About
PSIA. A world-class school of international affairs at Sciences Po.
One of the most prestigious schools in Europe, “among the grandest” (The Economist), Sciences Po has cultivated the minds of leading government officials, diplomats, and key international stakeholders for over a century. The teaching of international affairs has always been of strategic importance to Sciences Po. As early as 1872, the Ecole libre des sciences politiques created a “section” which then became the “Section internationale,” and welcomed more than 30% of foreign students.
Consolidating the Sciences Po tradition of excellence, the Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA), established in 2010, offers world leaders of tomorrow an innovative and comprehensive grounding in international affairs. Corresponding with his life-long career at the center of international diplomacy and academia, Dean Ghassan Salamé is furthering his commitment to the future of global affairs by fostering the development of PSIA, the largest professional school of international affairs in Europe.
In January 2010, Ghassan Salamé, University Professor of International Relations and former Senior Advisor to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, presented his project to transform the Master of International Affairs into the Paris School of International Affairs, before a steering committee of nine members, under the presidency of Jean-Pierre Jouyet, President of the French Financial Markets Authority. This committee went on to meet regularly over the course of five months, inviting a number of deans from sister institutions as guests. The conclusions reached by this committee launched the “Paris School of International Affairs” (PSIA). To safeguard the triple anchorage of Sciences Po -university, research, practice- an International Advisory Board was then established.
In September 2010, PSIA opened its doors to over 500 new graduate students and hosted more than 80 different nationalities under its roof, thus expanding intercultural overture and dialogue pivotal to international and global affairs, in a bilingual setting (French and English).
Within one year, international applications doubled and PSIA now fosters the intellectual and professional development of 1300 students from over 100 countries. A global school based in Paris, PSIA presently has an international student population that exceeds 70%. PSIA is the only school of international affairs in France, and among the largest in Europe.
A bilingual (English-French) professional school with an international presence
Seventy percent of courses are offered in English to the entire student body. Consequently, all students are fluent in English, and students without prior understanding of French may follow a full course of study in English at PSIA. Additionally, in-house language training is available in ten additional languages.
World-renowned professors, leading regional experts and practitioners have joined PSIA to teach over 300 courses annually in the most salient fields of international affairs. The PSIA curriculum interlaces conceptual foundations and current scholarship, with the most up-to-date operational training and best practices. Students frequently interact with world leaders and scholars through PSIA’s extensive series of public events. Graduates complete the two-year program, including a full semester internship, well-positioned to pursue high-profile careers across continents, and to join the dense network of Sciences Po alumni.
PSIA offers a choice of 9 master's programs in the most salient fields of international affairs, including:
Development Practices | Environmental Policy | Human Rights and Humanitarian Action | International Development | International Energy | International Economic Policy | International Public Management | International Security | Journalism and International Affairs
PSIA students graduate with a master’s degree in a primary field, and transcending the confines of intellectual silos, select two concentrations
Regional Concentrations
African Studies | Chinese and East Asian Studies | European Studies | Latin American Studies | Middle Eastern Studies | North American Studies | Russian Studies | South and Central Asian Studies
Thematic Concentrations
Emerging Economies | Environment | Global Economic Policy | Global Health | Global Risks | Human Rights | International Energy | Intelligence | Migrations
Applied Concentrations
Methods | Project Management
Eight international dual degree programs with prestigious universities:
Bocconi University | Columbia University-SIPA | Freie Universitat | Georgetown Law | London School of Economics | MGIMO | Peking University | University of Saint-Gallen
PSIA as a Platform for Debate
With a total of 1300 students, PSIA is the only school of international affairs in France and one of the largest in Europe. Through series of lectures by highly distinguished guests on pressing global issues, PSIA offers a vibrant platform for public debate in international affairs.
The speakers of the SPIA series of inaugural lectures included Lee C. Bollinger (President, Columbia University), Irina Bukova (Director-General, UNESCO), Taeho Bark (Seoul National University), William Polk (Director of the W.P. Carey Foundation, former member of the Kennedy Administration), Harvey Fineberg (President of the U.S. Institute of Medicine), Nicholas Dirks (Columbia University), Angel Gurria (Secretary-General, OECD), and Dmitri Trenin (Carnegie Center, Moscow).
“PSIA graduates are trained to be the most competent decision-makers, as well as engaged world citizens who think reflexively, who interconnect issues and articulate ethical dimensions,” Ghassan Salamé, Dean of PSIA.
