Erasmus Mundus to UNDP Policy Analyst
Hey everyone,
I’m looking for some career advice and insights from those who have successfully navigated the path to the UN, particularly into policy roles.
I am an incoming, fully funded Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s student in a program focusing on the European Union in the first place and covers courses such as (EU Economics / EU Policies / International relations / some quant courses) delivered across 4 universities, including Charles University and Leiden University.
My long-teem goal is to become a Policy Analyst within the UN system, ideally with UNDP. My core areas of interest are international development and climate policy. But I am not sure if this master program the best for my goal my other options are either apply for a master’s degree more aligned (such as economics development) in a local uni in my country ranked within top 400(I am not an EU citizen) or reapply again next for scholarships and reject the offer I have.
My main questions:
For those familiar with UN hiring practices, does a European-centric governance and politics degree carry strong weight for UN roles?
If the program is aligned, then what types of internships should I prioritize during my two-year program to make my profile competitive for UNDP or UN Volunteers (UNV) roles later on? Should I target regional UN offices, think tanks, or international NGOs?
Beyond keeping a high GPA, what specific skills (e.g., data analysis, language proficiencies, specific field volunteering) or extracurriculars should I focus on building during my studies to stand out?