Where will you study today?

Franklin University Switzerland offers an education that goes beyond boundaries. It is a school where nationalities and cultural perspectives meet and create unique experiences. It is a learning method that incorporates travel and interdisciplinary study into the core of the curriculum.

About Franklin

Meet the challenge.

Franklin University Switzerland students come from all over the planet to have an immersive, international learning experience. Choose the kind of education that will open your mind, widen your perspective and give you the tools to excel in your career path.

Admission to Franklin

Explore boundaries and go beyond.

Whether you seek a bachelor’s or a master’s degree, at Franklin you gain a new perspective and a better understanding of other cultures. Recent events, from 9/11 to the Syrian crisis to Brexit, make international education programs more essential than ever. Franklin has emphasized thinking internationally since it was founded nearly 50 years ago. Our international study programs provide cross-cultural perspectives and affect the direction and meaning of your university experience, life and career.

Academics at Franklin

Leap into new perspectives.

Studying is at the forefront of attending Franklin, but student life including the variety of activities, events, trips, and programs enrich the entire experience. As a citizen of the Franklin community, you become a member of an international culture that has its own traditions, events and characteristics, but that has no borders and no limits.

Life at Franklin

See what we're up to.

Franklin students, faculty and staff are active and involved in many academic and social initiatives. Our calendar is full of events organized by faculty and students for learning and interaction that go beyond the classroom environment. Take a few minutes to read our stories and find out how our students and faculty are succeeding in their endeavors all over the world.

Franklin News and Events

Take advantage of resources.

Franklin offers a wide range of services for students, faculty, staff and friends to support life, work and learning on campus. Making use of these assets can help to achieve success both in and out of the classroom.

Campus Services

International Relations and Political Science

Welcome to the Department of International Relations and Political Science at Franklin University Switzerland.

Our department provides an interdisciplinary approach to the study of International Relations and Political Science. We seek to combine research and teaching in a Humboldtian fashion to give our students a skill set to assess the complexities of global relations independently, analytically and critically. As such, our programs are rigorous and demanding, and enable students to manage complex projects and independent research by the end of their studies. Actively preparing students for their upcoming academic or professional path lies at the heart of our mission. We take pride in the advising and support we provide for our students and alumni.

Our teaching and research build upon theoretical, quantitative and qualitative analyses to assess contemporary political issues. We draw on sociology, history and economics, and encourage our students to use diverse tools originating in those disciplines.

The interdisciplinary study of politics is becoming increasingly important in a complex, globalized and interdependent world. Our programs also look at the role of stakeholders in real world processes. The abundance of influential IOs, INGOs and multinational corporations in Switzerland provides us with a wonderful location to gain practical experience.

Faculty

  • Armando Zanecchia

  • Bernd Bucher

  • Morris Mottale

  • Roberto Cordon

Research and Initiatives

Bernd Bucher Publishes in the European Journal of International Relations

Assistant Professor of Political Science at Franklin, Bernd Bucher, and Ursula Jasper, Senior Researcher at the Center for Security Studies at the ETH Zürich, have recently published “Revisiting ‘Identity’ in International Relations: From Identity as Substance to Identifications in Action” in the highly prestigious European Journal of International Relations.

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Publication Highlights

Bucher, Bernd and Ursula Jasper (2016) ‘Revisiting ‘identity’ in International Relations: From identity as substance to identifications in action. European Journal of International Relations. doi:10.1177/1354066116644035.

Cordon, R and Herden, T., "The Evolving Nature of Multinational Diplomacy", Diplomatist Annual Edition 2016.

Bucher, Bernd, Martin Koch and Jochen Walter (2015) UN-Simulationen in der politikwissenschaftlichen Hochschullehre (Using UN Security Council simulations in teaching introductory courses to IR). Zeitschrift für Didaktik der Gesellschaftswissenschaften. 6(2): 136-149.

Majors and Minors

International Relations

The major in International Relations is designed for students who wish to deepen their knowledge and understanding of this multi-disciplinary field. Students receive a solid foundation for a variety of careers in areas such as diplomatic and government service, international organizations, international business, journalism, law and banking. Many graduates have also chosen to pursue graduate study in related areas. In this major students take core courses in political science, economics and history and undertake interdisciplinary work in areas such as languages, cultural studies or communications. The major aims to provide students with the instruments and techniques to analyze complex phenomena in the era of globalization.

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International Relations with an Emphasis in Political Economy

This major is designed for students interested in the broad field of international relations but who wish to have a stronger focus on issues of political economy, that have become critical in today’s globalized world. The interdisciplinary electives also encourage students to explore related fields such as business, where politico-economic issues play an important role. The IR-PE major provides a solid foundation for a variety of careers and graduate study in areas such as diplomatic service, international organizations, international business, journalism, law and banking. The discipline of political economy is increasingly becoming a fundamental component of graduate business and management programs.

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Political Science

Political Science is one of the oldest intellectual and academic disciplines. From Aristotle and Plato, to Machiavelli and Aquinas, to modern analysts and statesmen, political scientists have been concerned with issues of power, governance, public policy, social behavior and interactions among nation-states, among many others. Courses required for this major include all major sub-disciplines of this field: Political Theory, Comparative Politics, International Relations, Political Economy, as well as Research Methodologies. The interdisciplinary electives encourage students to look at political issues from the perspective of other disciplines. Compared to the more applied major in International Relations, the major in Political Science is more humanistic and disciplinary. This major provides an excellent preparation for graduate study and careers in fields such as law, journalism, consulting, development assistance, or education.

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Minors