Global challenges call for a new generation of professionals, working on creative solutions for a more sustainable, equitable and peaceful world. In this context, we believe that the best preparation is, on the one hand, a deep understanding of common systemic interdependencies enriched with thematic specialisations, and on the other, the fostering of adequate skills such as resilience, agility, innovative and critical thinking.
To that end, our Master in International and Development Studies ('MINT') proposes a ground-breaking combination of a solid common core with the possibility to specialise in one of seven areas. The MINT mixes the advantages of being a rigorous academic programme with a strong accent on applied research, practice and skills, and is ideally located at the heart of International Geneva.
A programme for all those wanting to work in:
Our programme offers the possibility of becoming a generalist of a specific kind, with an expertise in international and development studies, a background in several disciplines and a groundbreaking experience in applied research.
Davide Rodogno, Head, MINT programme
Our Applied Research Project with the Aladdin Project was an extraordinary experience that brought together brilliant students and professors who inspired us greatly. Being a part of it was indeed an honour, and we gained valuable insights not only from an academic standpoint but also on a personal level. The program was truly enriching both with the content discussed both within and outside the lecture halls, and the vast backgrounds and experiences of the students who attended greatly widened our scope of view of world affairs.
SOL & RYAN / Interdisciplinary master students
COMPULSORY COURSE
Following an interdisciplinary approach, our core course offers a creative space to reflect on global challenges by drawing on the expertise of the Institute and of International Geneva.
RESEARCH METHODS ELECTIVES
Part of the programme's foundations, they offer students different ways of analysing a reality, and introduce them to new ways of thinking. They are eclectic, and encompass qualitative, quantitative, hybrid and legal / philosophical methods.
SPECIALISATIONS
They enable students to dive into one of the following seven areas:
Students can choose the extent to which they specialise. However, because today's global issues are intertwined and can't be confined to a specific field, students will be encouraged to learn beyond a specialisation and explore their interlinkages.
TRANSVERSAL THEMES ELECTIVES
Thematic courses on issues transcending the specialisations. These themes are:
SKILLS WORKSHOPS
They provide students with tools and practical skills needed for their ARPs and for their professional lives.
APPLIED RESEARCH PROJECTS (ARPs) & MASTER THESIS
The Applied Research Project and the Master Thesis allow for the synthetic and practical mobilisation of knowledge, methods, tools and skills acquired in the programme.
INTERNSHIPS (optional)
They provide students the opportunity to connect to the fertile International Geneva microcosm, to gain professional experience and to put their knowledge into practice.
The programme is based on solid common foundations, to ensure students acquire the rigorous analytical framework and methodological bases they will need throughout the programme and in their professional lives.
To be followed by all MINT Students during their first semester.
Why do we think students need this course?
This course sets up the analytical foundations of the programme. All MINT students are together to familiarise themselves with the programme approach, vocabulary, and the global issues it addresses.
Taken by all MINT Students during their first semester.
Why is this course organised?
This course establishes one of the methodological basis of the programme. As it is a beginner-level course, students with demonstrated knowledge of statistics can request a waiver (to be replaced by another course).
Students must validate two Research Electives, during their MINT first year. Students can choose amongst a list.
Categories are: quantitative methods, qualitative methods, hybrid methods and legal & philosophical methods.
Why Research Electives are part of the curriculum?
They aim at providing students with solid, interdisciplinary methodological foundations.
The Applied Research Projects (ARPs) are a foundational component of the MINT. ARPs involve small student groups coming together to conduct policy-relevant research with partner organisations on issues relating to international relations and development.
Through ARPs, students learn and apply analytical and practical skills to policy-relevant issues. Students work under the supervision of a Faculty Lead and are expected to: elaborate project Terms of Reference and frame appropriate research questions; conduct in-depth literature reviews and design relevant methodologies; undertake original research; analyse primary data; write analytic preliminary and final reports; and present final research findings. Teamwork, collaboration, professionalism, effective communication, and problem solving are crucial skills that the ARP process aims to teach students.
Organisations working on issues of global concern and interested in sponsoring an ARP are invited to submit their applications. Partners are expected to provide guidance and support to students to generate research that is of policy and practical relevance. Applying to serve as an ARP partner is a competitive process; successful applicants demonstrate a commitment to supporting students across the project period, including through the provision of technical expertise, supporting students’ professional learning, and helping students connect with other leading experts in the relevant field of practice.
