Foreign Area Officers

Why is George Mason the right fit for Foreign Area Officers?

  • 30 credits, no thesis, all GLOA core courses offered in the evenings at 4:30pm or 7:20pm
  • Focus on your region of interest 
  • Low-cost tuition (active duty qualify for in-state tuition rates)
  • Enter in Fall or Spring semester, complete in 12 months
  • Defer admission with no additional fees

Program Information

The Master of Arts in Global Affairs offers a rigorous curriculum of 30 multidisciplinary credits that prepare graduates for careers in governance, diplomacy, security, and development. Students complete a core curriculum focusing on the complex processes of globalization and select an area for further specialization, depending on individual interests and professional goals.

In their specialization, foreign area officers complete coursework focusing on their regional concentration of either Africa, Asia, Eurasia, Europe, Latin America, or Middle East and North Africa while also taking advantage of Mason’s wide variety of offerings in government, public policy, biodefense, conflict resolution, economics, sociology, anthropology, religious studies, history, geography, and more.

Meet a Foreign Area Officer Alumni, Henry Hama 

officer I’m a U.S. Army Sub Saharan Africa foreign area officer currently assigned to U.S. Embassy Djibouti as Chief, Office of Security Cooperation (OSC Chief). I graduated from GMU in 2015 with an MA in Global Affairs (Conflict & Security). As an OSC Chief, my responsibilities include executing US defense policy objectives through planning, coordinating and managing security cooperation for the Republic of Djibouti; advising the US Ambassador, US Africa Commander and the Senior Defense Official on security cooperation and military engagements in Djibouti. I also implement all Title 22, Department of State Security Assistance activities to include IMET, FMF, ACOTA, GPOI, TSCTP, PREACT, AMEP, AMS, GSCF and PKO programs that support Defense Institution Building, peacekeeping deployments and the professionalization and development of the Djiboutian military. Additionally, I develop and execute all Title 10, Department of Defense Security Cooperation activities such as 1203/6/7/8, 2282, CTPF, and other military training and familiarization events, including over $40 million in counterterrorism programs. I interact daily with interagency partners and senior Djiboutian military officers to advance USG policy priorities. I supervise and work with one US Airforce Non-Commissioned Officer and three locally employed staff members in a joint, interagency office.