World-leading universities providing career growth for global graduates

The global centre of gravity is shifting. Now, no one’s certain about which direction the future is headed.

If we rewind back to one hundred years ago, would anyone expect the rapid technological change currently swarming our planet?

Could anyone have predicted the world’s dependency on digital gadgets and costly computer systems?

Many may argue that this technological change has helped our global landscape progress; that it has improved the way we communicate, enhanced our transportation methods, boosted global healthcare and played a valuable role in uniting nations.

But others disagree, labelling it a source of segregation.

That’s why the study of Global Affairs (GA) is essential in today’s ever-changing world. It helps us analyse these changes before they grate on our economies, developing learners into interdisciplinary critical thinkers who truly understand current affairs.

Source: Leiden University

But what skills do you need to thrive as a confident global citizen?

According to Education Week, there are four main principles that secure graduate success in today’s rapidly-changing world.

The first is investigative skills. Demonstrating a curiosity for global change while delving further into its complex framework reflects your willingness to learn and your passion for the discipline. Your chosen university must encourage you to dig deeper, to ask more questions and explore the unknown.

The second refers to taking pride in your unique perspective. Universities that teach international relations and global affairs must take an unbiased approach to your studies. They must value your individuality and respect your academic background. But they must also attempt to broaden your mind and introduce you to new ways of thinking so you become a career-driven global citizen.

Thirdly, Education Week mentions the importance of practical communication skills. By driving student perspectives into the public domain, universities successfully instil confidence into learners’ thoughts and inspire them to project their ideas across an international platform.

The last element relates to taking action. Universities must deliver a real-world impact through research groups and lectures to truly stimulate and motivate the next generation of changemakers. By using their niche knowledge of Global Affairs to their advantage, these institutions alter perspectives for the greater good.

Here are five world-leading universities that transform learners into global graduates…

SCHOOL OF GLOBAL AFFAIRS, KINGS COLLEGE LONDON – UK

Source: KCL

Internationally-recognised by the QS World Rankings 2019 as a top 10 UK university, King’s College London  achieves educational excellence by inspiring the best out of global learners.

The School of Global Affairs at King’s is a vibrant hub of scholarship that seeks to address the most pressing issues facing our rapidly globalising world today.

Students can delve deeper into the politics, economics and societies of the world’s regional and rising powers with the new MSc in Global Affairs. As the only Master’s of its kind in the UK, this course looks at the world from the perspective of non-western regions and examines their role within a changing world order.

Students will develop a specialism in at least one of the following regions or countries: China, India, Africa, Brazil, Russia or the Middle East. Students will have the option to complete a capstone project as an alternative to a traditional dissertation and also have the opportunity to pursue relevant language training.

One £9000 scholarship will be available for the new Global Affairs MSc, for the first year, helping to relieve your financial burdens.

FACULTY OF GOVERNANCE & GLOBAL AFFAIRS, LEIDEN UNIVERSITY – THE NETHERLANDS  

Source: Leiden University

To truly uncover research conducted at the Faculty of Governance & Global Affairs (FGGA), Leiden University, flick through a few pages of its online research magazine. It’s here that you’ll find out about the faculty’s lifelong commitment to academic diversity.

By approaching complex issues from political, legal, sociological, administrative and economic perspectives, students who choose the FGGA are encouraged to convey their opinions and develop their own real-world solutions.

A global education without limits, Leiden supplies a fountain of knowledge to both new and experienced learners. Through the Security Studies (BSc) programme, you’ll tackle contemporary challenges such as international terrorism, cybercrime, natural disasters and more.

Alternatively, through the Cyber Security (MSc), you’ll establish effective, sustainable solutions for cyber threats and risks. Sticking to a proactive learning form, all degrees here are designed to make an everlasting impact on today’s ever-changing world.

That’s why life at Leiden is a valuable learning curve for all global graduates.

FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI – FINLAND

Source: University of Helsinki

If you’re searching for unlimited access to the newest scientific knowledge and a Faculty of Social Sciences that values Finnish history, the University of Helsinki has an unrivalled reputation for conducting advanced social scientific research that explores phenomena and problems of our changing world from national, global, European and local perspectives.

Master’s programmes in the Faculty of Social Sciences strategically examine social phenomena and submerge students in a world of content-rich modules.

On their two-year postgraduate degree in Global Politics and Communication, you’ll feel empowered and ready to assess how politics and the media are linked to the forces of globalisation and you’ll be equipped with the confidence to engage in public talks and discussion.

And with high-quality professors to steer you through the syllabus, you’ll be flying high in your future career!

SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, DURHAM UNIVERSITY- UK

As Head of the School of Government and International Affairs at Durham University, Professor John Williams says: “Our graduates confidently face the future. They are globally engaged, analytically acute, culturally literate and grounded in a place that won’t ever leave them, no matter where in the world they go – and they go everywhere.”

By providing thought-provoking postgraduate programmes such as the MSc Defence, Development and Diplomacy, the MSc Global Politics and the MA Politics and International Relations, the theoretical and methodological training you’ll receive at Durham allows you to develop skills required to grasp the complex fields of international relations.

Here, student and public events regularly evaluate pressing issues impacting today’s world. For example, an upcoming seminar that may spark your interest aims to address the Histories and Rhythms of Urban Violence and the Global-local Encounters in the Nexus of Space and Time.

Source: Durham University

FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, CHARLES UNIVERSITY – CZECH REPUBLIC

Recognised by QS Top Universities 2018 as the best academic institution in the Czech Republic for Politics and International Studies, Charles University is in a league of its own.

Home to a Faculty of Social Sciences (FSV UK) with one of the highest international mobility participation rates of all CU faculties, just over 200 international students are enrolled in one of the many English language degrees offered at Charles University.

The faculty is constantly praised for its cultivation of free thought and independent research. Through a hands-on learning approach and an inclusive campus environment you can view through this virtual tour, there’s plenty to experience at Charles University.

At the Institute of International Studies (IIS), you can opt for a varied assortment of subjects, like the Balkan, Eurasian and Central European Studies (BECES), the Central European Comparative Studies (CECS), the Master in Area Studies (MAS), the International Masters in Economy, State and Society (IMESS) and the European Politics and Society (EPS) study route for you to choose from.

*Some of the institutions featured in this article are commercial partners of Study International

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