SCHOOL of INTERNATIONAL SERVICE

American University · Washington, D.C.

U.S. FOREIGN POLICY

USFP Degrees

MA, International Affairs, U. S. Foreign Policy

Fields of Study

Overview

The field of United States Foreign Policy (USFP) presents a rigorous course of study which provides students with the knowledge and skills to pursue a career in government, the private sector, non-governmental organizations, and/or teaching. The program combines considerable programmatic flexibility with the benefits of specialization in a concentration selected by the student. USFP faculty offer courses on defense policy, intelligence, the formulation and implementation of foreign policy, and the social, political, economic, strategic, and historical underpinnings of United States foreign policy. Faculty members and students draw upon the Washington venue, from which they gain experience and around which they focus their interests.

Themes in U.S Foreign Policy

Executive branch foreign policy and national security policy decision-making, management, and organizational coordination
Defense budgetary process and weapons acquisition process
Intelligence community, including internal processes and coordination, consumer-producer relations, executive and legislative branch oversight, reform, and civil liberties
Executive-legislative relations and the role of Congress and interest groups in defense and foreign policy processes
Decision-making theory and practice, including the roles of public opinion, senior officials, and bureaucracy
Constitutional and legal issues pertaining to U.S foreign policy
Historical evolution of U.S foreign policy since 1789
U.S relations with various countries, regions, and nonstate actors, as well as internal conditions within countries and cultures affecting U.S foreign policy
Substantive foreign policy issues, including international economic forces, the spread of democracy, foreign aid, immigration, illicit narcotics, and environment, access to energy sources, and human rights
Substantive security issues, including arms control and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, alliance policy, cooperative security, and U.S force posture alumni career network

Career Opportunities

Located in Washington, DC, one of the world's leading centers of international interaction, students have access to an array of unique internships and career opportunities in the field of U.S Foreign Policy.

USFP students are encouraged to participate in internships while at American University. The University Career Center is available to discuss both domestic and international internship options. Careers and internships in which USFP students are placed include the American Bar Association, Atlantic Council of the U.S., Bretton Woods Committee, Brookings Institute, Booz, Allen & Hamilton, Central Intelligence Agency, U.S Department of Defense, U.S Department of Homeland Security, Institute for Foreign Policy Analysis, Kennan Institute for Advanced Russian Studies, NATO, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, U.S. Department of State.

Alumni Network

Alumni play a key role in helping students reach their career and academic goals. Alumni are active in sharing career information with the university community and recruiting School of International Service students for internships and jobs. In recent years, alumni have hosted receptions and discussions in such diverse locations as the World Bank, the State Department, and the Academy for Educational Development.

Finally, the school's 13,000-strong alumni community serves as an incomparable resource for current students and an example of the leading role played in international affairs by School of International Service graduates.

Faculty

Core Faculty

Adjunct Faculty

Richard Cupitt
James Townsend
Michael Warner

Affiliate Faculty

Emeritus Faculty

William Kincade