Lead. Serve. Make a World of Difference.
Located in Washington DC, American University’s School of International Service combines a strong international focus with a deep commitment to service, cross-cultural understanding, and global engagement. Students gain first-hand experience and access to international organizations, embassies, think tanks, non-profits, and government agencies through internships, practica, faculty relationships, and local events.
Our world-renowned faculty—leading political scientists, economists, sociologists, anthropologists, demographers, geographers, historians, and experts in international development, global health, communications, energy, and the environment—provide an interdisciplinary experience that matches the complexity of the global challenges of our time.
Thoughtful and aspirational, with wide-ranging backgrounds and experience themselves, our students take advantage of Washington's wealth of resources and professional opportunities and our active international network of more than 25,000 alumni. As a student here, you will graduate prepared to combine knowledge and practice and to serve the global community as an emerging leader, waging peace and building understanding in our world.
Ranked Among the Best
Top 10
Graduate and Undergraduate Programs in International Relations, Foreign Policy Magazine
#1
17%
SIS graduate students are first-generation college graduates and they founded and lead AU's First Gen Grad Society
SIS Alumni Spotlight
Jennifer Erie, SIS '98
Award-Winning Strategist
Global Inclusion Systems Leader
Published Author & Storyteller
The World in My Bones
Jennifer Erie, an American University alumna, shows where a life in public service can lead in The World In My Bones: The Diplomat Queens Made.
Raised in Queens as a first-generation Haitian American, Erie built a career in global diplomacy, serving with USAID across Africa and Southeast Asia to advance HIV and AIDS advocacy and public health resilience.
Her memoir gives you an honest look at the promise and pressure of public service, including leadership, identity, caregiving, burnout, grief, joy, and reinvention.
If you are exploring policy, international affairs, or global service, Erie’s story makes the work feel real, human, and possible.
It is a reminder that meaningful public service is not just about where you go, but what you carry, who you become, and how you keep building purpose through uncertainty.
Explore Degree and Certificate Pathways at SIS
Ethics, Peace and Human Rights
An ethical approach to global challenges
Global Environmental Policy
Knowledge and action for a just and sustainable world
Global Governance, Politics and Security
Preparing future leaders for a complex world
Global Governance, Politics and Security: Quantitative Economic Methods
Advance quantitative skills for global policy leadership
Intercultural and International Communication
Placing culture at the center of communication
International Affairs Policy and Analysis
The practical international affairs degree for those ready to serve
International Affairs: Natural Resources and Sustainable Development
Sustainability, justice and peace: A different vision for the planet
International Affairs: United States Foreign Policy and National Security
Gain knowledge and skills for a lifetime of foreign policy challenges
International Development
Addressing poverty, inequality, and social inequity
International Peace and Conflict Resolution
Serving humanity’s needs with peacebuilding skills for lasting change
International Relations and Business (Online)
Turn global experience into business strategy
International Relations (Online)
Gain interdisciplinary global affairs expertise from anywhere
International Service (International Studies Track)
The next step for experienced professionals
International Relations
Expertise, rigor and excellence
