MA in International Affairs

Individuals with seven years or more of experience as international relations professionals may wish to consider our Mid-Career MA in International Relations program.

Requirements

NOTE: The following explicates the requirements applicable only to the MA in International Affairs Development program. Students should first consult the International Relations MA Core Requirements portion of this Bulletin for detailed requirements applicable to all IR MA programs.

The International Affairs degree is a two-year program during which students must complete 16 courses (64 credits). The coursework consists of four required core courses; four courses within a primary functional or regional track and three non-overlapping courses in a secondary track; an MA Paper Workshop; and three electives. Students must also pass the department’s foreign language exam (in a language relevant to the program of study). The capstone to the program is an MA paper and an oral defense of that paper. The Master’s Paper Workshop, taken during the second year of the program, assists students in writing their MA papers.

Required Courses

Core Courses

• GRS IR 701    Introduction to International Relations
• GRS IR 702    Research Methods for International Relations Practitioners
• GRS IR 703    International Security
• GRS IR 704    Global Economic and Development Policy

Master’s Paper Workshop

• GRS IR 799    Master’s Paper Workshop

Track Courses

Students choose a primary track (four courses) and a secondary track (three courses). Courses for the two tracks must be non-overlapping. At least one of the tracks must be a functional track.

The options for functional tracks are: Theory and Policy, Political Economy, and Security Studies. The options for regional tracks are: Asia, Europe, Latin America, Middle East and Africa, and Muslim World. Lists of approved courses for each track can be found online at www.bu.edu/ir/graduate.

Functional Tracks

• Theory & Policy
• Political Economy
• Security Studies

Regional Core Area/Tracks

• Asia
• Europe
• Latin America
• Middle East & Africa
• Muslim World

Elective Courses

Students choose four elective courses from the graduate-level course offerings of the IR department. Students may also select their electives from any of the courses included in the listings for any of the functional or regional tracks. Courses not included in these lists may be petitioned to count toward the student’s degree.