawyers, marketing experts, and many others with an understanding of history and culture to work together to find solutions that cross borders.
"We train broadly knowledgeable and curious leaders," says Tufts University's Fletcher School of Diplomacy Dean Stephen W. Bosworth. Although the Fletcher School is well known in the area, it's just one of many colleges offering certificates and undergraduate and graduate programs for adult students interested in courses in the international arena.
Understanding the ways in which history, politics, and culture connect is key to finding solutions and shaping international policies, issues, and events, says Bosworth. The graduate programs at the Fletcher School mix academics with practical applications, encouraging students to take internships in their area of interest and populating the staff with "active players on the global stage."
The program also encourages connections by means of collaborative, interdisciplinary approaches to learning. The Fletcher School's program puts business people together with diplomats so that they learn from each other, according to Deborah W. Nitter, senior associate dean. "A diplomat learns how a business person negotiates, and vice versa."
Even for those who don't necessarily want to be a high-level negotiator, the reality is that U.S.-based companies invest, advertise, research, and buy and sell on an international level. Understanding how to navigate outside the domestic market can be the key to success in business.
At Boston University's Metropolitan College, students can expand their knowledge and increase their value in a company with a certificate, undergraduate, or graduate degree at BU in Brussels or right here in Boston. Studying business, marketing, finance, or project management in the heart of the European Union can provide insight not available at home. In Boston, BU Global offers certificates and intensive graduate programs for professionals in banking and financial services, international marketing, project management, and sustained economic development through tourism. Although the emphasis is on business skills, creative marketing strategies are essential to the tourism effort.
BU and Tufts stress the importance of a diverse, international student body, which encourages relationships among students from different cultures. Fletcher, for example, comprises 400 students, 40 percent of whom come from 70 different countries.
No matter what your interest or experience, a career in international relations, or just a few courses with an international focus to improve your marketability, can help you transcend borders and experience a whole new world of opportunity.