Applications for ARP Partner Organisations for 2024 - 2025 are now closed. Applications for the next academic year (2025 - 2026) will open in Spring 2025.
For more information, please contact the Head of Applied Research Projects and Practice.
The MINT offers a common core and seven specialisations. Each of them follows an interdisciplinary approach, informed by the rich expertise of the Institute in five disciplines: anthropology and sociology, international economics, international history and politics, international law, and international relations and political science. Specialisations are not self-standing silos: they are interconnected curricula providing to students the possibility to tailor to a certain extent. their individual paths.
Most of today's global issues are broader than a specific domain, and we also encourage students to explore their interlinkages through courses dedicated to wider transversal themes (Sustainability, Democracy & Inequality, Fairness & Justice, Digital & Emerging Technologies, Global Governance, and Education).
This specialisation focuses on the issues of conflict, peace, and security and the interactions among them. It examines the drivers and manifestations of conflict, the nature and conditions of peace, and the determinants of security. Within an interdisciplinary approach, we survey the various historical and contemporary manifestations of these processes.
Some courses taught in 2023 – 24:
Head: Prof. Davide Rodogno
This specialisation focuses on global environmental challenges, which lie at the heart of the search for a sustainable human future on Earth. It examines the impacts of contemporary political economies locally and at the planetary scale. It adopts an interdisciplinary approach to the understanding of the economics and politics of decisions about the environment, from the global scale (e.g. climate change or global ecology) to the local (e.g. agrarian change, biodiversity conservation, urbanisation or mining).
Some courses taught in 2023 – 24:
Head: Prof. James Hollway
This specialisation addresses how power relations based on gender, race, and other forms of difference structure international affairs. The goal is to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and tools to help redress intersecting inequalities and oppressions globally. Students gain interdisciplinary training that addresses a broad range of topics, including histories of colonialism and decoloniality; anthropologies and sociologies of (anti)racism, sexuality and gender; the economics of gender and development; and the gendered and racialised politics of international governance and international law.
Some courses from 2023 – 24:
Head: Prof. Aditya Bharadwaj
This specialisation focuses on power, politics and governance in global health. Students will learn how global health issues affect, and are affected by, geopolitics through global institutions and transnational actors, political economy, and epistemological and regulatory regimes. Students will also learn how to work across professional disciplines, how to obtain meaningful input from different stakeholders including affected communities, and how to translate knowledge into policy.
Some of the 2023 - 24 courses:
Head: Prof. Vinh-Kim Nguyen
'This specialisation will introduce students to these inter-related ethical / legal topics, and their changing relationship. The overall aim of the specialisation is to equip students with a mix of theoretical insights and practical skills that are essential for reflection and effective participation in these two fields of activity.
Some courses taught in 2023 - 24:
Head: Prof. Andrew Clapham
This specialisation aims to provide a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of mobility, its centrality in our societies, the governance of mobility, and its centrality for modern-day governance.
Some courses taught in 2023 - 24:
Head: Prof. Alessandro Monsutti
This specialisation focuses on the challenges and opportunities of financial deepening and international economic integration, with a spotlight on sustainability and inclusiveness.
Some courses from 2023 - 24:
Head: Prof. Ugo Panizza
The full catalogue of courses is available electronically by clicking here.
The thesis is a piece of independent writing carried out by students under faculty supervision.
Students present an original research question addressing an issue relevant to international affairs and/or international development. Students may choose a supervisor among any of the Geneva Graduate Institute’s faculty members, affiliated to their specialisation or to other specialisations.
All complete Master theses are referenced in the online Institutional Repository.
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In the application we ask candidates to indicate their specialisation preferences. We do so to try and have a balanced number of students per specialisation. However, candidates are applying to the MINT in its entirety, and as such, their choices will have no bearing on their admission: we evaluate applications based on their overall strength (see our admission criteria here).
Specialisations are attributed according to a number of criteria (including the candidate's preferences, academic standing in relation to other admitted students, the number of seats left in each specialisation). Candidates will receive their specialisation assignment together with their admission offer.
If we are not able to place some candidates in their selected specialisations, we will contact them before the decision notification deadline to discuss available options.
Note that the programme allows students to explore topics from different specialisations, through the Applied Research Projects, elective courses, and Master thesis. Students will be able to use these programme components to investigate topics in any specialisation, beyond the one assigned.
