Master of Arts in International Relations

The program is offered by the Department of Government and Politics and the Center for International Development & Conflict Management in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences. The program provides training for students with career goals centered in research and analysis that require sophisticated applied research and analysis of international relations issues.

Mentoring and advising are an essential part of the program. Students meet with faculty and the academic program director to ensure that educational goals and career learning and development goals are met. Students should contact Meqdad Ali via email: maali@umd.edu.

Overview

The Master of Arts in International Relations (MAIR) has a 30-credit, 10-course curriculum that includes coursework in international political economy, international security, international law, and statistical methods of data analysis for international relations research questions. 

• Emphasizes developing research and analysis skills based on a solid background in international relations theory and quantitative empirical research.
• Provides training for students with career goals centered in research and analysis that require sophisticated applied research and analysis of international relations issues.
• Focuses on developing research skills for quantitative analyses of international relations issues in response to a growing need and recognition for analysts who can design and conduct statistical analyses on pressing international problems.
• Program graduates will be ideally suited for a wide variety of careers in academia, government, journalism, law, non-governmental organizations, and international business.
• Offers two plans of study: Comprehensive Option or Combined Bachelor's/Master’s Option.

Program Features

• Plan of study includes eight courses that focus on international relations theory, international political economy, international security, and international law and institutions and two courses that focus on applied methods in the quantitative analysis of international relations.
• Courses are offered in a specific sequence. Students must enroll in the order in which courses are offered each semester.
• Three foundational courses (9 credits) and seven core courses (21 credits) complete the program.

Guidelines

The Comprehensive Option includes 15 credits in the first year of study and 15 credits in the second year of study.

• Can be completed in eighteen months of continuous full-time enrollment. See Designation of Full-time/Part-time Status.
• Designed for working professionals, students can earn a University of Maryland degree while continuing to work full-time with minimal disruption to personal and professional life.
• Students assessed program tuition for all courses.

Registration Overview

• See the sample plan of study, below. Students should use this as a guide to develop a plan with the academic program director.
• Actual course offerings are determined by the program and may vary semester to semester. Students should note if a course has a pre-requisite or co-requisite.
• Specific class meeting information (days and time) is posted on UMD’s interactive web service services, Testudo. Once on that site, select “Schedule of Classes,” then the term/year. Courses are listed by academic unit.
• The program uses specific section codes for registration, which are listed on the sample plan of study.

Comprehensive Option: Full-time, Sample Plan 

Guidelines 

• University of Maryland degree-seeking undergraduate students complete 9 credits in their senior year and 21 credits in nine months of continuous full-time enrollment as a graduate student. See Designation of Full-time/Part-time Status.
• In their junior year, students must first apply and be admitted into the undergraduate portion of the Combined Bachelor's/Master’s option. Students then complete 9 program credits in their senior year as part of the undergraduate degree.
• Early in the spring semester of their senior year, students must formally apply to The Graduate School. Upon admission, students complete the master’s degree by enrolling in the remaining 21 credits. Courses taken in the student’s senior year count towards both the undergraduate and master’s degree.
• UMD undergraduates are assessed tuition at their regular undergraduate rate for the three 3-credit courses taken in their senior year and assessed the program tuition rate for the remaining seven 3-credit courses.

Eligibility 

The Combined Bachelor's/Master’s option is open to UMD degree-seeking undergraduate majors with a 3.0 or Higher GPA. The program targets the following majors:

• GVPT and BSOS
• Philip Merrill College of Journalism
• School of Public Health, Bachelor of Science in Community Health, Family Science, Kinesiology, or Public Health Science
• Questions? Contact maali@umd.edu.

Registration Overview

• See the sample plan of study, below. Students should use this as a guide to develop a plan with the academic program director.
• Actual course offerings are determined by the program and may vary semester to semester. Students should note if a course has a pre-requisite or co-requisite.
• Specific class meeting information (days and time) is posted on UMD’s interactive web service services, Testudo. Once on that site, select “Schedule of Classes,” then the term/year. Courses are listed by academic unit.
• The program uses specific section codes for registration, which are listed on the sample plan of study.

Combined Bachelor's/Master’s Option: Full-time, Sample Plan 

For a listing of program courses, see the Graduate School Catalog program requirements for MAIR. For course descriptions that includes pre-requisites or co-requisites, see GVPT.

Overall

• Uses the semester academic calendar with classes held in fall and spring semester (16 weeks each).
• Instruction provided by University of Maryland faculty and professionals in the field.

In-Person Learning 

• Features dynamic and interactive seminar-style in-person learning. 
• Classes meet in UMD College Park campus classrooms, offering a focused, distraction-free learning environment. 
• Students enrolled in a program that features in-person instruction are required to submit the University’s Immunization Record Form prior to the first day of their first semester/term. See Health Requirements. 

Upon successful completion, graduates will have mastered the following competencies:

• Articulate the central theoretical approaches to studying international political economy, international security, and international law and institutions as well as debates among researchers regarding the strengths and weaknesses of different theoretical approaches.
• Identify and apply different IR theoretical approaches that can be drawn upon to study research questions and to assess how useful different theoretical approaches are to studying a given research question.
• Interpret and explain quantitative empirical findings on international political economy, international security, and international law and institutions as well as debates among researchers regarding the strengths and weaknesses of these empirical studies.
• Demonstrate knowledge of different statistical models that can be used to test theories and hypotheses on international relations and the advantages and limitations of alternative statistical models.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the fundamental principles, theories, and concepts involved with quantitative research designs used to study research questions in international relations.