Overview

Degree Program Overview

Today’s world needs future-ready global leaders and managers more than ever. The global economy is becoming increasingly complex and dynamic as the Fourth Industrial Revolution accelerates, reshaping how we create value, work, and live. In this new era of rapid change, transnational organizations demand entrepreneurial innovators who can create a sustainable global future that segues across geographies, cultures, and sectors.

Thunderbird’s one-year Executive Master of Arts in Global Affairs and Management (EMAGAM) degree fosters a digital global mindset through a unique combination of 21st-century hard and soft skills. Students build expertise in leading systems and new enterprises, managing complexity, disruptive innovation, digital transformation, and collaborative problem-solving.

Based in Washington, D.C., the program is tailored for mid-career professionals in all sectors, offering specializations in global business or global public policy. Attend in-person weekend classes once a month with your cohort and faculty members and collaborate on team assignments and coursework virtually to achieve the curriculum milestones together. The flexible schedule allows participants to continue working while earning their degrees. Students may choose to travel abroad by adding one of Thunderbird’s Global Challenge Labs+.

+Additional expenses associated with selections are expected to be paid by students.

Choose between two specializations: Global Business and Global Public Policy.

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Who should apply?

  • Professionals who are interested in leadership positions within their existing organizations or interested in making a move in their careers to switching industries entirely.
  • Globally-minded mid-career professionals in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors interested in taking their careers to the next level.
  • Experienced professionals seeking careers in international management, sustainable development, global policy-making, where a multi-disciplinary focus on global issues are held at a premium.
  • Diplomacy, public policy, and global business professionals who want to develop the interdisciplinary skill sets needed to address global challenges by managing disruption and working across sectors.

Class Profile

Average Age:

40 years old

Average Work Experience:

14 years

Women:

50%

Admitted with Advanced Degrees:

45%

Non-native U.S.:

50%

Countries Represented:

11

Degrees of Prior Participants
  • Ed.D., Higher Education Administration
  • PhD, Environmental Engineering
  • J.D. Law
  • Bachelor of Science in Economics
  • Master of Economics in International Development
  • Master of Science, Homeland Security
  • Master of Science, Environmental Engineering
  • Master of Arts in Gender, Peace and Security Studies
  • Master of Arts in International Politics and Security
  • Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs, Master of International Relations
  • Bachelor of Arts in International Studies
  • Bachelor of Arts in International Politics and Government Relations
  • Master in Economic Policy and Management
  • Master in Education, Information & Communications Technology
  • Master of Business Administration (MBA)
  • Master of Business Administration - International Business (MBA)
  • Master in Public Administration
  • Bachelor of Arts in Development Studies, School of Diplomacy
  • Bachelor of Arts in Spanish
Employers:
  • Foreign Embassies
  • U.S. Intelligence Services
  • World Bank 
  • Inter-American Institute for Economic Development
  • International Monetary Fund
  • International Finance Corporation
  • Global Environment Facility
  • Pratt & Whitney, a Raytheon Technologies Company
  • U.S. Congress
  • U.S. Customs and Border Protection
  • Leidos
  • Bixal
  • Amazon
  • Global Factor
  • Boston Housing Authority
  • Aldrin Family Foundation
  • Arizona Department of Economic Security
  • American Dental Education Association
  • Meta
  • and others
     
Current and Past* Titles:
  • Ambassador
  • Executive Director
  • Chief Executive Officer
  • Chief Diversity Officer
  • Senior Financial Analyst
  • Economic Counselor
  • Deputy Chief of Mission
  • Director, of Operations
  • Consultant
  • Country Manager
  • Intelligence Programs Advisor
  • Senior Operations System Coordinator
  • Senior Private Sector Specialist
  • Acting Head of Mission
  • First Secretary - Trade and Investment
  • Policy Advisor
  • Director of Business Development*
  • Director of Community Outreach
  • Minister of Education*
  • Associate Director of Global Security Services
  • Undersecretary of Climate Change*
  • Commanding Officer*
  • Senator*
  • High Commissioner*
  • Cabinet Minister*
  • General Secretary*
  • Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs/Chief Student Affairs Officer*
  • Vice Chair*
  • National Director of Climate Change Mitigation*
  • General Secretary of the Ministry of Trade*
  • Director of Projects
  • Deputy Legal Counsel
  • Vice President*
  • Human Resources Manager
  • Vice-Consul
  • Head of Corporate Banking*
  • Deputy General Manager*
  • Director for Communications and Outreach
  • Managing Partner
  • Cybersecurity Expert
  • Privacy Program Manager*
  • and others

Curriculum & Specializations

Curriculum

The EMAGAM curriculum features a total of 30 credit hours, including 21 credit hours from core requirements and nine (9) elective credit hours from two specializations: Global Business and Global Public Policy. Three (3) credit hours of the core must meet the applied learning requirement.

