Specializations

The International and Global Public Policy specialization module introduces students to the functioning of international relations and international organizations and to policy problems that affect countries and regions on a global level. The ways in which political forces shape and interact with economic systems and vice versa are considered. Students acquire analytical competencies regarding the actors and stakeholders, institutions and issues in policy areas that can only be tackled internationally (e.g. climate, energy, sustainability).  

The Development and Socio-Economic Policy module deals with development policy, policies for fighting poverty and inequality, economic and social development and progress. The seminars investigate questions like "Do aid policies work?", "Do we progress? What kind of progress and how do we measure it?" Conceptualizations of progress or good governance are examined extensively and are broadened and the impact of policies is evaluated. 

The Conflict Studies and Management specialization provides students with a platform to explore the exchange of practitioners and scholars’ knowledge on peace, security, and development promoting dialogue around these multidimensional issues following theory, empirics, and practice in peace and conflict research for public policy design, intervention, and evaluation. The specialization seeks to build relations between scholars and practitioners interested in the wider dynamics of political conflict, dialogue, diplomacy, and peacebuilding, using a multidisciplinary focus and familiarizing students with diverse methodological approaches to the subject. Within the research field of conflict management, the Brandt School seeks to develop policies that prevent violence, promote positive peace, and contribute to capacity building in societies.

Students in this specialization will have the opportunity to access classes, workshops, and seminars with experts from around the world and encounter courses like:

• Forced Migration Policies in Comparative Perspective
• Race, Racism & Global International Relations
• Justice and Reconciliation in Post-Conflict Societies
• The Research Lens on Public Policy Intervention and Evaluation
• Gender, Peace, and Conflict

They also could be part of Project Groups where they will have the chance to act as policy advisors and publish policy briefs for decision makers like in the:  Project Group “Armed State Actors and Transitional Justice”, or apply for funding to access resources and have the experience to manage budgets and design interventions and evaluation tools like in the “Everyday Practical Peacebuilding Project”.

As part of the Non-Profit Management and Social Entrepreneurship module students study management approaches, methods and instruments in non-profit organizations and social enterprises. Students who aim to work in the non-profit sector train their entrepreneurial, creative, innovative and independent thinking. They learn how to develop and present as well as how to implement social projects and business ideas in an impact-oriented way.