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Visiting Speakers

Patterson students are frequently visited by special guest speakers: admirals, presidents, intelligence experts,  diplomats and leaders of international NGOs. Quite often an international expert is sharing a room with 35 our brightest.

Travel and Corporate Visits

Patterson students travel. They globetrot on their own, and travel as a group to locations around the U.S. and beyond to experience the work of organizations and people who make the world turn. We don't just talk about the professional life, we see it.

Diplomacy Simulations

Each fall, we host the U.S. Army War College's International Strategic Crisis Exercise team for fast-paced two day simulation of a real world diplomatic crisis. Students form teams, act as diplomats, and try to negotiate a way forward.

2024 ISCNE: Central Asia

2022 Fall ISCNE: South China Sea

2022 Spring Crisis Simulation: Migration Crisis, Latin America

2024 10 18 Fall Conference student listens

2024 Fall Conference attendee listens carefully.

Mark Mahan

Fall Conference

For decades, the Patterson School has sponsored a fall conference on a topic of academic and policy interest. Fall conferences themes are chosen to build expertise on the most pressing foreign affairs issues and to enhance familiarity with different geographic regions. The conferences are restricted to Patterson School students and our invited guest speakers - usually 12-16 policymakers and experts from government, think tanks and NGOs, and academia. The 2021 conference centered around Afghanistan. Steve Coll, Dean of Columbia Journalism School, gave the Keynote Address on "The Fall of Kabul: Why We Failed In Afghanistan." The 2022 conference theme was "The New Cold War." Ambassador William B. Taylor, former ambassador to Ukraine, was the keynote speaker and spoke on "Russian, Ukraine, and the United States." 

Fall Conference Themes

2024 Latin America

2023 Keynote: Howard French

2022 New Cold War

35 Spring cohort size

At this size, each student has unparalleled access to faculty and resources.

18 Months

Three semesters of coursework, summer reading, travel, crisis simulations, speakers and more.

30 Credit Hours

Complete your MA majoring in any of our four concentrations.

Internships

The overwhelming majority of our students work as interns at some point during their studies, both to explore potential career prospects and to enhance their professional credentials. Faculty, staff, and your colleagues (beginning with the first day of new student orientation) provide assistance with the internship process. Patterson School students land high-quality assignments. 

Recent Patterson School Student Internships
NGOs in: United States, Nicaragua, Argentina, Rwanda, South Africa, Afghanistan, Yemen, China, Cambodia
American Embassies France, Belgium, Macedonia, Russia, Vietnam, Zambia, Ethiopia
Foreign ministries: Costa Rica, Kenya, Canadian Parliament
U.S. Government U.S. Departments of State, Dept. of Defense, Dept. of Energy, Homeland Security, Commerce, Central Intelligence Agency, Government Accountability Office
International Orgs The Inter-American Development Bank, The African Development Bank, The United Nations (in New York and Geneva).
Get published. Go live.

Patterson Journal of International Affairs

Written, edited and published online by current students, the journal features thoughtful, analytical and timely pieces on international affairs available at the University of Kentucky, as well as personal narratives of the co-curricular experiences of the cohort. This is where you'll hear it first.

Latest pieces:

The PRC Tests its Borders in the 2023 Crisis Simulation

Legal Accountability: ICC’s Arrest Warrants

Hypersonic Ballistic Missile Escalates the Conflict in Ukraine

Patterson Perspectives Podcast

Patterson Perspectives is the podcast of the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce.  Episodes of the podcast include conversations between faculty, between faculty and alumni or students, and between students, faculty, and outside guests.  Patterson Perspectives is also available through Apple PodcastsAmazon Music, and Google.

Latest episodes:

Patterson Perspectives: The Legacy of October 7

Patterson Perspectives: On the Study of Military Coups

Patterson Perspectives: Examining US-China-Russia Relations

Plan a visit

You have questions and you want to know what it's like to be here. Come to Kentucky. You can sit in on a class, meet faculty and students, see the campus.

The journey of a lifetime begins with your visit to the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce.

Plan a visit

Contact Student Affairs

Nash and Nimbus

Nash Meade Student Affairs Officer

Linked Department (or Location)
Meet our Student Affairs Officer
Location Detail
120 Patterson Dr. Rm 455, Lexington KY
Email
nash.meade@uky.edu
Phone
859-257-4666