Global Issues in Law

by Joe Aguilar

Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) work together with governments and the United Nations on a wide range of topics. The UN’s agenda of global issues contains over 45 items from AIDS to Youth, with NGOs working to bring about positive changes for each item. A master’s degree in law with an emphasis in global issues can help prepare you to work in the international legal community.

NGOs can have important international impacts. For example there is an NGO Working Group on the UN Security Council, one of the most powerful international bodies in the world. Working Group members have close contact with Security Council members and they often consult with the UN on policy questions.

With so many varied international issues that need work today, you may have a hard time choosing what’s most important to you. Nuclear weapons? Humanitarian and disaster relief? Intellectual property? Removal of land mines? These are just a few of the areas where NGOs are working.

A Master’s Degree Instead of a Juris Doctor

The traditional pathway to legal expertise has been through a Juris Doctor (JD) degree. JD programs have fierce competition for admission, they’re expensive and time consuming, and they often don’t provide the same international focus as a master’s degree with an emphasis in international law. With an online master’s degree program you can pursue your studies anywhere you can connect to the Internet and you can continue working instead of going deep into debt as a full time student. In terms of choosing an online college, you have greater variety with a master's in law compared to a JD degree.

The world is waiting for you, so check out your options with an online master’s degree in law that emphasizes global issues!