"What we are after is bright young people with promise of leadership."

–C. Grove Haines
Bologna Center founder

Now in its sixth decade of operation, the Johns Hopkins University SAIS Bologna Center was founded as the European component of SAIS in Washington, D.C., and has since become one of the top American graduate schools for international relations in Europe.

The Center offers a unique educational environment in which students can receive either a master's degree with a second year at SAIS in Washington, D.C., a mid-career master's degree, a two-year research oriented degree, or a one-year certificate. Joint degrees with other institutions are also available. SAIS and the Bologna Center are consistently ranked among the top master’s degree programs in international relations.

In 1955 a small group of scholars led by C. Grove Haines, an American professor of diplomatic history, founded the SAIS Bologna Center. Home to the oldest university in Europe, the city of Bologna has a long tradition of education, cultural heritage, and political vitality that makes it an attractive location for SAIS’ European branch. The SAIS Bologna Center currently operates in recently renovated facilities next to the University of Bologna in the heart of the historical university district.

Equipped with a strong background in economics and analytical skills, languages and proven international experience, Bologna Center graduates are able to apply theory to real-world problems, making them valued contributors in any field that involves international relations. Today’s graduates can be found in prominent positions around the globe, including foreign ministries and other government agencies, international organizations, multinational corporations, banks and other financial institutions, non-profit organizations, the media, research centers and universities.

One of the distinguishing characteristics of the SAIS Bologna Center is its resident faculty complemented by nearly 40 visiting and adjunct professors drawn from leading universities, institutes, think tanks, international NGOs, consulting firms and financial institutions in Europe and beyond.

SAIS Bologna Center resident faculty maintains continuity, assures curriculum quality, and coordinates with SAIS Washington. Students benefit from the core faculty’s extensive experience as advisers in international affairs, economics and regional studies. In a typical year, students can choose from more than 60 course offerings.

The relatively small size of the student body—numbering just under 200—and the extraordinarily broad international diversity—with over 35 countries represented each year—help students to develop the ability to communicate across national borders and cultures, while fostering a sense of closeness and collaboration among the nations of the world. Today the SAIS Bologna Center has more than 6,000 alumni representing more than 100 nationalities.