Master of Arts in Global Communication

In today's connected world, global communication takes place across borders—navigating diverse cultures, complex political landscapes, and dynamic socio-economic environments. Our Global Communication Master of Arts program is designed to equip students with the skills and knowledge to engage meaningfully with the world.

Whether you're a professional looking to advance your career in DC's vibrant international sphere, a newcomer seeking to pivot into communication fields, or an international student eager to explore global issues beyond U.S. diplomacy, our program prepares you to tackle real-time challenges such as misinformation, crisis communications, geopolitical tensions, emerging policies around Artificial Intelligence, and much more. Here, you’ll develop the analytical and practical skills needed to become a global communicator poised to make a difference on the world stage.

What Makes Us Unique? 

The M.A. in Global Communication program is a unique collaboration between GW's Elliott School of International Affairs (ESIA) and the School of Media and Public Affairs (SMPA). An award-winning faculty runs this partnership, focusing on the intersection of media and politics. Aligning these two disciplines, our program offers a distinctive educational experience designed to prepare you both intellectually and professionally for an exciting career. You'll gain deep insights into the complexities of the global information landscape while simultaneously developing your communication skills with diverse audiences worldwide.

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What You’ll Study

The M.A. in Global Communication is structured to prepare you for an exciting career in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. Your 40-credit degree begins with a foundation of core courses, supported by your selected specialization and electives that reflect your professional goals. It will all be concluded with our global capstone—a culminating project enabling our students to help solve real-world policy issues. During the assignment, you’ll have an opportunity to serve as the communications expert of your team, working with students from other Elliott School master’s programs. Recent topics have included Navigating Soft Power Dynamics: U.S. and Chinese Influence in Chile and Breaking Barriers: Refugee Women, and Empowerment Programs in Uganda.

When it comes to selecting your specialization, you’ll choose either a global issue or a regional focus. Or, if you have a specific area of interest outside of our options, you can work with your program director to create your own. Whether you’re looking for a deeper understanding of public diplomacy or global gender policy, want to focus on a particular region such as Africa or the Middle East, or have an even more specific interest in data interpretation & analysis or press & politics in Latin America, we’ll help you get there.

Real Experience, Right Away  

Our location in Foggy Bottom gives our students a hyper-local, competitive advantage. We are steps away from organizations like the State Department and the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS)—giving our students opportunities to listen to guest speakers and eat lunch with diplomats, without disrupting their 9-5 responsibilities. Additionally, our capstone project adds real-world experience to your resume and portfolio. It’s led by experienced faculty who are genuinely engaged and interested in supporting your career goals. 

Our affiliated institute, The Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication (IPDGC), serves as a forum for faculty, students, and working professionals to engage with global issues. It focuses on interactions between new media, national security, public diplomacy, and U.S. foreign policy priorities in the developing world, among other topics.

Where You’ll Go 

For global communication students, there is a broad scope of potential career paths. Our students often seek opportunities in the UN and other international IGOs, Global NGOs, the private sector, and places where they can make an impact. They embark on diverse and rewarding career paths spanning diplomacy and public service, business, security, conflict resolution, development, and public health. Our recent grads have found opportunities with organizations in both the United States and overseas—such as:

• Foreign Service Officer, U.S. Department of State
• Communications Coordinator, United Nations Foundation
• Account Executive, Edelman
• Digital Outreach Specialist, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce
• Digital Communications Officer, The European Union
• Programs and Communications Associate, Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy

I personally enjoy the flexibility and freedom that the global communications program at GW offers. While there are requirements, such as choosing a concentration, you also have the option to create your own concentration.

Matthew Snow
M.A. in Global Communication, ‘24 — Concentration in Public Diplomacy, with a focus on human rights, gender equity, and global LBTQ+ advocacy. 

How to Apply

When you're ready to apply to the program, you will need to follow the graduate admissions process, including completing and submitting the online application with all of the required materials. There are also certain prerequisites that applicants must meet to be able to apply to the program.

Prerequisites 

Language

Academic coursework in a modern foreign language, which will prepare students to complete the program’s language requirement*, must be shown at the time of application. This can be demonstrated by:

• Study that is equal to four semesters of university-level coursework or equivalent.
• Completion of formal language training as part of employment (ex. Peace Corps).
• Growing up in a household where the language is spoken.

*Students need to have a strong foundation in a second language before enrolling to be successful in completing the language requirement during the program.

Economics

Course background in economics (micro- and macroeconomics) is a prerequisite to help prepare students to complete the graduate-level economics course(s) required within the M.A. in Global Communication curriculum. Course(s) must be successfully completed through an accredited institution in:

• Introductory Microeconomics
• Introductory Macroeconomics

-OR-

• Principles of Economics (I and II)

Spring applicants must fulfill this prerequisite at the time of application. Fall applicants may be admitted even if they have not fulfilled the economics prerequisite. In this case, the student is required to take the course(s) at a regionally accredited college/university prior to enrollment at the Elliott School. It is the student’s responsibility to complete the required coursework before classes begin.

Enrolling students who have completed these courses at the time of application will be required to complete an online assessment(s) prior to the start of classes. AP credit cannot be used to meet the Economics Prerequisite.

Contact Us

If you have questions about how this degree aligns with your career goals, or you would like to compare the Master’s in Asian Studies with our other master’s programs in international affairs, sign up for a virtual information session. You’ll meet with our graduate admissions counselors and have a chance to ask specific questions as we review program details and the admissions process. 

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