Master of Arts in International Relations

Choose Your Online MAIR Concentration

Select a concentration that fits your career and professional goals.

International Security

Focus on the protection of nations on an international level through foreign policies and world politics. To pursue studies in international security, you will complete the following courses.

• World Politics – International Relations

  IR510 6 credit hours

  This course lays a foundation for all future studies of international relations and world politics. It explores the dominant theories of international relations, and main trends in world politics. The course addresses seminal changes and developments in modern international politics, especially since the end of the Cold War. It reviews all main theoretical assumptions and world views in the study of international relations. The course also surveys the evolution of the discipline, and its various areas of study.

• American Foreign Policy

  IR520 6 credit hours

  The American Foreign Policy seminar will encompass the period from 1898 to the present and will review the most important cases in the history of the US foreign relations. It will also address the areas of foreign policy decision making, and theories and methods in foreign policy studies.

• International Security

  IR530 6 credit hours

  This course surveys some of the major debates and topics in international security. It is designed to give students an understanding of the most important substantive areas in the field of international security and to connect it with academic research on security‐related issues to policy. The course will examine both traditional understandings of and approaches to international security. New actors and issues considered relevant since the end of the Cold War will be discussed. The tension between the relative importance of traditional approaches to security, interstate relations, and the relevance or impact of less immediate but important influences such as human security and climate change will also be examined.

• Elective Option for 4th Course

  Elective 6 credit hours

  Students in the concentration will choose to take one of the following electives as their fourth course in the international relations program. Courses and course descriptions are cross-listed with the Master of Arts in Diplomacy program.

  • GD540 Conflict Avoidance, Prevention and Containment in the International System
  • GD541 Diplomacy in Practice (available for the International Security concentration)
  • GD550 Conflict Resolution and Post-Conflict Reconstruction in the International System
  • GD560 Military Intervention and Conflict Management in the International System
  • GD561 Human Rights and Conflict in the International System
  • GD562 International Response to Transnational Terrorism
• Master's Research Paper I

  IR590 6 credit hours

  This research seminar provides students the opportunity to research issues, trends, theories or events in international relations of their own choice. Each student researches individualized topic and prepares a written major paper that offers a practical or theoretical perspective on interstate, regional or national security question of international importance. The students are expected to synthesize knowledge acquired in the previous seminars of the program. Students are required to exhibit in-depth critical thinking, analysis, and effective writing skills.

• Master's Research Paper II

  IR591 3 credit hours

  Students enrolled in the Master’s Research Paper (IR590) seminar will conclude their research projects. Once ready, their research project will be evaluated in written and/or oral examination. Students will make necessary changes, updates, and revisions to their final research paper, and will submit the final copy of their manuscript to the university. Prerequisite: successful completion of IR590.

National Security

Focus on the protection of nations on a national level through foreign policies and world politics. To pursue studies in national security, you will complete the following courses.

• World Politics – International Relations

  IR510 6 credit hours

  This course lays a foundation for all future studies of international relations and world politics. It explores the dominant theories of international relations, and main trends in world politics. The course addresses seminal changes and developments in modern international politics, especially since the end of the Cold War. It reviews all main theoretical assumptions and world views in the study of international relations. The course also surveys the evolution of the discipline, and its various areas of study.

• American Foreign Policy

  IR520 6 credit hours

  The American Foreign Policy seminar will encompass the period from 1898 to the present and will review the most important cases in the history of the US foreign relations. It will also address the areas of foreign policy decision making, and theories and methods in foreign policy studies.

• National Security

  IR531 6 credit hours

  The survey course in national security explores the important concepts, theories and modes of analysis that are frequently addressed in homeland security and critical infrastructure and key resources (CIKR) protection.  Real-world examples of security threats to the United States, both man-made and natural disasters, are addressed as the course material and exercises take into account the vast networks and interrelated complex systems  that form America’s critical infrastructure. This course examines various methods and instruments available to policy-makers and practitioners to avoid, manage, mitigate and resolve major security threats and events.

• Intelligence and National Security Policy

  IR541 6 credit hours

  Intelligence plays a key role in US national security. This course provides the history, structure, roles, and responsibility of the intelligence community, and the relationship between intelligence agencies and senior policy makers, including Congress and the President. It also explains intelligence as a discipline including collection and analysis as well how oversight and accountability are applied to intelligence activities. This course challenges students to evaluate and analyze the effectiveness of the intelligence community and its products against changing threats to the United States.

