Master of Arts in International Relations

Program Director: Lasha Tchantouridzé
Associate Program Director of Academics: Charles Lerche

The Master of Arts in International Relations has three parts. The first two parts are taught seminars followed by electives. At the end of the program students complete an International Relations field exam that consists of issues from the required seminars, as well as the two elective seminars. Satisfactory completion of the field exam is required to graduate from the program. The third part of the program is research elements – students complete a Master’s research paper (MRP),  approximately 10 to 12 thousand words. Students select their MRP or capstone topic as early as possible; by the end of Seminar Four advisors are assigned. Students choose their elective seminars according to their research interests. Master’s Research Paper are a shorter version of MA thesis, with one important difference: students are asked to make original contributions to the field of international relations. Although it is not difficult to identify original theses statements in IR, even at Master’s level, fundamental difficulties exist in the field in terms of scholarly rigor and methodology of fully investigating the proposed research questions. Such challenges are common in the discipline at Master’s level and tend to exist even at wealthy schools – the challenges are connected with the limitations that naturally exist for those who study international security and history – it is seldom possible for Master’s students to do substantial field research, especially in the areas of conflict.

Program Mission

• Prepare students to excel in a particular functional area of international relations and/or geographic area of the world,
• Provide modern, fundamental, practice-oriented education in various fields of international relations,
• Foster creativity and critical thinking in problem solving and motivate students to consider the societal consequences of their work,
• Prepare ethical leaders for the fields of international relations and committed to global service to humanity.

Program Outcomes

Students:

• Evaluate various political, economic or social issues of a particular functional area of international relations or a geographic area of the world,
• Correlate historical, political and/or economic origins of an international phenomenon or a process,
• Employ theories and methodological skills to clarify complex issues in international relations,

Curriculum Map/Plan of Study

Curriculum Requirements 

All students in the Master of Arts in International Relations program are required to complete the following courses in the order prescribed in the curriculum map/plan of study for the degree.

Concentration Areas

All students in the Master of Arts in International Relations program must select one concentration area of study and will complete 18 credits in the concentration. 

Field Exam

All students take a written exam consisting of three sets of questions with two questions per set, for a total of six questions. Students must choose one of the two questions in each set, thus answering three questions. The questions are devised by program faculty and are not given to students in advance. The three-hour exam is proctored online. Students may opt to take the exam during the Residency Conference, however, this option will delay degree conferral. It is a closed book exam; in other words, no sources other than what is in a student’s mind can be used or consulted. The exam is read independently and blindly by a minimum of three faculty members. The exam should be passed by two readers for the passing grade; the concentration question must be passed by at least two readers for the satisfactory grade. Students who fail the exam will be given one more chance to take it. Students who publish an article in a peer-reviewed academic or a professional journal may be exempt from the Field Exam requirement.

One-Week Residency 

All degree candidates of the Master of Arts in International Relations are required to attend a one-week Residency Conference on the Norwich University campus, during which they may attend professional presentations, participate in roundtable discussions with faculty, and present papers. The one-week residency is a degree requirement.