Welcome from Dean Michael E. Brown and Dean Ben Vinson III

March 2015 Dear Admitted Student, Congratulations on your admission to the Master of Arts program in Global Communication at The George Washington University. In addition to conveying our personal congratulations, we would like to tell you more about the program, which is co-sponsored by GW’s Elliott School of International Affairs and the School of Media and Public Affairs, part of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences. We encourage you to join our exceptional community of scholars and students.

The Global Communication program links the study of international affairs and communication, helping students understand the complex global information environment; its implications for governance, security, and business; and how to communicate effectively to global audiences. In addition to its academic rigor, the program’s curriculum will prepare you for a successful career.

The curriculum includes professional skills courses that provide students with a wide array of training, such as op-ed writing, media relations and cross-cultural communication. The culmination of the program is a capstone course that challenges students to apply the knowledge and skills they have learned to solve real-world problems. The Elliott School’s Graduate Student Career Development office will work with you from enrollment to graduation and beyond to support your pursuit of a rewarding career.

The Global Communication program draws on the strengths of two dynamic schools at GW. The Elliott School is a superb place to study international affairs because of its extraordinary comparative advantages. Many universities offer graduate programs in international affairs, but few can rival the Elliott School’s combination of academic excellence, substantive depth and breadth, professional skills development, and its location in the heart of Washington, D.C. The Elliott School’s faculty is comprised of some of the most renowned scholars and accomplished practitioners in the international affairs field. Many members of the school’s faculty have worked in government or international organizations; others have worked in nongovernmental organizations or multinational corporations. Their professional experiences further enhance the school’s curriculum and courses. The Elliott School’s large, multi-disciplinary faculty is the foundation for a curriculum that is extraordinarily broad and deep. It is a big world, and the Elliott School covers it exceptionally well.

The School of Media and Public Affairs (SMPA) is a leader in the areas of political and global communication, journalism, and media studies. The mission of SMPA is to investigate how media content and institutions function as a central ingredient of a democratic society. SMPA believes that theory and practice cannot be separated, and that viewing them together, under the guidance of outstanding scholars and leading practitioners, enables students to understand media’s relationships with the institutions of public life, government, education, corporations, and associations.

Faculty educate and prepare future leaders to inform and mobilize citizens around the world. As a school within GW’s Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, SMPA is committed to preparing students to be active global citizens of the 21st century and to offering a strong foundation to build intellectual edifices and contribute meaningful solutions to social and scientific imperatives.

Washington, D.C. is one of the best places in the world to study international affairs, and GW’s location in the heart of Washington is truly unique. The IMF and the World Bank are a two-minute walk from the university. The State Department and the White House take five. Our location is an extraordinary intellectual and institutional asset, and it enhances everything we do. It enriches our teaching and research, and it provides us with unmatched opportunities to connect with the U.S. and international policy communities.

If you enroll as a graduate student at GW, you will get three main things out of your experience.

First, you will receive intellectual stimulation and academic enrichment. Your horizons will be expanded, your knowledge of the world will increase exponentially, and your mind will be sharpened. Second, you will have unique opportunities for professional advancement – starting or enhancing a career in the public, non-profit, and for-profit sectors of the global communication field.

Finally, and most importantly, you will have expanded opportunities to do something important with your life. At GW, the study of global communication is not an abstract exercise. Our mission is to educate the next generation of international leaders, and to make our world a better place.

We hope you will join us.

Sincerely,

Michael E. Brown Dean, Elliott School of International Affairs

Ben Vinson III Dean, Columbian College of Arts and Sciences