• Master's Research Paper I

  IR590 6 credit hours

  This research seminar provides students the opportunity to research issues, trends, theories or events in international relations of their own choice. Each student researches individualized topic and prepares a written major paper that offers a practical or theoretical perspective on interstate, regional or national security question of international importance. The students are expected to synthesize knowledge acquired in the previous seminars of the program. Students are required to exhibit in-depth critical thinking, analysis, and effective writing skills.

• Master's Research Paper II

  IR591 3 credit hours

  Students enrolled in the Master’s Research Paper (IR590) seminar will conclude their research projects. Once ready, their research project will be evaluated in written and/or oral examination. Students will make necessary changes, updates, and revisions to their final research paper, and will submit the final copy of their manuscript to the university. Prerequisite: successful completion of IR590.

International Development

Study global economic systems, human rights, globalization, and how each relates to a nation’s development. To pursue studies in international development, you will complete the following courses.

Courses are cross-listed with the Master of Arts in Diplomacy and the Master of Public Administration program.

• World Politics – International Relations

  IR510 6 credit hours

  This course lays a foundation for all future studies of international relations and world politics. It explores the dominant theories of international relations, and main trends in world politics. The course addresses seminal changes and developments in modern international politics, especially since the end of the Cold War. It reviews all main theoretical assumptions and world views in the study of international relations. The course also surveys the evolution of the discipline, and its various areas of study.

• Economics and the International System

  GD530 6 credit hours

  You will explore the international economic system, examine the impact of modernization within the system, and investigate the controversy over the concept of globalization and the debate of free trade versus protectionism. You will become familiar with the international financial network and its institutions. Special attention will be given to Third World development issues and the concept of economics as a tool of diplomacy and military power.

• The Political Economy of International Development

  IR543 6 credit hours

  This seminar looks at the process of facilitating development as encompassing a complex set of social, economic, political, cultural and institutional transformations. The seminar will introduce students to the wide range of theories about development that inform issues such as the economic effects of different growth strategies, the difficulties of foreign aid as well as the role of markets, states and civil society. Specifically, we will study questions such as:

  • How important are political institutions to economic development and what role do they play?
  • How does economics affect political institutions and government policies?
  • Why do inefficient and/or harmful institutions survive?

  Highlighted will be the interplay of theories and histories of various forms of development to provide a graduate level of introduction to the political economy of development in a theoretical, historical, and comparative perspective.

• Capital and International Development

  IR553 6 credit hours

  The course explores the relationship between capital and institutions of human society. It explains what capital is and how it works, and addresses unequal economic development among global regions, the role of international aid, conditions of global poverty, and debates about better international development policies.

• Master's Research Paper I

  IR590 6 credit hours

  This research seminar provides students the opportunity to research issues, trends, theories or events in international relations of their own choice. Each student researches individualized topic and prepares a written major paper that offers a practical or theoretical perspective on interstate, regional or national security question of international importance. The students are expected to synthesize knowledge acquired in the previous seminars of the program. Students are required to exhibit in-depth critical thinking, analysis, and effective writing skills.

• Master's Research Paper II

  IR591 3 credit hours

  Students enrolled in the Master’s Research Paper (IR590) seminar will conclude their research projects. Once ready, their research project will be evaluated in written and/or oral examination. Students will make necessary changes, updates, and revisions to their final research paper, and will submit the final copy of their manuscript to the university. Prerequisite: successful completion of IR590.

Cyber Diplomacy

Learn about international law and cyber warfare, which includes cyber espionage, cyber terrorism, and cyber activism. 

The cyberdiplomacy coursework will be taught from the curriculum in the Master of Science in Cybersecurity program. Courses are cross-listed with the Master of Arts in Diplomacy program.

• World Politics – International Relations

  IR510 6 credit hours

  This course lays a foundation for all future studies of international relations and world politics. It explores the dominant theories of international relations, and main trends in world politics. The course addresses seminal changes and developments in modern international politics, especially since the end of the Cold War. It reviews all main theoretical assumptions and world views in the study of international relations. The course also surveys the evolution of the discipline, and its various areas of study.

• Law and the International System

  GD520 6 credit hours

  You will explore the structure of the international system as defined by its rules and guidelines. The course presents an introduction to international law terminology and its history and theory. Laws surrounding conflict, war, war crimes, and the rising areas of international law, environmental law, and laws concerning humanitarian intervention will be explored. Of special interest will be laws pertaining to human rights.

• Elective Option for 3rd Course

  Elective - Cyber Diplomacy 6 credit hours

  Students in the concentration can choose to take one of the following electives as their third course; alternatively, students will be enrolled in IR 531 National Security by default. Courses and course descriptions are cross-listed with the Master of Science in Cybersecurity program.