Students may inquire about eligibility for an internship or other electives.
+Additional expenses associated expected to be paid by students.
*Optional, meets program requirements.

Course Credits
Global Affairs: The Fourth Industrial Revolution in a Global Economy 3
International Finance and Trade 3
Data Analytics and Digital Transformation in the Global World 3
The Craft of Global Networks in a Changing World 3
Communicating and Negotiating Across Cultures* 3
Agile Governance and Leadership in a Complex and Digital World 3

Global Leadership and Strategy

3

 

Specializations

Program Calendar

Program Calendar 2025

Dates Course # Name Credits Location
Jan 8-12 TGM 575 Global Affairs: The 4th Industrial Revolution in the Global Economy 3 Washington, D.C.
Feb 14-15 TAM 506 Data Analytics and Communicating and Negotiating Across Cultures 3 Washington, D.C.
Mar 28-29 TGM 530 Data Analytics and Digital Transformation in the Global World 3 Washington, D.C.
May 2-3 TGM 503 Global Marketing (Global Business Track Course #1, Optional GPP Track #3) 3 Washington, D.C.
Jun 6-7 TGM 598 Agile Governance and Leadership in a Complex and Digital World 3 Washington, D.C.
Jul 11-12 TGM 598 Strategic Planning in a Global Economy (Global Public Policy Track Course #1, Optional GB Track #3) 3 Washington, D.C.
Aug 8-9 TGM 502 Financial Management for Global Value Creation (GB Track Course #2) 3 Washington, D.C.
  TGM 598 Policy Analysis for a Global World (GPP Track Course #2) 3 Washington, D.C.
Jul 28 - Aug 1 TGM 596 Optional Global Challenge Lab 3 Other
Sep 5-6 TGM 518 International Finance and Trade 3 Washington, D.C.
Oct 17-18 TGM 598 The Craft of Global Networks 3 Washington, D.C.
Nov 21-22 TGM 545 Global Leadership and Strategy 3 Washington, D.C.

 

Financial Aid & Costs

Financial Aid

Program Costs

Apply early for priority admission and financial aid consideration.

Fees USD$
Application Fee (domestic) $70
Application Fee (international) $115
Program Deposit $250
Program Cost $60,000

 

Faculty & Campus

Faculty Highlights

 

Lena Booth

Deputy Dean, Thunderbird Academic Enterprise and Finance Professor

Mansour Javidan

Najafi Chair Professor in Global Mindset and Digital Transformation and Executive Director of Najafi Global Mindset Institute

Our Campus

Our downtown Washington, D.C. presence at Arizona State University's Barrett & O'Connor building on 18th and I (eye) Streets offer a convenient location for working professionals who need flexible degree programs. Located across the street from the Farragut West Metro stop (orange, grey, blue) and two blocks from the Farragut North Metro stop (red), our DC campus is just four blocks from the White House and sit at the center of the world's global policy center. A cross-cultural city in every sense, Washington is home to the U.S. federal government, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and a host of other multi-national organizations, think tanks, associations, and non-profit organizations.

Requirements & Deadlines

Application Requirements

Application Deadlines

Apply early for priority admissions and financial aid consideration.

Deadline Dates
First round  September 30
Second round and international deadline October 30
Final deadline November 30

 

Attend an Information Session

Learn more about the EMAGAM by attending an upcoming information session featuring faculty, alumni, and admissions counselors who can answer all of your questions.

Apply to this program

Why Thunderbird for a degree?

Thunderbird is a global network of future-ready leaders, managers, entrepreneurs, and intrapreneurs innovating across the private and public sectors to advance inclusive and sustainable prosperity worldwide.

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