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Diplomacy
Diplomacy Students at the UN Ford Foundation.
Special Program

United Nations Intensive Summer Program

The United Nations Intensive Summer Study Program, designed for graduate students, advanced undergraduates, and mid-career professionals, immerses participants in the political dynamics of the United Nations. This week-long program familiarizes students with the inner workings of the UN by bringing them together with distinguished practitioners working in the field of multilateral diplomacy.  

This program will be held in-person near U.N. headquarters from June 9-13, 2025.

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UN Intensive Study Program

For one week each summer, students engaged in the study of international relations get to see what it's like work at the United Nations, the challenges, successes and ways of contributing.

Curriculum

The program is structured around a series of in-person briefings led by UN officials and representatives of governments and civil society on a range of global issues currently on the UN agenda. Key topics have included: peacekeeping and disarmament, human rights and refugees, status of women and children, member state policies towards the UN, the role of civil society and the private sector in the UN, UN reform, and the environment and development. 

Participants will be immersed in candid, off-the-record sessions near UN headquarters in New York City for 10 hours each day the entire week of the program.

Program Requirements include preliminary readings and a short paper to be completed prior to the beginning of the course. Attendance at all sessions is mandatory. Students actively participate in dialogue and discussion with guest speakers and peers. Students attending for credit also must keep a journal documenting their reactions to the briefings and submit a research paper one month after the conclusion of the program. Graduate students complete additional readings and a writing assignment.

Tuition

Two enrollment options are available: credit and non-credit. Successful completion of either option results in a certificate from the School of Diplomacy. In addition, the credit option allows students to earn three semester credit hours from Seton Hall University.

Credit Option: Undergraduates $3,675; Graduate students $3,550. Fee includes expected tuition for three credits plus the summer registration fee.

Non-Credit Option: $1,000. 

Faculty

Directed by Courtney Smith, Ph.D., Dean of the School of Diplomacy, and Mr. Troy Wolfe, Senior Director for Partnerships and Special Initiatives at UNA-USA, the program is structured around a series of in-person seminars led by UN officials and representatives of governments and civil society on a range of global issues currently on the UN agenda.

Courtney Smith posing
Courtney Smith
Dean
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Take the Next Step

The deadline for the 2025 program has passed. Please check this website again in January for information on the 2026 program.

Apply Here

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