Department of International Relations | Graduate | Prospective Students

Master of Arts in International Relations

The Master of Arts in International Relations (IREL) is designed as a terminal MA program for students who intend to pursue careers in the field of international relations after graduation. Although the program can be completed in one academic year, most students spend three semesters (or two semesters and one summer term) in the Department. Two semesters are devoted to completing the required coursework, statistics and language requirements and the third semester or summer term is devoted to writing the MA paper.

In addition to being an excellent degree for those seeking careers in a civilian role, this program is also ideal for U.S. Army Officers who are required to complete a master’s program as part of their training in the Foreign Area Officer (FAO) program. Boston University is on the U.S. Army approved list of schools for Advanced Civil Schooling in Latin American studies, East and West European studies, Russian studies, East Asian studies, Middle Eastern studies and African Studies. Click here for more information for FAOs interested in studying at BU.

PROGRAM REVISION -- IMPORTANT

Beginning with the Fall 2009 entering class, the IREL program described on this page will no long exist as such. Instead, the program will be split in two with a new two year program for applicants with little or no relevant work experience and a one year MA for mid-career applicants with substantial relevant work experience. These revisions are pending final approval by the university, but we have every expectation that the changes will be approved.

Click here for information on the new two year MA in International Affairs. This degree program is ideal for students with no or minimal work experience in the International Relations field.

Click here for information on the one year Mid-Career MA in International Relations. This program is very similar to the current IREL program described on this page, but beginning in Fall 2009 it will be available only to applicants with approximately seven years or more of relevant work experience.

These changes will take effect for the Fall 2009 entering class. For Spring 2009 applicants, the IREL program will remain exactly as described on this page.

Requirements

Students must complete the degree requirements as listed on the core requirements page. The program requires a total of eight courses (three core courses plus five elective courses) or the equivalent of 32 credits for graduation. To see a progress report for one-year MA students, click here.

Students are encouraged, but not required, to develop an informal regional or functional concentration with three to four of their electives. Doing so is not a requirement of the degree and a concentration will not appear on university transcripts, but choosing a concentration does help to give greater focus and definition to a student's program of study.

Students may complete the African Studies Certificate as a component of this degree.

Third-Term Rule

Normally, when students have completed all of their coursework, but still have other degree requirements (such as the MA Paper) unfinished, they pay to BU a Continuing Student Fee for each additional semester they spend in the program until all degree requirements have been fulfilled. Students in the one-year IR MA program (IREL), and this program only, are permitted a special exemption to this rule. When students in this program have completed all degree requirements except for the MA Paper (coursework, statistics, language) by the end of their second semester in the program, they will be permitted one term to complete the MA paper for which they will not be charged the continuing student fee.

If the student exceeds one additional semester without completing the MA Paper and graduating, he or she will be charged for future semesters and will also be charged retroactively for the first additional semester.

Students must complete degree requirements by the end of the BU semester of their second term in the program. If, for example, a student takes a statistics course at another university during his/her second term in the program, and that course does not finish until after the BU semester finishes, that student is not eligible for this exemption.

This exemption, called the Third-Term Rule, applies to the One-Year MA in International Relations program only and is NOT applicable to any other degree program offered by the Department of International Relations. It does NOT apply to any of our joint or dual degree programs.

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