  • IR 531 National Security
  • GI 556 Cyber Crime
  • GI 557 Cyber Law
  • GI 554 Computer Security Incident Response Team Management
  • GI 551 Computer Forensic Investigations
  • GI 512 Foundations and Historical Underpinnings of Information Assurance
  • GI 522 Information Assurance Technology
  • GI 532 Human Factors and Managing Risk
  • GI 542 Information Assurance Management and Analytics
• Elective Option for 4th Course

  Elective - Cyber Diplomacy 6 credit hours

  Students in the concentration will choose to take one of the following electives as their fourth course; alternatively, students will be enrolled in GI 567 International Perspectives on Cyberspace by default. Courses and course descriptions are cross-listed with the Master of Science in Cybersecurity program.

  • GI 567 International Perspectives on Cyberspace
  • GI 556 Cyber Crime
  • GI 557 Cyber Law
  • GI 554 Computer Security Incident Response Team Management
  • GI 551 Computer Forensic Investigations
  • GI 512 Foundations and Historical Underpinnings of Information Assurance
  • GI 522 Information Assurance Technology
  • GI 532 Human Factors and Managing Risk
  • GI 542 Information Assurance Management and Analytics
• Master's Research Paper I

  IR590 6 credit hours

  This research seminar provides students the opportunity to research issues, trends, theories or events in international relations of their own choice. Each student researches individualized topic and prepares a written major paper that offers a practical or theoretical perspective on interstate, regional or national security question of international importance. The students are expected to synthesize knowledge acquired in the previous seminars of the program. Students are required to exhibit in-depth critical thinking, analysis, and effective writing skills.

• Master's Research Paper II

  IR591 3 credit hours

  Students enrolled in the Master’s Research Paper (IR590) seminar will conclude their research projects. Once ready, their research project will be evaluated in written and/or oral examination. Students will make necessary changes, updates, and revisions to their final research paper, and will submit the final copy of their manuscript to the university. Prerequisite: successful completion of IR590.

Regions of the World

Specialize your understanding of the issues, debates, and events pertinent to a specific world region; choose from eight world regions. To pursue studies of a region of the world, you will complete the following courses.

• World Politics – International Relations

  IR510 6 credit hours

  This course lays a foundation for all future studies of international relations and world politics. It explores the dominant theories of international relations, and main trends in world politics. The course addresses seminal changes and developments in modern international politics, especially since the end of the Cold War. It reviews all main theoretical assumptions and world views in the study of international relations. The course also surveys the evolution of the discipline, and its various areas of study.

• American Foreign Policy

  IR520 6 credit hours

  The American Foreign Policy seminar will encompass the period from 1898 to the present and will review the most important cases in the history of the US foreign relations. It will also address the areas of foreign policy decision making, and theories and methods in foreign policy studies.

• International Security

  IR530 6 credit hours

  This course surveys some of the major debates and topics in international security. It is designed to give students an understanding of the most important substantive areas in the field of international security and to connect it with academic research on security‐related issues to policy. The course will examine both traditional understandings of and approaches to international security. New actors and issues considered relevant since the end of the Cold War will be discussed. The tension between the relative importance of traditional approaches to security, interstate relations, and the relevance or impact of less immediate but important influences such as human security and climate change will also be examined.

• Regions of the World

  Elective 6 credit hours

  For the fourth course, students will choose a region of the world from the list below to evaluate various political, economic, and/or social issues; correlate historical, political and/or economic origins of an international phenomenon; and employ theories and methodological skills to clarify complex issues in international relations.

  • IR549 Regions of the World - Africa
  • IR549 Regions of the World - Asia-Pacific
  • IR549 Regions of the World - Europe
  • IR549 Regions of the World - Eurasia
  • IR549 Regions of the World - Latin America
  • IR549 Regions of the World - Middle East
  • IR549 Regions of the World - North America
  • IR549 Regions of the World - South Asia
• Master's Research Paper I

  IR590 6 credit hours

  This research seminar provides students the opportunity to research issues, trends, theories or events in international relations of their own choice. Each student researches individualized topic and prepares a written major paper that offers a practical or theoretical perspective on interstate, regional or national security question of international importance. The students are expected to synthesize knowledge acquired in the previous seminars of the program. Students are required to exhibit in-depth critical thinking, analysis, and effective writing skills.

• Master's Research Paper II

  IR591 3 credit hours

  Students enrolled in the Master’s Research Paper (IR590) seminar will conclude their research projects. Once ready, their research project will be evaluated in written and/or oral examination. Students will make necessary changes, updates, and revisions to their final research paper, and will submit the final copy of their manuscript to the university. Prerequisite: successful completion of IR590.