Jackson courses are taught by faculty throughout Yale’s academic departments, our Senior Fellows, and visiting faculty. The most up-to-date list of our courses can be found at Yale’s Online Course Information site. All graduate and undergraduate courses at the Jackson School are listed as Global Affairs (GLBL).

Most Jackson courses are open to all Yale students. Due to high demand, some of our seminars require prior application. Course applications for these courses are posted on our website when available.

Advice to Applicants

There are no prerequisites for the Global Affairs major. However, students interested in applying to the major are strongly encouraged to take courses from among the following: introductory economics courses (ECON 1108, ECON 1110, or ECON 1115, and ECON 1111 or ECON 1116); introductory political science courses (Introduction to International Relations, PLSC 1113; Introduction to Comparative Politics, PLSC 1413; or Political Theory, PLSC 1327, 1335, 1352, or Directed Studies); and one or two History courses. Prospective students are also encouraged to work toward the L4 language requirement early in their course planning. These courses are all required for the updated major and progress toward completing them, at the time of application, will be considered.

All students interested in applying to the Global Affairs major should also plan to take GLBL 2121 Applied Quantitative Analysis I in the fall of their sophomore year (and not beforehand) to best prepare them for GLBL 2122 Applied Quantitative Analysis II, a requirement that is taken in the spring of sophomore year and is closed to non-majors. Enrollment in the first AQA requirement (GLBL 2121) is also considered at the time of application. We strongly recommend that students take GLBL 2121 rather than one of its accepted substitutes unless they have a course planning issue that cannot otherwise be resolved (or other compelling reason).

Course Substitutes

We strongly recommend Applied Quantitative Analysis (GLBL 2121); however, these are acceptable substitutes: Introduction to Data Analysis and Econometrics (ECON 1117), Intermediate Data Analysis and Econometrics (ECON 2123), or Introduction to Probability and Statistics (ECON 2135).

All courses aside from electives are meant to fulfill their corresponding requirement and cannot fill an elective, regardless of a different class counting towards the allocated requirement. For example: If a student counts ECON 1117 for their GLBL 2121 requirement but has also taken GLBL 2121, they cannot count GLBL 2121 as an elective instead.

Finding Historically Accepted Courses

Yale Course Search offers advanced filtering options to enhance your search of courses by department and requirements. In the advanced search section, please use the “Any Course Information Attribute” drop-down to find courses historically accepted as fulfilling the various major requirements.

Course Exceptions

If a course you feel strongly about counting towards your requirements is not listed with a Global Affairs attribute, you can petition for it to be accepted by filling out the Course Exception form. There are strictly no substitutes for Applied Quantitative Analysis II (GLBL 2122) or for the “Challenges in Global Affairs” integrated core course (GLBL 3101).

Overlapping courses

Students completing more than one academic program (e.g. double majoring) may overlap two courses in those programs. In rare cases and with approval by the DUS, students will be permitted to overlap a third course but must fulfill that additional credit with a global affairs elective (or other specifically approved substitute).

Academic Advising

Current and prospective majors may schedule appointments with the assistant dean for undergraduate education, Professor Bonnie Weir.