Keough School of Global Affairs

What Keough School of Global Affairs does

The Keough School of Global Affairs is the University of Notre Dame's first new college or school in nearly a century, founded in 2014 to pursue an interdisciplinary agenda organized around the framework of integral human development. The school serves undergraduate students, master's and doctoral candidates, faculty researchers, policy practitioners, and external partner organizations across the public, intergovernmental, NGO, and corporate sectors.

The school's educational portfolio spans an undergraduate major in Global Affairs, a two-year Master of Global Affairs (MGA) professional degree, and Ph.D. programs in International Peace Studies and Sustainable Development (the latter STEM-designated), with comprehensive five-year funding guarantees across all doctoral offerings. Research and policy work are organized through nine institutes and centers — including the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, Pulte Institute for Global Development, Kellogg Institute for International Studies, Nanovic Institute for European Studies, and the McKenna Center for Human Development and Global Business — alongside the Integration Lab (i-Lab), which provides year-long student research engagements with global partner organizations.

Revenue mechanics rely on a mix of tuition from professional and graduate programs, externally funded research, and philanthropic support, anchored by the Pulte endowment. Distribution includes a Washington Office that extends the school into federal policy engagement and supports partnerships with entities such as the U.S. State Department, the Organization of American States, National League of Cities, the United Nations, Mercy Corps, Catholic Relief Services, Coca-Cola, Vanderbilt University, and faith-based collaborators including the Vatican on global sustainability.

Name

Keough School of Global Affairs

Legal name

Keough School of Global Affairs

Website

https://keough.nd.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Keough School of Global Affairs is the University of Notre Dame's interdisciplinary college advancing integral human development through undergraduate, master's, and doctoral programs, organized through nine research institutes and serving students, scholars, and global policy partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

International & Global Research Universities (Multi-Campus/International Footprint) (EDAHABAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Intergovernmental Education Cooperation & Bilateral/Multilateral Programs (EDADALAA), International & Comparative Education Policy Organizations (EDADADAL)

Keywords

• Higher education programs
• International peace studies
• Global affairs research
• Sustainable development
• Policy analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Notre Dame

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Educational Programs: Revenue from undergraduate and graduate degree programs including the Master of Global Affairs and doctoral programs. The school provides comprehensive funding packages for doctoral students including stipends, tuition scholarships, and health insurance subsidies.
2. Research Grants and Contracts: Funding from grants and contracts supporting faculty research activities across peace studies, sustainable development, and global affairs. Includes Global Policy Impact Grants ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 per semester for policy-relevant research.
3. Philanthropic Support: Donor support through partnerships with foundations and private philanthropists, including the Pulte Institute for Global Development which was established through William J. Pulte's leadership. Ray Offenheiser has cultivated critical partnerships with companies, federal agencies, foundations, and private philanthropists.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Keough School of Global Affairs is an academic unit within the University of Notre Dame offering a Bachelor of Arts in Global Affairs, a Master of Global Affairs (MGA) professional degree, and doctoral programs in International Peace Studies and Sustainable Development. It combines interdisciplinary teaching with applied research and policy engagement guided by an "integral human development" framework.

Product overview

The Keough School of Global Affairs is an academic institution within the University of Notre Dame offering a comprehensive suite of educational programs and research initiatives. The portfolio includes undergraduate (Global Affairs Major) and graduate programs (Master of Global Affairs with Integration Lab experiential component, and Ph.D. programs in International Peace Studies and Sustainable Development). Research is conducted through faculty expertise across four key thematic areas: democracy and human rights, peacebuilding, poverty/inequality/marginalization, and sustainability and environmental justice. The school also maintains a Washington, D.C. office for policy engagement and connects with nine institutes and centers across the university for interdisciplinary research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies: Institute focused on peace studies research and education
• Pulte Institute for Global Development
• Kellogg Institute for International Studies
• Nanovic Institute for European Studies
• McKenna Center for Human Development and Global Business
• Keough School Washington Office
• Integration Lab (i-Lab)

