The Fletcher School was created at the bequest of Dr. Austin Barclay Fletcher, a member of Tufts’ Class of 1876, who donated $1 million towards the establishment and maintenance of a school of law and diplomacy at Tufts. In the fall of 1933, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy opened its doors to the 21 members of its inaugural class. When it did so, in the midst of the Great Depression and with the collaboration of Harvard University, The Fletcher School became the first graduate-only school of international affairs in the United States.
A Fletcher education is designed to be as flexible as it is rigorous. A variety of degree programs allow students to tailor their Fletcher education to meet a specific international interest or career goal. Fletcher courses are available to all students regardless of the degree program. Students also have a number of cross-registration options at the graduate schools of Tufts and Harvard universities. Regardless of the program, all students are required to pass written and oral comprehension exams in a language other than their native tongue. The master's degrees require the completion of a substantial thesis. Ph.D. candidates must write and defend a dissertation.
Fletcher's courses are organized into three divisions: International Law and Organizations; Diplomacy, History, and Politics; and Economics and International Business. Course work from across the three divisions ensures a broad and interdisciplinary course of study. Students build knowledge and competency in a particular area through fields of study, specialized tracks, certificates and joint-degree programs.
When The Fletcher School opened in 1933, in the midst of the Great Depression, it was an act of hope in a time of despair and a boost to internationalism in a time of isolationism.
Today, as the oldest exclusively graduate school of international affairs in the United States, they continue to meet the demands of a world in which the only constant is change.
The primary aim of The Fletcher School is the same as it was when conceived by its founders: to offer a broad program of professional education in international relations to a select group of graduate students committed to maintaining the stability and prosperity of a complex, challenging and increasingly global society.
MISSION
- To educate professionals from around the world and to prepare them for positions of leadership and influence in the national and international arenas;
- To increase understanding of international problems and concerns through teaching, research and publications;
- To serve local, national and international communities in their search to develop relationships of mutual benefit, security and justice in an increasingly interdependent world.
Alumni, students, faculty and friends continue to invest their time and money, ideas and hard work to ensure that The Fletcher School remains true to this mission.
