We live in a world of porous borders, where the relations among people, groups, firms, non-governmental organizations and states create an intricate web of connections. The International Politics program tackles difficult questions about power and rules in this complex environment. The program equips students with theoretical and substantive knowledge about the causes, processes, and consequences of conflict and cooperation as played out on the global stage. The course of study stresses the role of the state and other agents both in traditional diplomatic interactions and in increasingly salient transnational problems and processes.

To acquire the necessary analytical tools, students are trained in international relations theory and economics, including state-of-the-art research methods. An important component of the program is the active role taken by students, in consultation with faculty, in directing the focus of their studies by developing a specialization linked to their intellectual interests and professional goals. Students also specialize in a substantive area of the program.

The overarching themes of the International Politics program ask the central questions of International Relations:

• What is the nature of power, and how is it changing?
• How do structures and agents interact within the world system?
• How do we explain organized violence (war) between and within states?
• How do we explain the persistence of order in the international system?
• What role does diplomacy play in international relations, and when is it most effective?
• What role does the use of military force play in the international politics of the new century?
• What is the role of international law and how do global norms develop and spread?
• How do transborder problems challenge traditional expectations of other roles of states, international organizations, groups, and individuals in an increasingly interconnected global era?
• What is globalization, and what are its effects?

Degree Requirements (39-42 credit hours)

• 39–42 credit hours of approved graduate course work with a cumulative grade point average of 3.00, including a minimum of 18 credit hours in a core requirements, including one theory course and one graduate-level economics or international economic policy course appropriate to the program, 9 credit hours in a concentration selected from offerings in SIS or other teaching units of the university, 6 credit hours in social science research methodology and 6 credit hours of research.
• Comprehensive examination
  To be eligible to take a comprehensive examination, students must have maintained at least a 3.00 grade point average (on a 4.00 scale) in all graduate course work. See the SIS Graduate Advising Office for comprehensive examination requirements.
• Demonstration of research and writing skills through completion of a master’s thesis, substantial research paper requirement, or research practicum. All courses taken to fulfill this requirement must be passed with a grade of B or better.
  Thesis: 6 credit hours of thesis credit and submission of the thesis.
  Substantial research paper requirement: one 3 credit hour internship or cooperative education field experience and one 3 credit hour substantial research paper, or two substantial research papers.
  Research practicum: 6 credit hours supervised by faculty advisors (by permission and specific arrangement).
• Proficiency in a modern foreign language:
  Research competence in English and another language relevant to the student’s career objectives must be certified.

Core (18 credit hours)

• ECON-603 Introduction to Economic Theory (3)
  or
  approved course in economics (3)
• SIS-601 Theory in International Relations (3)
  or
  SIS-604 Masterworks of International Relations (3)
• 12 credit hours in the International Politics (IP) program proposed by the student in a statement of purpose and approved by the student’s faculty advisor.

Concentration (9 credit hours)

Courses approved by the Program Director selected from one concentration. Approved concentrations may be found on the IP Program website. Students may design their own concentration with the approval of the Program Director.

Social Science Research Methodology (6 credit hours)

• SIS-600 Quantitative Analysis in International Affairs (3)
• methodology course work appropriate to the student’s research interests (3)

Research and Writing Requirement (6 credit hours)

SIS-797 Master’s Thesis Supervision (6)

or

Substantial research paper requirement Note: The thesis or substantial research paper must relate clearly to the field of international politics.