Global Futures Initiative

Interdependence and technological change have placed security issues within a more global frame. Terrorism, civil war, and failed states are generating increased refugee flows and cross-border threats. Military rivalries are compounded by conflicts in cyberspace. A more secure and just future will require creative leadership, effective institutions, and greater intercultural understanding.

The Global Future of Security was the focus of the Georgetown Global Futures Initiative during the spring 2016 semester. A series of lectures by leaders of major international organizations framed a structured conversation with faculty, students, and a global audience about key security challenges and how to address them in the decades to come.

The lectures were complemented by a range of other events across campus related to the theme of security, as well as a global online dialogue including more than 40 scholars, students, and practitioners around the world.

For an overview of Georgetown’s engagement with issues of security across schools and programs, visit the Global Georgetown website.

Select Academic Programs

• Security Studies ProgramThis master’s program within the School of Foreign Service prepares graduate students for careers in the defense and security sectors.
• BSFS Concentration in International PoliticsStudents in the B.S. of Foreign Service program can select international politics as a concentration and focus on international security.
• Justice and Peace Studies (JUPS) Major and MinorThe creation of a JUPS major, building on the existing minor, took effect with the fall 2014 semester.
• M.A. in Conflict ResolutionOffered by the Department of Government in the College, this master’s program prepares students for careers in conflict resolution.

Select Centers, Institutes, and Research Programs

• The Center for Security StudiesHoused in the School of Foreign Service, this center addresses complex security questions at the intersection of theory and practice.
• Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and SecurityThis SFS institute examines the roles of women in building security, resolving conflict, and responding to humanitarian crises.
• The Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World AffairsThis university-wide center explores religion as it relates to global challenges of diplomacy, development, democracy, and dialogue.
• Institute for Law, Science and Global SecurityHoused in the Department of Government, this institute provides courses in international law and global security to the department’s M.A. in government program.