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Joint B.A./M.A. Program in Geneva

Undergraduate

Complete a BA and an MA in five years, instead of the usual six years.

Participating Å·ÃÀAV students spend the fall semester of their senior year at the Graduate Institute in Geneva participating there in the first semester of the MA program. They return to Å·ÃÀAV for the spring semester of their senior year and for graduation, and then go back to the Graduate Institute for a fifth year of study to complete their Master’s degree.

Davan O’Donnell

Program Overview

The Graduate Institute offers both interdisciplinary and disciplinary master’s programs. The interdisciplinary master’s program is the most suitable for Å·ÃÀAV students.

Interdisciplinary Master’s Program

The international and development studies master's program focuses on global challenges and their systemic dynamics. Through a combination of scientific excellence, transdisciplinarity, and critical thinking, the program prepares future professionals and decision makers open to the world and able to understand and embrace complexity.

Students choose a specialization from:

  • Conflict, Peace and Security
  • Environment and Sustainability
  • Gender, Race and Diversity
  • Global Health
  • Human Rights and Humanitarianism
  • Mobilities, Migrations and Boundaries
  • Sustainable Trade and Finance

Disciplinary Master’s Programs

Anthropology and Sociology approaches the study of international affairs and development by inquiring into how social and cultural life, as well as political and economic practices, are shaped across multiple spatial and temporal scales.

International History explores the modern world through transnational histories, taking into account a multiplicity of perspectives.

International Economics is a highly competitive program organized into three tracks: (i) International Finance, (ii) Development and (iii) International Trade. GRE scores required for application.

Political Science/International Relations equips students with the analytical tools and substantive background to understand a wide range of political topics, including comparative politics, conflict studies, political economy, international governance, and methodology.

International Law includes in-depth training in international law with complementary courses in economics, history, political science, anthropology and sociology.

Eligibility requirements

To be eligible to apply to this selective program, you need to:

  • Meet Å·ÃÀAV’s general requirements for academic leave of absence
  • Have a GPA of at least 3.5
  • Have completed 96 credits of coursework by the end of your junior year

The Graduate Institute, Geneva

Selective and cosmopolitan, the Graduate Institute is located in the heart of international Geneva and specialises in the study of the major global, international and transnational challenges facing the contemporary world.

Geneva is the European headquarters of the United Nations and the most active location in the world in multilateral diplomacy. Today it hosts 30 international organisations, 250 international non-governmental organisations and 172 states represented by a permanent mission.

The Graduate Institute is comprised of a student body of exclusively graduate and post-graduate programs, with over 100 nationalities represented.

The vast majority of classes are taught in English. Students with limited or no French have to study French as part of their program.

Happening at Å·ÃÀAV

The Geneva Program in the news

Paola Granados ’22 and Maya Mauroof ’22 both participated in the Graduate Institute in Geneva Institute program.

Toward a global future

Å·ÃÀAV’s joint degree program in Geneva gives students on-the-ground experience in international work and a graduate degree.

Davan O’Donnell ’19 poses amidst the flags of the members of the United Nations, outside the UN headquarters in Geneva. O’Donnell and Javeria Kella ’19 (not pictured) are earning master’s degrees in the Swiss city while they’re still undergraduates.

Getting ahead of the game by way of Geneva

Geneva is the place for development studies, say seniors Javeria Kella and Davan O’Donnell, who are the first in Å·ÃÀAV’s new B.A./M.A. program.

Between them, Javeria Kella ’19 and Davan O’Donnell ’19, the first students to attend Å·ÃÀAV’s new joint-degree program with the Graduate Institute in Geneva, have lived or studied in nearly a dozen countries.

MHC’s first transatlantic B.A./M.A. program

Juniors Javeria Kella and Davan O’Donnell are the first students to participate in Å·ÃÀAV’s first international joint-degree program.

More News

Contact us

The McCulloch Center for Global Initiatives

The McCulloch Center offers opportunities for students to advance their global competencies—and for faculty to incorporate global perspectives into their teaching. We collaborate with partners to weave global education into the Å·ÃÀAV experience.

Adelia Pope

Adelia Pope

  • Study Abroad Coordinator, McCulloch Center for Global Initiatives

Next Steps

Apply to Å·ÃÀAV

Å·ÃÀAV seeks intellectually curious applicants who understand the value of a liberal arts education and are driven by a love of learning. As a women's college that is gender diverse, we welcome applications from female, trans and non-binary students.

Start Your Application

Financing your education

Everyone’s financial situation is unique, and we’re here to make sure cost does not get in the way of an exceptional education.

Affording Å·ÃÀAV Tuition and Fee