Meet Josef Korbel
The school is named after its founder and first dean, a renowned scholar and diplomat.
Who is Josef Korbel?
In July 2025, the school changed its name to reflect a broader, more integrated approach to global affairs and public policy.
What is the Josef Korbel School of Global and Public Affairs?
Korbel’s two undergraduate majors.
What are International Studies (INTS) and Public Policy (PPOL)?
DU runs on this academic calendar, with fall, winter and spring terms of about 10 weeks each.
What is the quarter system?
True or False: Korbel has a 4+1 option, which lets DU students from any major start their master’s in their final undergrad year.
Born in Prague, this daughter of Josef Korbel became known for her advocacy for democracy, human rights and international cooperation, and served as the 64th U.S. Secretary of State.
Who is Madeline Albright?
This is the number of undergraduates at DU.
What is around 6,000 undergraduate students?
A Korbel degree in INTS or PPOL is this many credits.
Required for International Studies majors but not for Public Policy majors, this experience usually happens in the fall of junior year.
What is study abroad?
True or false: most DU undergrads study abroad.
What is true, about 70%.
She earned her Ph.D. in political science at Korbel, where she studied under Josef Korbel himself.
Who is Condoleezza Rice?
The three most popular study abroad destinations for Korbel students.
What are Spain, France and the United Kingdom?
This is the name of the building where majority of Korbel undergraduate and graduate classes are held.
What is the SIE International Relations Complex?
True or False: There are 7 of research centers and institutes at Korbel.
True; 7
Sié Chéou-Kang Center for International Security and Diplomacy
Scrivner Institute of Public Policy
Frederick S. Pardee Institute for International Futures
Center for China-U.S. Cooperation
Africa Center
Center for Middle East Studies
Latin America Center
True or false: every Korbel undergrad must study abroad.
What is false? It’s required for International Studies majors, but not for Public Policy majors.
Before coming to the U.S., Josef Korbel served as an ambassador for this country.
Where is Czechoslovakia?
Not everyone at Korbel wants to be a diplomat! Name three other career paths Korbel grads pursue.
What are policy analysis, international development, intelligence and security, humanitarian and NGO work, and global business or consulting?
There are ____ (#) of MA programs at Korbel.
6
This is Korbel's current visiting professor.
Who is Carol Spahn, former Director of the Peace Corps.
True or false: most Korbel undergrads go straight to grad school.
What is false? It’s about a 50/50 split between grad school and full-time employment.
Korbel’s undergraduate International Studies degree is ranked _____th by Foreign Policy.
What is 20th?
A visiting family asks, “Where do Korbel students work after they graduate?” Name four employers you could mention.
What are the White House, U.S. Northern Command, the CIA, the FBI, the Department of Defense, KPMG, NATO, Deloitte and nonprofits?
This is Korbel’s average student-to-faculty ratio.
What is 15:1?
Don’t see a specialization that fits? International Studies and Public Policy majors can do this instead, with advisor approval.
What is build their own custom specialization?
Korbel ranks #2 in the nation for this prestigious graduate award for studying critical languages abroad, tied with Johns Hopkins SAIS.
What is the Boren Fellowship? (government-funded award that pays graduate students to study a critical language abroad in exchange for working in a national-security-related federal job afterward.)