Program
The Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce offers a distinctive Masters of Arts program designed to prepare students academically, professionally, and personally for careers in international affairs. Formal academic coursework is combined with experiential learning via a rich variety of co–curricular activities. These include internships, site visits, a fall conference, a spring 24–hour crisis simulation, a speakers program, a film series, and even a formal protocol and etiquette dinner.
Our flexible program totals 30 credit hours and can be completed in just three semesters. Each student takes a core curriculum from courses and seminars taught by regular Patterson School faculty in one of six concentrations: diplomacy, development, security, intelligence, international organizations, and international commerce. Beyond this core, students can craft courses of study tailored to their unique needs and desires that draw widely upon other University of Kentucky graduate departments. Patterson students have developed individual degree plans that include classes in agricultural economics, anthropology, finance, marketing, management, foreign languages, history, political science, communications, sociology, law, geography, public health, and more. This flexibility in curriculum is pivotal to the Patterson School concept.
Two other central features of our program are “summer reading” and internships. New students receive their first summer reading list (a common group of 7–8 books focusing on major themes in international affairs) shortly after acceptance into the program and another list after their second semester. Our aim is to expose every student to some of the leading contemporary works in each of our concentrations, thereby supplementing their focused individual coursework with a broader academic perspective. Books on the first list are reviewed as part of new student orientation and both summers’ readings are integrated into the comprehensive exam process. Most students complete substantive internships in career–related areas, in the United States or abroad, during the summer following their second semester. This provides the opportunity to meld formal studies with practical knowledge, while honing personal skills and competencies. In addition to gaining valuable work experience, many students also use their internship to acquire a firsthand understanding of another foreign culture.
Fall conferences themes and crisis simulation scenarios are chosen to build expertise on the most pressing foreign affairs issues and to enhance familiarity with different geographic regions. The conferences are restricted to Patterson School students and our invited guest speakers — usually 16–20 policymakers and experts from government, think tanks and NGOs, and academia. Recent fall conferences have concentrated on “Advancing Africa’s Promise” (PDF) and, after seeing former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, “Russia – After Putin?” (PDF). This year’s fall conference, following a presentation by recent Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, examined developments in the “Arc of Crisis” (PDF) that stretches from Egypt to Afghanistan. Our 2009–2010 film series (developed in conjunction with the conflict resolution NGO Search for Common Ground) centered upon this same region. Recent crisis simulations have dealt with countering piracy off Somalia, hostage taking, and how the Organization of American States might respond to regime change in Cuba. Since 2006, major contingents of Patterson students have also attended the Middle East Institute’s annual conference in Washington, DC.
Regardless of individual major and minor concentrations, all Patterson School students receive a general exposure to international commerce. This is accomplished not just through courses and special guest speakers, but also by periodic trips to headquarters, manufacturing, and operations centers of major multinational corporations. Entering classes usually begin with a midnight visit to United Parcel Service’s Worldport operation in Louisville during orientation and follow this with visits to either Toyota’s vehicle production facility (TMMK), Fifth-Third Bank’s international trading floor, or Procter & Gamble’s World Headquarters. As for government, classes also have visited military facilities such as the U.S. Army Armor Center at Fort Knox or Wright–Patterson Air Force Base. An integrated discussion of responsibility and ethics is also a key component of our professional program.
All students must successfully pass written and oral comprehensive examinations before being awarded their master's degree. These exams require students to draw upon the full measure of academic and professional activities they have experienced in the program, testing their universal foreign affairs knowledge as well as their unique specialized skills. During their final semester, most students join informal study groups to prepare for this difficult final step.
Finally, we cannot emphasize enough that the above program of graduate education is implemented in an inspiring, intimate atmosphere characterized by teamwork and collaboration. At the Patterson School, classmates are colleagues and partners, not competitors. The exceptional long–term bonds formed among students, and between students and faculty, create a powerful network that can provide a lifetime of advice, support, help, and inspiration as you advance your goals.