Master of Arts in International Relations

The Master of Arts in International Relations is designed to increase your marketable expertise, professional flexibility and mobility, and career advancement readiness with advanced coursework and applied quantitative methods training for students seeking international careers as analysts in the public and private sectors as well as researchers in academia and think tanks. Across all professional fields in the public and private sectors there is a growing recognition by employers that workforce requirements include having the skill-sets to read, evaluate, and analyze quantitative data and information in a sophisticated manner. 

The MA-International Relations is a 30-credit graduate program that includes coursework in international political economy, international security, international law, and statistical methods of data analysis for international relations research questions. The curriculum emphasizes developing research and analysis skills based on a solid background in international relations theory and quantitative empirical research. 

The MA - International Relations is offered by the Department of Government and Politics and the Center for International Development & Conflict Management in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences. Students with specific academic questions may contact Meqdad Abdul Ali, via email: maali@umd.edu.

Master of Arts in International Relations

Provides training for students with career goals centered in research and analysis that require sophisticated applied research and analysis of international relations issues. Offers two plans of study. Learn more.

• 4+1 Undergraduate Option: University of Maryland degree-seeking students complete 9 credits in their senior year and 21 credits in nine months as a graduate student.
• Comprehensive Option: Program-admitted graduate students complete 30 credits in eighteen months.  Designed for working professionals, students can earn a University of Maryland degree while continuing to work full-time with minimal disruption to personal and professional life.