Master of Arts in Statecraft and International Affairs

This degree is designed for students who wish to focus on a broad understanding of the current world order, its history and trends, the theoretical and policy issues affected by international politics and culture, and the ideas and values that influence the behavior of state and non-state actors. Coupled with the language requirement, this degree prepares students for a wide range of careers, including foreign policy making and implementation, public policy research, journalism, and a variety of private sector professions.

Candidates for this degree are required to complete a minimum of 52 credit hours of coursework: 36 credit hours in the Core Curriculum and 16 credit hours in a specialization. A majority of the Core Curriculum courses should be completed prior to those in the specialization.

Students must also possess by their final semester of study a professional reading knowledge of one of the following strategically important and widely used foreign languages: Arabic, Chinese, Dari, Farsi, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish or Urdu. To learn more about the foreign language requirements, please click here.

CORE CURRICULUM

(36 credits required; all courses are four credits unless noted otherwise)

Core Courses (all required)

• IWP 642 Economics for Foreign Policy Makers (2 credits)
• IWP 634 Geography and Strategy (2 credits)
• IWP 627 International Relations, Statecraft and Integrated Strategy
• IWP 620 Twentieth Century Politics and Diplomacy 
• IWP 615 Western Moral Tradition and American Foreign Policy

Course in Political Philosophy (one of the following is required)

• IWP 608 American Founding Principles and Foreign Policy
• IWP 606 Ideas and Values in International Politics

Courses in Statecraft (four of the following are required)

• IWP 636 The Art of Diplomacy 
• IWP 609 Economic Statecraft and Conflict 
• IWP 631 Foreign Propaganda, Perceptions and Policy OR IWP 637 Public Diplomacy and Political Warfare OR IWP 641 Political Warfare: Past, Present and Future
• IWP 635 History of American Foreign Policy
• IWP 605 Intelligence and Policy 
• IWP 648 Military Strategy: An Overview of the Theorists of Warfare 
• IWP 601 National Security Policy Process 
• IWP 625 Peace, Strategy and Conflict Resolution 
• IWP 638 U.S. Foreign Policy: Current and Future Challenges

In addition to the Core Curriculum, students in this degree program must also select one of the following four specializations:

SPECIALIZATION in AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY
(16 credits needed; all courses are four credits)

Required Courses

• IWP 608 American Founding Principles and Foreign Policy 
• IWP 635 History of American Foreign Policy 
• IWP 638 U.S. Foreign Policy: Current and Future Challenges 

Elective Courses (Choose one)

• IWP 609 Economic Statecraft and Conflict 
• IWP 611 Immigration and National Security 
• IWP 629 Problems of Promoting Regime Change and Democracy  
• IWP 637 Public Diplomacy and Political Warfare 
• IWP 632 U.S. Intelligence in the Cold War and Beyond
• An area-study course: IWP 630 Chinese Grand Strategy: Foreign and Military Policy; IWP 653 The Contemporary Balkans; IWP 658 The Geopolitics of the Iranian Plateau and South Asia; IWP 604 Islam and Geopolitics in Eurasia; IWP 645 Islam in Contemporary Global Politics; IWP 603 Russian Politics and Foreign Policy; IWP 639 U.S.-African Relations; IWP 623 U.S.-Latin American Relations: Threats and Opportunities

SPECIALIZATION in COMPARATIVE POLITICAL CULTURE
(16 credits needed; all courses are four credits)

Required Courses

• IWP 640 Cultural Intelligence for Strategy and Analysis 
• IWP 606 Ideas and Values in International Politics
• An area-study course (Choose one): IWP 630 Chinese Grand Strategy: Foreign and Military Policy; IWP 653 The Contemporary Balkans; IWP 658 The Geopolitics of the Iranian Plateau and South Asia; IWP 604 Islam and Geopolitics in Eurasia; IWP 645 Islam in Contemporary Global Politics; IWP 603 Russian Politics and Foreign Policy; IWP 639 U.S.-African Relations; IWP 623 U.S.-Latin American Relations: Threat and Opportunities

