Master of Global Affairs (MGA) Degree

MGA Degree

Upon completing the MGA degree, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate leadership, communication, and research skills to conduct independent studies enabling them to understand and formulate public policy recommendations in the international arena.
2. Apply quantitative skills to data analysis to make policy recommendations.
3. Describe real-life experience in international public policy development by participating in an internship.
4. Assess the social responsibilities of governments, non-governmental organizations, corporations, and individuals in the global twenty-first century.
5. Analyze and develop new and innovative solutions to emerging challenges in the global community.

MGA Degree

MGA degree is a non-thesis master's degree. For general university requirements, please see Non-Thesis Master's Degrees. For additional requirements, regulations, and procedures for all graduate programs, please see All Graduate Students. Students pursuing MGA degree must complete:

• A minimum of 36 credit hours to satisfy degree requirements.
• A minimum of 30 credit hours of graduate-level study (graduate semester credit hours, coursework at 500-level or above).
• A minimum of 24 graduate semester credit hours must be taken at Rice University.
• A minimum of 24 graduate semester credit hours must be taken in standard or traditional courses (with a course type of lecture, seminar, laboratory, lecture/laboratory). 
• A minimum residency enrollment of one fall or spring semester of part-time graduate study at Rice University.
• A maximum of 2 courses (6 graduate semester credit hours) from transfer credit. For additional departmental guidelines regarding transfer credit, see the Policies tab.
• one area of specialization (see below for areas of specialization). MGA degree program offers three areas of specialization:
  • International Political Development, or
  • International Political Economy, or
  • International Security. 
• required Graduate Field Internship.
• required Capstone project.
• A minimum overall GPA of 2.67 or higher in all Rice coursework.
• A minimum program GPA of 2.67 or higher in all Rice coursework that satisfies non-thesis master’s degree.

Please Note: Courses offerings may vary. Some listed courses may not be offered every year, and others may be offered that satisfy requirements with pre-approval. Students should consult their academic advisors before enrolling and check for any course prerequisites.

courses listed below satisfy this degree program. In certain instances, courses not on this official list may be substituted upon approval of program's academic advisor, or where applicable, department or program's Director of Graduate Studies. Course substitutions must be formally applied and entered into Degree Works by department or program's Official Certifier. Additionally, these must be approved by Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Students and their academic advisors should identify and clearly document courses to be taken.

The English Language Proficiency Requirement may be waived for an international student who received a degree from an institution in which English is the official language of communication. Contact the admitting program for more information.

The following language proficiency tests are accepted by Rice graduate programs and will be used to assess English language proficiency. Please note the below scores are the minimum requirement, though some program requirements will be higher.

• The TOEFL IBT Home. A minimum score of 90 is required
• IELTS Indicator. A minimum score of 7 is required.
• Duolingo. A minimum score of 115 is required.

1. Find your graduate program(s) of interest and submit an interest form. Click here for a listing of schools and departments.
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