Global Development / Governance Programs in Europe & Online

Geneva Graduate School of Governance:
The Geneva Graduate School of Governance (GGSG) in Geneva, Switzerland, is a bilingual English and French higher education institution of governance studies, international development and social sciences. English is the main teaching language. GGSG offers international students a choice of both campus-based & online graduate degree programs including 2-year master's degree programs & 1-year graduate certificates in fields such as Risk & Disaster Management, Management of Energy & Natural Resources, Labour Management & Migration & more, as well as intensive training periods. GGSG also offers Ph.Ds in substantive fields related to international relations, governance, security, societal trends & more.

Academic Programs:
Residential (campus-based) and online graduate education programs include:

- Master's (MA) Degree Programs (2 years):
Our interdisciplinary master's degree programs come in three varieties: Full-time (day classes), executive (evening and Saturday classes) and online. They will be offered from September 2012, in the following subject-matter areas:

* Risk & Disaster Management
* Management of Energy & Natural Resources
* Labour Management & Migration
* International Governance, Trade and Development
* Conflict Management and Post-Conflict Development

They shall consist of 24 courses each of 30 hours’ duration (lectures [15 hours], small classes [12 hours], final exams [3 hours] – except for advanced French language courses [60 hours]), grouped into two categories: core requirements and specialized courses, supplemented by research, and collective exercise.

Teaching and study are spread over two years, each of 40 weeks of day or evening classes (or equivalent on-line coursework). In order to earn the 120 ECTS credits allotted, Master students shall be required to take eighteen “core” courses, and six “specialized” courses in any one of the areas of concentration offered, for a total in-class time of 750 hours (or equivalent sustained on-line effort).

- Graduate Certificate Programs (1 year):
Our interdisciplinary graduate Certificate programmes come in three varieties: full-time (day classes), executive (evening and Saturday classes) and online. They will be offered from September 2012, in the following subject-matter areas:

* Risk & Disaster Management
* Management of Energy & Natural Resources
* Labour Management & Migration
* International Governance, Trade and Development
* Conflict Management and Post-Conflict Development

They shall consist of 15 courses each of 30 hours’ duration (lectures [15 hours], small classes [12 hours], final exams [3 hours] – except for advanced French language courses [60 hours]), grouped into two categories: core requirements and specialized courses, supplemented by two collective exercises, and an optional summer internship upon completion of the degree programme (subject to availability).

Teaching and study are spread over one year (40 weeks of day or evening classes, or equivalent on-line coursework). In order to earn the 60 ECTS credits allotted, Certificate students shall be required to take nine “core” courses, and six “specialized” courses in two of the areas of concentration offered, for a total in-class time of 480 hours (or equivalent sustained on-line effort). Upon completion of the syllabus and final exams, students must successfully take part in (a) the school’s yearly joint integrated exercise (late June), and (b) a media-training exercise.

- Ph.D Programs: 
Ph.D’s in political science, sociology, economics, law and management cover such substantive fields as international relations and diplomacy, geopolitics and geo-economics, security studies, governance and public policy, societal trends, and development studies.

They feature permanent, individualized guidance by two faculty advisers, supplemented by a written course on (general and operational) methodology. Beyond written documents supplied by faculty, formal classroom teaching is limited to annual seminars in the Geneva area. The student / adviser interaction takes place regularly through email and web meetings, or through face-to-face interviews in Geneva by appointment with faculty advisers. This means that permanent residence in Geneva is not required of students.

Doctoral programmes are designed to last from two to five years. Two-year Ph.D’s are reserved for students who have already done a fair amount of work on their research subject, either at another institution or in a professional capacity. Public defence of a 300-350 page-long thesis before an international committee of prominent scholars specializing in the researched topic completes the cycle. Publication of the thesis is the norm whenever the committee awards it the highest distinction.

Dissertations use either English or French. Written material supplied by the Graduate School is in English. Seminars are conducted in that language unless a minimum number of French-speaking doctoral students justifies the opening of parallel seminars. Ph.D. programmes start in September and January of any given year.

Intensive Training Periods:
We also offer external or exchange students all through the year, four-week periods of intensive study, optionally followed by internships in Geneva or elsewhere.