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Foreign Service Officer

What To Learn

High School

What high school courses should you take if you're interested in this career? Get your answers from the Government and Public Administration cluster Foreign Service pathway.

Insider Info

Additional Information

The U.S. does not require that foreign service officers have a degree, but most applicants do have one, and many have a master's degree or even a PhD.

"There's a huge variety in the degrees represented in the foreign service, both in the specialists and the generalists," says Sara Rosenberry. She's a senior foreign service officer.

"We have people who are still college students and those who are doing it as a second career," says Rosenberry.

Business, history and political science are just a few of the majors that would be helpful in this career.

"A good, broad liberal arts education is probably one of the best academic tools to come into it with because you're dealing with different countries and cultures and you have to understand them," says Thomas Switzer with the American Foreign Service Association.

"If they've studied a certain part of the world that can be advantageous if they want to serve in that part of the world. "In general terms, for success in the service a person should have a reasonably capable international affairs education and background," Switzer adds. "Does that mean they must study Subject X? No -- they come from all backgrounds."

Foreign service applicants must undergo extensive background checks. They must also pass a written exam that measures their knowledge in a variety of areas important to this field -- history, geography, world politics, economics and more.

Candidates are presented with hypothetical situations and must explain how they would handle them. This tests judgment and decision-making ability. Foreign language skills are very highly valued.

"They get extra points if they have language skills, especially in areas that are critically important to us now, such as Arabic, Chinese, Pashto, Dari," says Rosenberry.

The main training institution for U.S. foreign affairs personnel is the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) in Arlington, Virginia. The FSI offers more than 450 courses, including training in about 70 foreign languages.

Contact

  • Email Support
  • 1-800-GO-TO-XAP (1-800-468-6927)
    From outside the U.S., please call +1 (424) 750-3900
  • North Dakota Career Resource Network
    ndcrn@nd.gov | (701) 328-9733

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