International Relations

Coursework provides exposure to the key subfields of the discipline and relevant issues such as international security, European Integration, EU-Asia relations, terrorism and energy security. The program can help prepare students to compete for work with a governmental agency, an intergovernmental organization, a nongovernmental organization, or a multinational corporation. This program is also recommended for students planning to pursue a PhD or an academic career at another institution.

Core Courses

The 36 credit hours required for the master of arts (M.A.) degree must include the following courses for a major in international relations:

• INTL 5000 Introduction to International Relations (3 credit hours)
• INTL 5100 Research Methods and Perspectives (3 credit hours)
• INTL 5900 Advanced Research Methods (3 credit hours)*
• INTL 6250 Thesis (6 credit hours) [OR optional for students who entered before Fall 1, 2016, INTL 6000 Capstone (3 credit hours)]

  *Effective entry term Fall 1, 2016, all Vienna students need to take INTL 5900 as pre-requisite for the now mandatory thesis. INTL 5900 counts also as cluster requirement and can substitute one course in either the Comparative or the International Politics Cluster. 

Comparative Politics

Students must also take 2 courses from the following Comparative Politics Cluster:

• INTL 5050 Comparative Politics (3 credit hours)
• INTL 5580 Politics of Development (3 credit hours)
• INTL 5625 Middle East Area Studies (3 credit hours)
• INTL 5645 Asian Area Studies (3 credit hours)
• INTL 5675 Central and Eastern European Area Studies (3 credit hours)
• INTL 5605 Topics in Comparative Politics (3 credit hours)

International Politics

Students must also take 4 courses from the following International Politics Cluster:

• INTL 5400 International Political Economy (3 credit hours)
• INTL 5510 Theories of International Relations (3 credit hours)
• INTL 5530 International Law (3 credit hours)
• INTL 5540 International Organizations (3 credit hours)
• INTL 5550 War and Diplomacy (3 credit hours)
• INTL 5560 U.S. Foreign Policy (3 credit hours)
• INTL 5570 Comparative Foreign Policy (3 credit hours)
• INTL 5700 Humanitarian Issues in International Politics (3 credit hours)
• INTL 5800 Globalization (3 credit hours)
• INTL 5860 Issues in International Politics (3 credit hours)
• INTL 5890 Terrorism in World Politics (3 credit hours)

Electives

Students who choose to take INTL 6000 must also take 3 elective courses, and students who choose to take INTL 6250 must take 2 elective courses, from any of the above international relations course options not used to satisfy the given requirements, or from any of the following business and management courses, or International Relations Elective Courses:

• MRKT 5000 Marketing (3 credit hours)
• MNGT 5590 Organizational Behavior (3 credit hours)
• BUSN 5200 Basic Finance for Managers (3 credit hours)
• HRMG 5000 Managing Human Resources (3 credit hours)
   
• INTL 5500 Professional Seminars (1-3 credit hours)
• INTL 5610 Non-Thesis Readings/Research (3 credit hours)
• INTL 5300 Field Work** (3-6 credit hours)
• INTL 6500 Internship** (3 credit hours)

**Needs approval by the Vienna International Relations Department Head. Please note that students need to fulfill several conditions before they start their internships or field work if they want to gain credits.

If the requisite course is waived, the student must choose an elective course from this major.

The required courses and electives listed in this core may be taken as directed studies, subject to the conditions stated in the Directed Studies section under Academic Policies and Procedures.