Master of Arts in International Relations

San Francisco State University

The mission of our M.A. graduate program is to prepare graduate students to enter a competitive workforce in government, business and non-profits or to pursue advanced graduate training leading to a Ph.D. in the International Relations field.

The Master’s degree program is focused on training our students to be international professionals. Admission is selective and retention, conditional upon performance. Our curriculum emphasizes the coordination of theory and data. Many courses in the curriculum study specific areas of the world from diverse theoretical, historical and contemporary perspectives.

Classroom instruction emphasizes knowledge of core International Relations concepts and theories as well as thematic issues, including but not limited to international political economy, international security, international law, governance and human rights. For graduate students choosing the professional emphasis for their culminating experience, the department provides resources toward internship opportunities and supervises the preparation of an academic paper based on their internship experiences.

Upon graduation, IR students will have achieved mastery of core International Relations concepts, theories, and methods and will have one or more areas of special competence. Equipped with research, analytical and presentation, communication and professional skills, including report writing, data analysis, public policy analysis, oral briefing and audio-visual production techniques, our M.A. student graduate ready for the next step in their careers.

College of Liberal and Creative Arts