UNDERSTAND THE PAST TO PREPARE THE FUTURE
An all-round education is what awaits you at International History and Politics (IHP). You will study today’s international affairs and new diplomacies in their historical context; obtain world-regional expertise; and acquire critical practice-related intellectual skills.
In the heart of International Geneva, the IHP department boasts a unique collective profile. Its faculty’s range of expertise in global and international history and politics sets IHP apart from all other International Affairs and History programmes.
IHP stands out for:
- An unbeatable faculty-to-student ratio (2024: 1:4).
- Combining academic knowledge and practice-related intellectual skills;
- Exploring global challenges and international issues from multiple world-regional viewpoints;
- A wide range of thematic courses: the modern and contemporary global and international history of politics; development; diplomacy, conflict and security; environment; health; humanitarianism; commerce and finance; and culture.
- The opportunity to take courses also in the other four IHEID departments: Law, Economy, Political Science & International Relations, and Anthropology&Sociology
- The chance of being selected to study at one of 43 IHEID-wide exchange partner institutions on all continents for a one-semester stay abroad.
The graduates of IHP department’s MA and PhD programs have found success both in academia and across the international field, from NGOs to business, international organisations, governments, and more.
BUILDING A CAREER
90% of our students find work within four months of graduation. A degree in international history and politics at the Geneva Graduate Institute provides a set of tools for a practical career in multiple sectors:
- international cooperation, including national administrations working on international issues (ministries of foreign affairs, trade, economy, health, central banks, etc.),
- intergovernmental as well as non-governmental organisations
- international business (notably multinational companies), the finance sector, consulting and public relations agencies
- university-level teaching and research, think tanks, international foundations, media, etc.
Our alumni have secured employment with the European Commission, Médecins sans frontières, HSBC, World Economic Forum, UBS and elsewhere. Others have taken up doctoral, post-doctoral or faculty positions at Cambridge University, Princeton, Boston University and the University of St Andrews, to mention just a few.
Where our Master's programme alumni (2019-2022 cohort) are employed one year after graduation:
A cosmopolitan ENVIRONMENT
With roughly 1,000 students from 100 countries are enrolled in our various programmes, the Geneva Graduate Institute is home to students from all over the world. We are serving a very diverse community in the heart of International Geneva: nearly 20-25% of people in the Swiss city are connected to an international institution. The Institute’s close ties with the international community are reflected in the five social science disciplines taught here, all imbued with a global perspective.
