Master of Arts in International Relations and Global Security

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.

This program offers:

• Inter-cultural understanding, cooperation, and cosmopolitanism reflected in the staff and student body.
• An insight into the dynamics of international relations across a number of issue areas and the different ways of approaching them to prepare students for a number of career paths.
• An insight into the nature of change as an endemic feature of politics on a national, regional, and global scale.
• An understanding of the causes of change and mechanisms to manage change.
• An insight into the role of various international actors - state and non-state - as participants on the international scene.
• Training in research methods in the social sciences.
• A solid foundation in the philosophical aspects of the study of international relations.
• Insights into the complex relationship between the concerns of domestic and international politics.

Degree Program Objectives

In addition to the institutional and degree level learning outcomes objectives, this degree also seeks the following specific learning outcomes of its graduates. Graduates in this degree program will be able to:

• 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.

In addition to the program objectives, this Masters Degree in International Relations and Global Security will provide the student with transferable skills that include:

• Communication: You will be encouraged to communicate effectively and fluently in speech and writing; to organize information clearly and coherently; and to use communication and information technology for the retrieval and presentation of information.
• Information technology: You will be required to produce written documents and undertake online research.
• Working with others: You will be encouraged to define and review the work of others; to work cooperatively on group tasks; to understand how groups function; and to collaborate with others and contribute effectively to the achievement of common goals.
• Improving own learning: You will develop autonomy in learning, be expected to work independently, and demonstrate initiative and self-organization. You will 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.
• Problem Solving: The courses and classroom exercise will emphasize the need to identify and define problems and help you to explore alternative solutions.