M.B.A.-M.A. in Government or Foreign Affairs

The joint degree in government, foreign affairs, or public administration meets the growing need for managers to obtain expertise in comparative government, international relations, political risk assessment, and public administration in combination with the business concepts and techniques taught at Darden.

Students are expected to complete the M.B.A-M.A. program in three years instead of the four years required if each degree is taken separately.

Administration of the Program The program is administered by one faculty member designated by the chair of the Department of Government and Foreign Affairs and one member of the Darden School faculty, designated by the dean. The responsibilities of these faculty members extend to admission to the program, development of curricula for the students involved, coordination of courses and examinations, and promotion of joint offerings by the two schools where that seems feasible. For convenience of reference, these faculty members are referred to as the program committee.

Curriculum

The program takes three years to complete. Students in the joint program must complete all the required courses at the Darden School.

Students must earn 22.5 credits of Darden electives to satisfy the Darden graduation requirements.

The M.B.A. Darden Business Project is combined with the thesis requirements of the M.A. program. Projects are jointly supervised by a faculty member from both the Darden School and the Department of Government and Foreign Affairs.

Students must take the required portion of the M.A. program, consisting of 24 graduate credits. The department will accept six credits (two courses) from Darden toward the completion of this requirement.

One of the required courses for the M.A. may be a tutorial course, 595, Selected Problems (in specific areas). This course may entail a research paper based on experience as an intern.

The M.A. in Government or Foreign Affairs requires successful completion of a proficiency test in a foreign language arranged by the department, and of written comprehensive examinations in two of the subfields into which the department’s curriculum is divided.

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