Degrees

Master of Arts in Statecraft and International Affairs

MA in Statecraft and International Affairs

52 Credit Hours
Two years to complete with full-time student status

The Master of Arts in Statecraft and International Affairs is designed for students who wish to enter or continue in a career in foreign affairs, either in policymaking or implementation.

This program provides a comprehensive study of the theory and practice of foreign policy, process, and implementation, both in historical and contemporary perspectives. Significant attention is directed toward understanding the current world order, international relations, and the role of political culture, ideas, and values in influencing the behavior of states and non-state actors. It involves the study of the entire spectrum of instruments of power, how they are integrated strategically, and the ethical issues inherent in their use.

Opening the Door for Your International Affairs Career

Successful recipients of this degree are prepared for careers in:

  • Diplomacy
  • Defense strategy
  • Homeland security
  • Intelligence/counterintelligence
  • International development
  • International relations
  • Public diplomacy
  • Political warfare

Our graduates have gone on to work in government, the private sector, research, and journalism, among other areas.

Emphasizing Language in a Multilingual Field

Candidates for this degree must demonstrate proficiency in a strategically-important foreign language. Recognized languages include: Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish.

The Institute currently offers Arabic, Chinese, and Russian classes on campus.

An M.A. in Statecraft and International Affairs will not be awarded until the candidate passes a foreign language exam at a proficient level.

Non-native speakers of English who are admitted to the M.A. program are exempt from this requirement and are not required to pass a language proficiency exam. To learn more about the foreign language requirements, please click here.

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Curriculum

Core Curriculum

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

Core Courses (All required)

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

Courses in Statecraft (Four of the following are required)

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

Specialization in American Foreign Policy

(16 credits needed; all courses are four credits unless noted otherwise)

Required Courses

Elective Courses (Choose courses for a total of 4 credits)

Specialization in Comparative Political Culture

(16 credits needed; all courses are four credits unless noted otherwise)

Required Courses

An area-study course (Choose one or two)

Elective Courses (Choose courses for a total of 4 credits, unless you have chosen two area-study courses.)

Specialization in Conflict Prevention

(16 credits needed; all courses are four credits unless noted otherwise)

Required Courses

Elective Courses (Choose courses for a total of 8 credits)

Specialization in International Politics

(16 credits needed; all courses are four credits unless noted otherwise)

Required Courses

An area-study course (choose one)

Elective Courses (Choose courses for a total of 8 credits)

Specialization in Peace Building, Stabilization, and Humanitarian Affairs

(16 credits needed; all courses are four credits unless noted otherwise)

Required courses

Elective courses (Choose a total of 8 credits)  

Regional Studies Specialization

(16 credits needed)

Students may select one of three regional specializations: Asia, Europe, or the Middle East.

Asia (All courses below are required.)

Europe (All courses below are required.)

 Middle East (Please choose courses equaling 16 credits. If you take IWP 688, you may reach 16 credits by taking a 2 credit directed study.)

Mastering Statecraft

To complete this M.A., students must achieve the following learning objectives.

Skills

1. Students must demonstrate knowledge of the various aspects of statecraft, including:

  • Military strategy
  • Diplomacy
  • Economic strategy
  • Intelligence
  • Counterintelligence
  • Public diplomacy and related fields
  • Defense against foreign propaganda
  • Deception
  • Influence operations
  • Psychological strategy and political warfare
  • Internal security
  • 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

Students must demonstrate the knowledge of:

  1. Basic terms, historical events, theories, economics, and geography related to the international relations field.
  2. The chosen field of specialization: e.g. International Politics; American Foreign Policy; or Comparative Political Culture.
  3. The statecraft of foreign powers.
  4. The main ideological currents of the modern era and the role of ideas and values in world politics.
  5. 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 dialogue 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, such 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; and respect for the dignity of the individual human person regardless of their background or condition.

Additional Requirements

Students in this program may be enrolled full-time (9 or more credit hours per semester) or part-time (less than 9 credit hours per semester), but they must complete the degree in five calendar years or less. After successful completion of all coursework, each student will be required to pass a one-hour oral examination and a three-hour, comprehensive, written examination.

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