Come and join us for an unparalleled opportunity to explore and analyse today’s global challenges with renowned faculty and high-level practitioners in the heart of International Geneva.
The programme is open to students who are currently enrolled in an undergraduate degree programme and who would like to engage in a study abroad semester in the field of international affairs.
Students can earn up to 30 ECTS.
Spend a semester in the heart of International Geneva and gain a first-hand understanding of how global issues are addressed in practice. You will take courses focused on topics such as international security, global governance, and international organisations, with the option to complement your studies with master's-level classes or a French language course.
Beyond the classroom, the programme offers visits to UN agencies, NGOs, and international organisations, as well as opportunities to engage with practitioners working in the field. You will also benefit from mentoring and academic guidance to help shape your future studies and career plans.
This is a truly international experience, set in a diverse and bilingual environment, where you will study alongside students from around the world and experience life at a leading graduate institution.
Requirements
Admissions are processed on a rolling basis. Decisions are communicated within four weeks upon receipt of a completed application file. Admitted students are required to pay CHF 1,000 within 30 days upon receipt of their admission confirmation to hold their place.
Eligible candidates should:
Application Closing Dates
Candidates may apply for one or two semesters
Tuition fees
2 hours of class per course run over 14 weeks, 6 ECTS/course
1. INTERNATIONAL LAW AND FOREIGN POLICY, Prof. Fuad Zarbiyev, International Law
While the material scope of the international legal order is no longer limited to the ‘international plane’, international law’s particularly intimate connections with nations’ foreign policies cannot be denied. This course is premised on the widely acknowledged reality that international law is, among other things, a foreign policy tool and that the attitude of nations towards international law is shaped and informed by their foreign policy objectives. Taking this assumption as its starting point, the course will examine a series of questions situating international law in the broader context of foreign policies such as: How do foreign policy objectives shape and inform states’ attitudes towards the making and interpretation of international law? Why do nations comply with international law even though the latter lacks coercive enforcement mechanisms? Why do states create international courts and tribunals or choose to litigate their disputes before them? What is the place of international law in the management and resolution of international crises? How do double standards affect the power and credibility of international legal arguments? The ultimate objective of the course is to better appreciate and reflect on the foreign policy-relevance of international law.
28 hours (2h/14 weeks), equiv. 6 ECTS
2. MACROECONOMIC POLICY IN OPEN ECONOMIES, Prof. Cédric Tille, International Economics
This course introduces students to international economics, with an emphasis on macroeconomics. The course presents the key issues in a non-technical manner, and details what role policy can play and how it can play it.
The course starts with the determinants of international trade, and the current policy challenges. It then moves to the determinants of the balance of payments, international capital flows, and exchange rate. We contrast the pattern in the long run – once the economy has adjusted – and the short run. The course then presents the evolution of the international monetary system, its actors, and how the policy focus has evolved through time.
28 hours (2h/14 weeks), equiv. 6 ECTS
2 or 3 classes of 2 hours/week per course run over 14 weeks, 6 ECTS/course
Choose three courses from a large range of themes (international law, political science, international economics, history of international relations, anthropology and sociology of development). Check out the course catalogue (some courses are subject to prerequisites)
Examples of master courses chosen by our students:
Autumn Semester
Spring Semester
3 ECTS
The Immersion Programme is an integral part of the undergraduate semester at the Geneva Graduate Institute and is designed to go beyond traditional classroom learning. It offers students a hands-on understanding of Geneva as a global hub for diplomacy, international cooperation, and policy-making, while responding to today’s challenges such as multilateral crises, climate change, and conflict.
Guided by a doctoral student mentor, students critically explore Geneva’s international ecosystem through site visits, workshops, and networking opportunities. The programme also includes a curated syllabus with academic and background readings to be completed ahead of activities, ensuring meaningful engagement and the development of practical and professional skills.
Despoina is a PhD Candidate in International Law at the Geneva Graduate Institute. She holds a Master's in International Law from the Geneva Graduate Institute and an LLM in International and European Energy Law, as well as a Bachelor's in Laws from the Democritus University of Thrace. Before joining the Institute, Despoina was a practicing attorney in the field of arbitration in Greece, where she is a member of the Athens Bar Association.
2 hours/week run over 10 weeks, 3 ECTS (from beginner to intermediate levels).
The Graduate Institute has an English-French bilingual teaching policy. Although most classes are taught in English, students, professors and staff can speak and write in either English or French.
The Institute wishes to ensure that students with a limited or no knowledge of French can develop their French language skills during their studies. Accordingly, French courses and French tests are organised during the study period.
Sarah Manierka
Undergraduate Programme Coordinator
international.programmes@graduateinstitute.ch