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With a tradition of leadership and innovation, and a commitment to excellence, the Patterson School is keenly focused on what will be required to prepare international policymakers to meet the demands of the 21st century. We continue to be guided by James Patterson’s visionary approach to the integrated study of diplomacy and international commerce. We constantly refine our curriculum to ensure that we are effectively educating future global leaders in both fields. As one of the nation’s leading masters programs in international affairs, we are building upon a very solid foundation.

Our people make the difference.

Fall 2023 Graduating Cohort @ Spindletop — Fall 2023 graduating cohort celebrating the successful completion of their comprehensive exams!

Group Photo Crisis Simulation Fall 2023 — Army War College International Strategic Crisis Negotiation Exercise (ISCNE) - Fall 2023

Fall 2023 cohort — The Patterson School's Fall 2023 new student cohort!

Crisis simulation group photo spring 2023 — Crisis Simulation Spring 2023

Patterson Students at Islamic Center of America — Patterson students at Islamic Center of America during their 2023 spring break trip

Patterson students at US Institute of Peace — Patterson School students visited the U.S. Institute of Peace during their trip to Washington DC in October 2022

Fall 2022 Cohort — The Patterson School welcomes its 2022 student cohort!

Patterson Students in Doha, Qatar — Patterson School students from the 58th and 59th cohorts visited Doha, Qatar in December 2018

Patterson Students at Turkish Ambassador's Residence — Students had the opportunity to visit the Turkish Ambassador's Residence in Washington, D.C.

Patterson students in Japan — Patterson School students in Japan

Latest News

Meet the new Director of the Patterson School

Patterson staff Nov 1, 2024

The Patterson School would like to extend a warm welcome to our new Director Dr. Joe Young! Dr. Young is coming to us from American University where he has held a number of leadership positions over the past 14 years in several different schools. After acting as a department chair for five years, he took on his most recent role as the Associate Dean for Research where he advised people in the School of Public Affairs seeking funded research opportunities. Dr.

Room with seated students watching opening announcements about ISCNE.

2024 Negotiation Simulation: Central Asia was a success!

Oct 13, 2024

Students, faculty, alumni and special guests, the U.S. Army War College's ISCNE team gathered in Patterson Hall Friday afternoon to begin this year's negotiation simulation. The exercise actually begins a few days ahead of the kickoff as teams are assembled, mentors recruited, and packets of background material are distributed. Students quickly must come to understand the region and the issues that the region faces as they prepare their strategies for tackling real-world international issues.

2024 Summer Reading List

Jan 27, 2024

Siddharth Kara, Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives (2023) Van Jackson, Pacific Power Paradox: American Statecraft and the Fate of the Asian Peace (2023) James Crawford, The Edge of the Plain: How Borders Make and Break Our World (2023) Andy Greenberg, Tracers in the Dark: The Global Hunt for the Crime Lords of Cryptocurrency (2022)

Meet 2016 Alumna Jocelyn Bell

Oct 26, 2017

Jocelyn Bell is a 2016 graduate from the Patterson School with a focus on development. During her time at Patterson, Jocelyn interned for a Mumbai-based anti-trafficking program that helped digitize blocks of women in the red-light district. Prior to Patterson, she received her bachelor's from Brown University with a major in Development Studies. Upon graduating from Patterson, Jocelyn returned to Brown to complete her Ph.D. program at Brown University. Her doctoral dissertation allowed her to spend two months in Delhi while residing in Mumbai.

Alumni Profile: Austin Anderson, 2016

Patterson Staff Jul 2, 2017

Austin Anderson is a 2016 graduate from the Patterson School and studied Security/Intelligence with a minor in Global Commerce. After graduating, he started his post-grad career as a software developer in the US Department of Defense working with the Secretary of Defense, Combatant Commanders, and the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence. He then worked in a consulting, at a tech start-up, and is now as a Principal Incident and Threat Intelligence Analyst for Discover Financial Services.

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