The world is a dynamic, interconnected ecosystem. Global processes affect local realities, and local encounters shape global transformations.

At Glocal, we believe in the power of communities. Communities have the capacity to assist people in dealing with challenges, uncertainty, and unexpected changes in their lives.

Glocal teaches international development, with a strong community focus. In our 18-month graduate program, you will learn to translate academic research into a practical understanding of community development which will be conducive to empowering communities in need across the globe. Inspired by a global perspective, Glocal offers its students theoretical knowledge together with practical local solutions. Upon graduation, Glocal students are equipped with cutting-edge theories and expertise whilst comprehending and engaging with the complex challenges facing marginalized communities on the ground.

Glocal’s unique approach builds on a strong academic 14-month curriculum drawing on a variety of social science disciplines, followed by a practical 4-month internship spent in international organizations working with local communities across the world. There, students will build on their newly gained skills and knowledge and expand on them by learning from the community. Every year Glocal students successfully support innovative and practical programs helping local communities around the world which support their economic independence, community cohesion and strength, sustainable management of natural resources and much more.

Established in 2010, the Glocal program is part of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the Hebrew University. Placed in one of the world’s 100 leading faculties of social sciences, the program is taught in English and offers diverse courses ranging from global and public health, geography and environmental management to business administration, entrepreneurship and social innovation and gender. Based in Jerusalem, we learn of the local complexity and cultural diversity of the city, drawing global lessons from local solutions and practices.

Each cohort consists of 25-30 students, coming from all around the world. Employing interactive teaching methods, students learn both from highly acclaimed academics but also from their fellow students on development practices and experiences around the world. With the generous help of Glocal supporters, some of the students from less advantaged socio-economic background from the Global South can be supported. It’s a two-way street: Glocal assists in the advancement of young and promising candidates capable of becoming agents of change in their own communities. By the same token, these students in the course of their studies at the Hebrew University enrich and deepen the learning process of their peers, creating a rich, diverse and engaged learning community of future leaders based in the multicultural setting of Mt. Scopus.

Interested students are welcome to specialise in the field of gender and development through a unique specialization track. Additionally, a select number of excellent students each year undertake the Glocal research track, and write an MA thesis in the field of international community development, thus contributing to the advancement of knowledge and theoretical research in this field.