Democracy and Governance Studies

The challenges of achieving democracy and effective governance define modern political thinking. They have also become a central policy objective of many countries and almost all official international organizations.

To meet the demand for professionals capable of understanding the complexities of these political reforms and to provide the necessary foundation for further academic study in these areas, the Department of Government has established a two-year MA program in Democracy and Governance. The program fulfills two objectives:


The program provides unmatched training for those seeking academic or policy careers in the field of democracy assistance and governance reform. For each career path, the program will ensure that students possess the conceptual, practical, and analytic knowledge to perform effectively.


The M.A. in Democracy and Governance takes advantage of Georgetown University's strengths as one of the country’s leading institutions for the study of international affairs, and utilizes the opportunities available in Washington, D.C.

The two-year, 42-credit hour curriculum helps students understand the challenges of building a sustainable democracy as well as the practical problems that confront practitioners in this field. To master those subjects, the program will prepare you to: 

• analyze current efforts at democracy assistance and governance reform;
• comprehend the obstacles to them; and,
• develop strategies to foster and consolidate effective political change.

Our program provides students with hands-on experience, including overseas opportunities in Morocco and South Africa, that helps them to develop a profound appreciation of the many obstacles impeding democratic consolidation and responsible government, and the strategies to overcome them. For anyone interested in a professional or scholarly career in these areas, the MA in Democracy and Governance is the most comprehensive degree available in the United States.