Products and services

• Bachelor of Arts in Global Affairs

Quantifiable outcome

• Faculty research addresses key global issues in 70 countries with over 50% focused on the Global South
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Vanderbilt UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint partnership for Democracy in the Americas 2026 conference with Vanderbilt University's Center for Global Democracy to preview the 2026 AmericasBarometer regional findings and policy-focused discussions on democratic trends across the Americas.
• The VaticancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal sustainability partnership led by Notre Dame and the Vatican applying Catholic principles to address climate change and ecological threats, with faculty members Arun Agrawal and Rev. Daniel Groody, C.S.C. participating.
• Mercy CorpscoreStrategic or Co-development Partneri-Lab project examining how evidence best influences peace and governance-related policy and funding across contexts. Student team research partnership for 2022-2023 academic year.
• Fund For PeacecoreStrategic or Co-development Partneri-Lab project on leveraging State Resilience Index to achieve better outcomes in improving peace and stability outcomes and advancing foreign direct investment.
• International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partneri-Lab project examining how IFPRI's work in Bangladesh under PRSSP impacted policymaking, program design, and lives of vulnerable stakeholders.
• National League of CitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-year partnership where MGA student teams research city innovation, interviewing officials from cities in North America and Europe. Report published by NLC.
• Edinburgh Napier UniversitysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudent team headquarters during field research in Edinburgh, Scotland to work with smart cities experts and refine qualitative data analysis skills.
• Catholic Relief ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing i-Lab partner for research projects including work on poverty mitigation toolkit, refugee research in Uganda and Myanmar (engaging 350+ refugees), and agricultural livelihoods in Nigeria.
• United Methodist Church Global MinistriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCurrent i-Lab partner organization for addressing global challenges through student research teams.
• U.S. Department of StatecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCurrent i-Lab partner where students conduct research supporting State's global conflict prevention work, with Maura Policelli from Washington Office overseeing engagement.
• Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCurrent i-Lab partner organization for student research on global challenges.
• Habitat for HumanitysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPast i-Lab partner organization for student research projects.
• OxfamsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPast i-Lab partner organization for student research projects.
• United States Conference of Catholic BishopssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPast i-Lab partner organization for student research projects.
• Enseña ChilesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPast i-Lab partner organization for student research projects.
• Sant'EgidiosupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational Catholic community in Rome where MGA graduate Elizabeth Boyle worked on shuttle diplomacy for South Sudan peace efforts, meeting with Sudanese officials and opposition groups.
• Coca-ColasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership bringing poverty alleviation efforts to FIFA World Cup 2026 host cities as announced June 9, 2026.
• Notre DamecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew partnership announced June 25, 2026 to support Afghan women's access to higher education.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sciences Po: Sciences Po's Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA) offers master's and doctoral programs in global affairs with multi-campus and international partnerships — a direct international peer for global affairs training and policy research.
• Johns Hopkins SAIS: SAIS is a leading school of global affairs with master's and doctoral programs, area studies institutes, and Bologna/Europe campuses — a direct competitor for global affairs graduate applicants and policy talent.
• Georgetown University School of Foreign Service: Georgetown's SFS is the prototypical U.S. global affairs professional school, offering master's programs, policy institutes, and a Washington D.C. policy footprint that closely mirrors Keough's positioning.
• Princeton School of Public and International Affairs: Princeton SPIA offers MPA and Ph.D. programs focused on international affairs, development, and security with strong policy placement — a peer in graduate-level global affairs education and research.
• Tufts Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy: Fletcher is a dedicated graduate-only school combining international affairs, law, and diplomacy with practitioner-focused programs — closely comparable to Keough's MGA and policy-practice emphasis.
• George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs: Located in Washington D.C., Elliott School combines global affairs graduate programs, area studies institutes, and proximity to federal agencies — directly comparable to Keough's MGA and Washington Office strategy.
• University of Denver Josef Korbel School of Global Studies: Korbel is a global affairs school offering master's and doctoral programs with an explicit human-rights and international-development orientation similar to Keough's integral human development framing.

Broad incumbents

• Columbia SIPA: SIPA combines international affairs with broader public administration and economics programs, drawing overlapping applicants and serving similar policy and development career pathways as Keough.
• Harvard Kennedy School: HKS is a broader public-policy school with strong international affairs and development offerings; while larger and more diversified than Keough, it competes for the same policy-practitioner applicant pool.

Emerging players

• SOAS University of London: SOAS specializes in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East with development and international studies programs; its Global South focus and interdisciplinary research overlap with Keough's faculty footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/KeoughGlobalND
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCMB6UhujDA9WydVbwq3NCOQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/KeoughSchool
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/keoughschool
• Instagraminstagram.com/keoughglobalnd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Keough School of Global Affairs