Governance and Policy
The Governance and Policy major prepares students to design and manage large-scale programs that drive global change. You’ll explore the ideas and theories that shape today’s global system, analyze the challenges and opportunities policymakers face, and learn how evidence-based solutions can be scaled to create lasting impact.
Policy and governance are deeply interconnected: policies emerge from political and social processes, and they are carried out within systems of governance. Effective approaches require both strong policy and strong governance—and both can take many forms. In this concentration, you’ll study how policy and governance function in public and private sectors, at local, national and global levels, and across diverse issue areas such as migration, education, health, development and peace.
Applications for the Master of Global Affairs program are now open for a Fall 2027 start. Apply by December 15, 2026.
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Career Paths
Master of Global Affairs graduates who major in governance and policy work alongside seasoned policymakers, global organizations and renowned academic experts. Recent alumni have gone on to become:
- Foreign Service Officer, U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C.
- Officer, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Tokyo, Japan
- Senior Program Advisor, Government of Canada, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Project Officer, Department of Sustainable Democracy, Organization of American States, Washington, D.C.
- Project Leader, The Boston Consulting Group, U.S., Nigeria, and Kenya
Policy Engagement
As a Keough School student, you’ll engage with policy in the classroom, through experiential learning and connecting with leading policymakers on campus and at our school’s Washington, D.C. Office. Opportunities include:
- An immersion course that culminates in a week of policy engagement in Washington, D.C.
- A project-based experiential learning through your fully-funded field placement
Explore the Curriculum
Core Courses
6 credit hours
All master of global affairs students students complete the following foundational courses:
- Integral Human Development (3 credits | Semester 1)
- Economics of Growth and Development (3 credits | Semester 2)
- One approved Research Methods course (fulfilled by Research Design for Policy major course)
- One approved Global Politics course (fulfilled by Foundations of Global Governance major course)
Major Courses
13 credit hours
Along with the core requirements, MGA students majoring in governance and policy take the following courses:
- Foundations of Global Governance (3 credits | Semester 1)
- Quantitative Analysis (3 credits | Semester 1)
- Quant Lab (1 credit | Semester 1)
- Comparative Governance and Policymaking (3 credits | Semester 2)
- Research Design for Policy (3 credits | Semester 2)
Elective Courses
18 credit hours
Where do you want to make an impact? With direction from faculty and the director of your chosen major, major directors, you will select elective courses that help you craft an academic experience tailored to your unique career goals. Select from a rich array of classes offered both at the Keough School and across the University of Notre Dame.
Field Experience: Integration Lab
9 credit hours
You will engage in hands-on project-based work through the Integration Lab (i-Lab), a fully-funded field experience that will help you develop the skills to design, manage, implement and evaluate development programs and policies.
Keough School students have worked on a wide range of global challenges, such as:
- Expanding the effectiveness of humanitarian cash transfer programs following emergency situations in Bangladesh and Uganda in partnership with Catholic Relief Services.
- Assisting refugees and others hurt by conflict in the Middle East with the American East Refugee Aid in Lebanon.
- Driving large-scale behavior change in India’s and Mexico’s housing and construction markets through Habitat for Humanity International.
- Improving school performance with Enseña Chile by assessing leadership traits and skills among principals and school leaders to enhance outcomes.
- Promoting educational and financial inclusion of those held back by gender norms through a partnership with Oxfam in Cambodia.
