Master of Arts in International Relations and Global Security
Program Description
The Master of Arts in International Relations and Global Security offers students the opportunity to develop broad, integrated knowledge in the core of the discipline, including a comparative study of complex international systems. This master’s program enables you to acquire transferable business skills including written and oral communication, working with a team, and problem solving.
Degree Program Objectives
In addition to the institutional and degree level learning objectives, graduates of this program are expected to achieve these learning outcomes:
- Analyze classical and alternative theories of international relations, the heritage and development of the discipline, and the major debates concerning world order, diplomacy, and international law underlying its inherent nature as an interdisciplinary study within the field of political science.
- Evaluate the changing role of the state in the context of globalization, regionalism, and security, including the impact of non-state actors, competing interests, and emerging norms within international systems.
- Assess the nature and distribution of economic, political, and military resources in the context of interdependence and delimited by cultural, social, and historical issues.
- Distinguish the interactions of state, non-state, and supra-national actors through a dynamic appreciation of contemporary issues and differing levels of analysis.
- Examine the major theories of conflict and change within the context of globalization and the role of traditional and emerging norms and institutions in the pacific settlement of disputes, human rights, and environmental issues.
- Communicate effectively and fluently in speech and writing; organize information clearly and coherently; and use communication and information technology for the retrieval and presentation of information.
- Produce written documents and undertake online research.
- Define and review the work of others; work cooperatively on group tasks; understand how groups function; collaborate with others and contribute effectively to the achievement of common goals.
- Develop autonomy in learning, and be expected to work independently.
- Demonstrate initiative and self organization.
- Enhance your research skills toward presenting a clear statement of the purposes and expected results of the research, and develop appropriate means of estimating and monitoring resources and use of time.
- Identify and define problems and help you to explore alternative solutions.
Degree at a Glance
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Core Requirements
18
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Select one of the following concentrations:
12
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Final Program Requirement
3
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Elective Requirements
3
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Total Semester Hours
36
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Degree Program Requirements
Core Requirements (18 semester hours)
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Conflict Analysis and Resolution: Theory and Practice 1
3 |
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Research Design and Methods
3 |
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International Relations Theory
3 |
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International Political Systems
3 |
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International Organizations
3 |
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Introduction to Global Security
3 |
| Total Semester Hours 18 |
Students must choose a concentration for this degree program and may select from a Concentration in Comparative and Security Issues, Concentration in Conflict Resolution, Concentration in International and Transnational Security Issues, or Concentration in Peacekeeping.
Concentration in Comparative and Security Issues (12 semester hours)
Explores regional issues and actors to determine the significant political, economic, security, diplomatic, and social challenges facing a selected region. Topics include peace through coercive power, nonviolence, world order, personal, and community transformation in a specific geographic region, as well as comparative analysis of different political regimes.
Objectives
Upon successful completion of this concentration the student will be able to:
- Evaluate the potential for conflict in a specific region based on existing theories of causation.
- Apply the approaches to peace through coercive power, nonviolence, world order, personal and community transformation in a specific geographic region.
- Understand the concepts and theories of comparative analysis of different political regimes.
- Determine the significant political, economic, security, diplomatic, and social challenges facing a selected region - individually as separate nations and collectively as a region.
Concentration Requirements (12 semester hours)
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Select 4 courses from the following:
12 |
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Comparative Political Systems
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Strategic Geography and Geopolitics
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Politics and War
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Government and Security in Korea
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Case Studies in Foreign Cyber Threats
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Latin American Security Issues
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Seminar in Middle East Politics and Security
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Islam
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Internship Program
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| Total Semester Hours 12 |
Concentration in Conflict Resolution (12 semester hours)
Analyzes the principles and foundations of peace, conflict theory, conflict analysis and resolution, and negotiation strategies and concepts. Looks at the factors necessary to build a lasting peace. Topics include the complexity and limitations of negotiating across cultures and historical divides, and the value of multiparty mediation.
Objectives
Upon successful completion of this concentration the student will be able to:
- Evaluate the potential for conflict in a society/state/region based on theories of causation.
- Assess the approaches to peace through coercive power, nonviolence, and world order constructs.
- Reconstruct the phenomenon of peace through examples and case studies.
- Synthesize the rationale for negotiation versus historical tendencies toward coercion.
- Evaluate the development of multiparty mediation and assess the value of such an approach.
- Analyze the complexity and limitations of negotiating across cultures and historical divides.
Concentration Requirements (12 semester hours)
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Select 4 courses from the following:
12 |
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International Negotiation
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Peacekeeping: Structure and Process
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International Law
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History of Peacekeeping: 1988 - Present
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National Security and Diplomacy
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Internship Program
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| Total Semester Hours 12 |
Concentration in International and Transnational Security Issues (12 semester hours)
Examines international and transnational issues that affect the global community as a whole and nation-states as individual entities. Examines the distinct nature of conflict in the post-Cold War era, norms and purposes of international structures and regimes, and various manifestations of globalization and their impact on political, economic, and social systems.
Objectives
Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:
Concentration Requirements (12 semester hours)
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Select 4 courses from the following:
12 |
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International Political Economy
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Politics and War
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Intelligence and Homeland Security
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Latin American Security Issues
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Transnational Crime and Narcotics
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Case Studies in Foreign Cyber Threats
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International Law
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Internship Program
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| Total Semester Hours 12 |
Concentration in Peacekeeping (12 semester hours)
Evaluates the principles and foundations of peace operations within the context of international and regional mechanisms. Addresses the evolving theory and practices of United Nations, along with specific peace-building, peacemaking, and peacekeeping operations in conflict areas.
Objectives
Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:
- Assess the evolving theory and practices of United Nations Peacekeeping operations.
- Evaluate the role of UN and regional peacekeeping initiatives in specific peace-building, peace-making, and peace-keeping operations in conflict areas.
Concentration Requirements (12 semester hours)
|
Select 4 courses from the following:
12 |
|
Politics and War
|
|
Peacekeeping: Structure and Process
|
|
International Law
|
|
History of Peacekeeping: 1988 - Present
|
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Internship Program
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| Total Semester Hours 12 |
Final Program Requirement (3 semester hours)
Select 1 course from the following: 3 |
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International Relations Capstone 2
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Master's Project Capstone Seminar 2
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| Total Semester Hours 3 |
Elective Requirements (3 semester hours)
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Select any graduate courses not already taken to fulfill the requirements listed above. 3 |
| Total Semester Hours 3 |
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Required as the first course in this program.
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Taken once all other requirements have been met.