Keough School of Global Affairs

About

The Keough School of Global Affairs

The Donald R. Keough School of Global Affairs is the first new school at the University of Notre Dame in nearly a century.  In keeping with Notre Dame’s mission to place scholarship in service to the common good, the Keough School advances integral human development through research, policy, and practice; transformative educational programs; and partnerships for global engagement.

Founded in 2014, the Keough School builds on the strengths of existing institutes and centers focused on international research, scholarship, and education at Notre Dame. The Keough School educates and trains global affairs professionals, preparing students for effective and ethical professional leadership in governments, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector. The Keough School welcomed its first class of students in its Master of Global Affairs in 2017, inaugurated a new Supplementary Major in Global Affairs in 2019, and launched the first major in Global Affairs in 2022.

The Keough School offers Notre Dame students a wide range of globe-spanning academic opportunities and programs of study in addition to the extensive study abroad and other options available through Notre Dame International.

Details about the Donald R. Keough School of Global Affairs can be found online at http://keough.nd.edu/.

Curricular and Degree

The Keough School of Global Affairs offers curricula leading to the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Global Affairs.

Advanced Placement / International Baccalaureate Credit

The University will not accept AP, IB, or SAT-II credits in lieu of University Core Requirements. Similarly, the Keough School will not accept AP/ IB credits in lieu of School requirements. Certain curricular programs may accept AP/IB credit in lieu of major or minor requirements. See the individual program entries for specific details. AP/IB scores may also be used in lieu of a placement exam to place students into upper-level courses.

Degree Requirements for the Keough

School of Global Affairs Students in the Keough School of Global Affairs are required to complete 123 degree-countable credits. They must also complete all University and School requirements as well as the requirements for one major program of study.

Summary of School Requirements

Students pursing the degree program in the Keough School of Global Affairs must fulfill the following specific School-level requirements.

University requirements are described under “University requirements,” in the front section of this Bulletin.

School requirements are described below:

  • Foreign Language Requirement: By graduation students must have achieved intermediate proficiency II or higher in a language other than their native language that is used as a means of communication in the contemporary world. Students who have already achieved this level of language competence before entering Notre Dame must take at least one 3-credit language course at the University. These students may choose to pursue the additional course as either an advanced course in the language in which they have achieved proficiency, or a course of at least three credits in a different language that would expand and enrich the direction of their Notre Dame studies and career aspirations, and potentially lead to deeper study of the new language.

  • Cultural Immersion Experience: The CIE sequence provides students with critical training in global citizenship and service while centering studies on human dignity and flourishing. Students examine the multiple dimensions of culture and develop essential cultural competency by learning to appreciate differing perspectives. This immersive preparation empowers Global Affairs majors to communicate and work effectively across cultural boundaries in diverse global environments.

    1. Foundations of Cultural Analysis (3 cr). This course uses culture to analyze social differences and their impact on global affairs. Students should plan to take this course in the spring of their first year or during their sophomore year.

    2. A Cultural Immersion Experience( 0 cr). Students complete this immersion requirement through internships, research, language study, service, or eligible study abroad experience. Enrollment should occur during the summer or semester of the approved experience.

    3. Reflections on Cultural Engagement and Analysis (1 cr). This course provides a framework for students to critically reflect on their CIE and offers a forum in which to discuss the challenges they faced and what they learned about the communities and issues they engaged in.

  • Economics for Global Affairs (3 cr). This course examines how economic systems impact global policy and includes principles of microeconomics, macroeconomics, and international trade.

  • Keough Ethical Practice Seminar (3 cr). This seminar introduces students to ethical frameworks for assessing policy-making in global affairs. 

Pass/Fail Option

The Academic Code allows juniors and seniors to apply to their Dean (or Dean’s designee) to take one course per semester on a pass/ fail basis. The course must be non-major, nonrequired elective course. The declaration must be made during the enrollment period of each semester, and once made, the declaration is irreversible. Note that some courses do not have the pass/fail option.

Student Awards and Prizes

Kellogg Institute for International Studies

John J. Kennedy Prize is awarded annually for the best senior essay on Latin America. It carries a monetary prize and recognize the recipient’s high-quality work at Notre Dame.

Considine Award is given annually for outstanding student contributions to the study of or service to the Catholic Church in Latin America.

Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies

Peter Yarrow Award in Peace Studies is awarded to a graduating senior in the supplementary major or minor in peace studies who demonstrates academic excellence in peace studies alongside a commitment to peace and justice in the world.

Peace Studies Senior Seminar Essay Awards are given to peace studies seniors who have demonstrated excellence in peace studies research and academic writing in the foundational senior seminar course

Pulte Institute for Global Development

Pulte Institute Student Fellowship supports Social Entrepreneurship internship opportunities for students. Initially made possible by a generous gift from Rick and Molly Klau in 2018, these internships allow students to be trained as social entrepreneurs through experiential learning on the front lines of development work across the globe.

Keough School Programs

The programs offered by the Keough School of Global Affairs include a major, supplementary majors, and minors, which are interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary. Every Keough student must complete one major sequence. Supplementary majors and minors are optional and may be taken to supplement or enhance a student’s major but do not lead to graduation in and of themselves.

Major

The Keough School of Global Affairs currently offers one major in Global Affairs. 

Supplementary majors are those that cannot stand alone in qualifying a student for an undergraduate degree so must be taken in conjunction with a primary major. The Keough School currently offers two supplementary majors: Asian Studies and Peace Studies.

Minors

Minors are typically five-course sequences. The Keough School offers the following minors:

  • Asian Studies
  • Civil and Human Rights
  • European Studies 
  • Irish Studies
  • Peace Studies 
  • Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Electives

In addition to University, School, and major requirements, the Keough School also offer a wide range of courses that are open to non-majors. 

Officers of the Administration

In the Keough School of Global Affairs

Mary Gallagher 
Marilyn Keough Dean

Paul Winters
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs

Andrés Mejia Acosta  
Associate Dean for Policy and Practice

Dory Mitros Durham  
Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs

Anne Bax
Director for Finance and Administration

Iris Ma
Assistant Dean for Experiential Learning

Emmanuel Katongole
Executive Director, Ansari Institute for Global Engagement with Religion

Ann Mische
Director, Kellogg Institute for International Studies

Colin Barr 
Director, Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies

Jennifer Mason McAward 
Director, Klau Center for Civil and Human Rights

Asher Kaufman 
Regan Director, Kroc Institute for  International Peace Studies

Kyle Jaros
Director, Liu Institute for Asia & Asian Studies

Ray Offenheiser 
Director, McKenna Center for Human Development and Global Business

Clemens Sedmak 
Director, Nanovic Institute for European Studies

Tracy Kijewski-Correa 
Director, Pulte Institute for Global Development

Advisory Council

Clarke Keough (Chair)
Rafat Ansari
Tariq Ansari
Samuel Awad
Frank Bellati
Jeff Dellapina
Mohammad Farrae
John Hahn
Andrea Katter
Patrick Keough
Ryan Kerrigan
Richard Klau
Julie Kraemer
Cheryl Kuster
Maura O’Malley McDonald
Madeleine McKenna Durkin
Susan Scribner Mirza
Arthur Monaghan
John O'Connell
Lauren Anne Oliver
Bob Ortenzio
Jon Riberas Mera
Nancy Pulte Rickard
Paul Rogalski
Gregory M. Sebasky
Brennan Smith
Lu Sun
Laura Taylor
Bob Zielsdorf