What to study to work for the UN system? What qualifications are required for a UN system job? What education is required for UN Jobs? What kind of jobs are in the UN system?

The “UN” is not one big employer; there are various intergovernmental organisations, regional banks and specialised agencies to the UN, funds and programmes such as UNAIDS, OECD, WFP, IAEA, UNODC, CTBTO, OPCW, UNICEF, UNDP, UNEP, IMF, the World Bank Group or FAO etc.

Having said that, there is no standard rule on what degree you need to land a job with the UN as the educational background required differs from one UN agency to the other.

The most common academic requirements are a bachelor’s degree or an advanced university degree (Master’s or PhD). 

Given the broad range of themes the UN System works with on a daily basis as well as the different staff categories such as professional, general or fieldwork, the UN agencies naturally need to carry out numerous administrative support activities for which applicants from all academic areas are needed. In addition, we’ve listed below some examples of the main academic fields and profiles that work for the UN system:

·      International Development

·      International Law

·      International Affairs

·      Public Administration

·      Business Administration

·      Economics

·      PR and Journalism

·      Marketing

·      Finance

·      Accounting

·      IT and Computing

·      Languages/Translation

·      Agriculture

·      Health

·      Medicine

·      Chemistry

·      Physics

Finding the ‘right’ UN system organisation that matches your profile, eduction, skills and competencies, can lead to a fulfilling career where you get the chance to leave an important impact on the world. It means working with people from all over the world, getting to know different cultures and strengthening your multicultural team working skills while working on a good cause for human mankind and our planet.

UCC aims to share insights and advice to increase your chances of an international career and to address the lack of knowledge about how and where to apply for the various UN system organizations; UCC offers FREE blog articles, webinars and other services to enable you to access information about the different application, recruitment and selection processes as well as to help you get your UN system related questions answered.

‪UCC enables opportunities to network and connect with current and former UN staff and shares advice from those that have applied, interviewed and secured UN system roles.

https://unitedcareercoalition.org/how-to-work-in-the-un