Students who study international affairs develop understanding about contemporary global issues as well as in-depth knowledge of a chosen region or policy issue. Programs may focus on the diplomacy, culture and economics of a particular country or in a general sense.

Switzerland (German: Schweiz, French: Suisse, Italian: Svizzera, Romansch: Svizra. Switzerland has some of the world renown universites like ETH in Zurich, EPFL in Lausanne, IHEID in Geneva, University of Lausanne or the University of St. Gallen. Keep in mind, it's much better to speak the local language, so if you can't speak either French, German or Italian, better go for a language course first.

Requirements for the PhD program often involve the student having already obtained a Master’s degree. Additionally, a thesis or dissertation primarily consisting of original academic research must be submitted. In some countries, this work may even need to be defended in front of a panel.