Elective Courses (Choose one)

• IWP 614 Comparative Government Analysis 
• IWP 621 Conflict Prevention and Stabilization: Democracy Building in U.S. Foreign Policy
• IWP 649 Genocide and Genocide Prevention 
• IWP 602 Nationalism and Islamism

SPECIALIZATION in PEACE BUILDING, STABILIZATION, AND HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS
(16 credits needed; all courses are four credits)

Required Courses

• IWP 621 Conflict Prevention and Stabilization: Democracy Building in U.S. Foreign Policy 
• IWP 626 Foundations of Political and Economic Freedom 
• IWP 629 Problems of Promoting Regime Change and Democracy 

Elective Courses (Choose one)

• IWP 608 American Founding Principles and Foreign Policy 
• An area-study course: IWP 630 Chinese Grand Strategy: Foreign and Military Policy; IWP 653 The Contemporary Balkans; IWP 658 The Geopolitics of the Iranian Plateau and South Asia; IWP 604 Islam and Geopolitics in Eurasia; IWP 645 Islam in Contemporary Global Politics; IWP 603 Russian Politics and Foreign Policy; IWP 639 U.S.-African Relations; IWP 634 U.S.-Latin American Relations: Threats and Opportunities

SPECIALIZATION in INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
(16 credits needed; all courses are four credits)

Required Courses

• IWP 613 History of International Relations
• An area-study course: IWP 630 Chinese Grand Strategy: Foreign and Military Policy; IWP 653 The Contemporary Balkans; IWP 658 The Geopolitics of the Iranian Plateau and South Asia; IWP 604 Islam and Geopolitics in Eurasia; IWP 645 Islam in Contemporary Global Politics; IWP 603 Russian Politics and Foreign Policy; IWP 639 U.S.-African Relations; IWP 623 U.S.-Latin American Relations: Threats and Opportunities 

Elective Courses (Choose two)

• IWP 639 The Art of Diplomacy 
• IWP 649 Genocide and Genocide Prevention 
• IWP 606 Ideas and Values in International Politics 
• IWP 619 Mass Media and World Politics 
• IWP 602 Nationalism and Islamism 
• IWP 625 Peace, Strategy and Conflict Resolution 
• IWP 629 Problems of Promoting Regime Change and Democracy 

Learning Objectives, M.A. in Statecraft and International Affairs

Skills:

1. Students must demonstrate knowledge of the various aspects of intelligence (military strategy; the diplomatic art; economic strategy; intelligence; counterintelligence; public diplomacy and related fields; defense against foreign propaganda, deception, and influence operations; psychological strategy and political warfare; internal security; and the methods of leadership).

2. Students must demonstrate the ability to address foreign policy and national security problems by integrating the various instruments of statecraft.

3. Students must demonstrate the ability to think strategically and integrate tactical work with strategic goals.

Knowledge:

1. Students must demonstrate knowledge of basic terms, historical events, theories, economics, and geography related to the international relations field.

2. Student must demonstrate knowledge of the chosen field of specialization: e.g. International Politics; American Foreign Policy; or Comparative Political Culture.

3. Students must demonstrate knowledge of the statecraft of foreign powers.

4. Students must demonstrate knowledge of the main ideological currents of the modern era and the role of ideas and values in world politics.

5. Students must demonstrate knowledge of the principles of the American founding and the American political economy and their relevance to U.S. foreign policy.

Values and Principles:

1. Students must demonstrate a knowledge and appreciation of the Western moral tradition (particularly the natural law and the dialog between reason and revelation) and its application to foreign policy and strategy.

2. Students must demonstrate knowledge of the building blocks of statesmanship and moral leadership, including various personal and civic virtues as: honesty; integrity; the ability to see the truth and tell it to power; courage; perseverance' independence of thought and the capacity to resist peer pressure and the "conventional wisdom"; respect for the rule of law; prudence; justice; discernment of the national interest; respect of the dignity of the individual human person regardless of their background or condition.