Prepare to Thrive in a Global Market
Understand how the changing global economy, international politics, and shifting security alliances affect business and policy risk while developing expertise on a world region of your choice.
Gain the quantitative and qualitative skills needed to holistically understand risk.
Join our global network of Johns Hopkins University alumni that's more than a quarter million strong.
Johns Hopkins is ranked as the #13 best global university, #6 for best national university and #2 for best school for international relations master’s programs by Foreign Policy Magazine.
Earn your master’s part-time. No GMAT/GRE required for admission.
Months
Part-time
Courses
Online
GRE/GMAT
Required
Start Date
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To learn more about the MA in Global Risk (online) and download a brochure, fill out the fields below, or call +1 443-565-4632 to talk with one of our enrollment specialists.
"From the rise of populism and a mercantilist trade policy, to the fight against climate change, the growing geopolitical rivalry between China and the United States, a deadly pandemic, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and renewed conflict in the Middle East, the world has become a much more uncertain place to do business or conduct public policy.
Our MA in Global Risk (online) helps you acquire critical knowledge in economics and politics to understand these shifts, gives you cutting-edge quantitative and qualitative method skills to respond to these challenges, and enables you to build a professional network that will enhance your career in international affairs."
The MA in Global Risk (online) from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies is a highly targeted degree program that harnesses renowned international expertise so that students can build a deep understanding of geopolitical and economic risks.
Students in this program will become exceptionally skilled in navigating the nuances of risk analysis, risk mitigation, and strategic decision-making. This positions graduates to make informed recommendations and play a leadership role in a range of sectors, from multinational corporations to global NGOs and government agencies.
A Rigorous and Relevant Program
Our learning approach is thorough, but does not sacrifice practicality. The MA in Global Risk (online) is designed to prepare students for the fast-paced, rapidly changing world of global risk. They get an extensive overview of international relations and economics while also developing expertise in a specific world region of their choice. This global-regional focus is a unique approach found only at Johns Hopkins SAIS.
The global risk curriculum alternates between courses focused on quantitative analysis and courses that build qualitative skills, with all coursework increasing critical thinking skills as well as strategic planning knowledge.
The program starts with a rigorous mathematics and statistics course that establishes a solid base for students to succeed in subsequent courses. They have the essential knowledge they need to analyze data, estimate risks, assess markets, and make informed projections throughout the curriculum.
Make Global Connections With a Cohort Structure and In-Person Residencies
The MA in Global Risk (online) program is intentionally cohort-based to encourage a strong sense of community, where students benefit from the varied experiences and insights of their peers from around the world.
The program also includes two required in-person residencies at the Johns Hopkins SAIS campus in Washington, DC. These experiences allow students to build their professional skills and networks before they graduate, with independent work, group work, seminars and guest speakers. In addition, students get to socialize with their classmates, connect with expert faculty in person and participate in rich experiential learning opportunities.
Visit our residency page for more information or call at +1 443-565-4632 with any questions about these experiences.
In addition to the online program, SAIS Europe provides an in-person, one-year MA in Global Risk located in Bologna, Italy. Students attending this program have the opportunity to participate in research organized by the Bologna Institute for Policy Research (BIPR).
Global Risk Curriculum
The MA in Global Risk (online) is a part-time program that is completed over 21 months through a sequence of 14 courses (50 credit hours).
The curriculum has been designed to prepare graduates to better understand the greater context around risk and critically evaluate risk management strategies. The coursework covers statistics, economics, trade, finance, risk modeling, global markets, and risk in different regions of the world.
The capstone project is an important part of the overall student learning experience. In this client-focused project, students choose a region of specialization and work in small teams to complete a risk analysis project. Part of the capstone takes place during the two in-person residencies.
View the course list below, or visit the curriculum page for full course descriptions.
- Mathematics and Statistics
- Microeconomics & International Trade Theory
- Static Models for Understanding Risk
- Economics of Global Markets
- Quantitative Models for Risk Assessment
- Systemic Approaches to Understanding Risk
- Risk and Crisis in the Global Economy
- Regions of the World I: Europe
- Regions of the World II: Americas
- Statistical Analysis and Financial Management
- Understanding Risk in a Complex Environment
- Regions of the World III: Asia-Pacific
- Regions of the World IV: Middle East & North Africa
- Capstone
- Capstone Residency I
- Capstone Residency II
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A Global Risk Program Designed for Your Success
The School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) has created a culture focused on supporting each other, active collaboration, and consistently mutual challenging to continuously improve. All students, both online and on-campus, have opportunities to participate and build on that culture as members of this intellectually thriving community.
The field of global risk is incredibly dynamic, often shaped by unforeseen events such as geopolitical conflicts, natural disasters, and global economic crises. To thrive in this environment, resilience and adaptability are essential. Our degree program reflects and builds these capabilities by providing an intensive, challenging course of study.
While the program demands commitment and effort, graduation is very achievable, even for students working full-time jobs. Students can expect to spend around 15 to 20 hours per week on coursework, which can be completed on a flexible, mostly asynchronous schedule.
Our students are sharp, insightful, and highly capable, and we do everything we can to help them succeed. If our approach to global risk education sounds exciting to you, download our program brochure and consider joining our next cohort.
Admission Requirements
The Johns Hopkins University MA in Global Risk (online) is open to applicants from a wide variety of backgrounds. We take a holistic approach to reviewing candidates, and, as a result, there is no minimum GPA or GRE/GMAT requirement for admission to the program.
Visit the admissions page$70.5 billion
Total projected value of the risk management market in 2026
Global Risk Analytics Careers and Industry Outlook
While risk analysis and management has been a formal discipline for decades, the complexity and ways that organizations must deal with it have evolved considerably.
One key factor in modern risk is the rise of emerging threats, which describe risk that stems from unexpected events like natural disasters and geopolitical conflicts. According to research firm Marsh & McLennan Insights, this is an area of increasing importance for risk management professionals.
Furthermore, while risk is an increasingly global and interconnected discipline, there are no established processes for global governance and collaboration. As these challenges rise across all industries, there will be opportunities for risk management leaders to help address them, lead organizational change and establish best practices that pave the way for a better world.
Visit the global risk careers page
The continuous collaboration between professors and students has been so amazing. The professors are all working professionals, and their knowledge has allowed me to develop quantitative analysis skills in global economics, macroeconomics, and statistics.
The program is wonderful as far as flexibility and being able to attend classes from all areas of the world. There are many people in the program that live in different countries, including Bulgaria, Germany, Japan, and South Africa. It is definitely a global cohort.
The mentorship component of the program is amazing and affords lots of opportunities, especially in terms of making connections with people on LinkedIn and opening up different avenues that otherwise would not be available.
If you ask me what my favorite courses are, I’d have to say all of them! I especially found the economics courses to be critical. I added the tools I needed to be able to fully engage with complex questions and follow in-depth lines of reasoning, skills that are integral to navigating global economic issues.
Additionally, I appreciated that the courses are tied to current events. For instance, I was in the Microeconomics and International Trade Theory course during the Silicon Valley Bank implosion, so as a class we were able to follow the reporting and the implications of what was happening and have some very good conversations.