International Relations (MA)

This program is offered by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. It is available online, at the St. Louis main campus and at select U.S. and international campuses. Please see the Campus Locations and Offerings section of this catalog for a list of campuses where this program is offered.

Program Description

Learning Outcomes

Students who complete this program will be able to:

• Demonstrate a working knowledge of several subfields of the international relations discipline.
• Demonstrate strong research skills.
• Critically analyze international events and issues.
• Apply theories of international relations.
• Demonstrate effective written communication skills.

Program Curriculum

The 36 credit hours required for the master of arts (MA) in international relations must include the following courses:

*Students taking INTL 6250 Thesis (6 hours) must also register for INTL 6900 University Thesis Requirements (0 hours). INTL 6900 acknowledges successful completion of all thesis requirements including conforming to university and departmental guideline as well as depositing the thesis in the University library.

*Students completing their degree at either the Vienna or Geneva campuses are required to complete INTL 6250 Thesis and INTL 6900 University Thesis Requirements to meet this requirement.

Comparative Politics Cluster (2 courses)

International Politics Cluster (4 courses)

International Relations Elective Courses (3 courses)

Any additional courses from the two clusters above, or any of the following:

Not all of the courses listed above will be available to students at all locations.

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

**Advanced Research Methods may be substituted for a course in the Comparative cluster or in the International Politics cluster.

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

Dual Degree Option: MBA/MA in International Relations

57 to 60 Credit Hours

Requirements for a dual degree with the MBA program generally include the required MBA courses (33 hours) and the required coursework in the additional degree program, except where noted below. If BUSN 5000 has been waived, the required hours are reduced by 3 credits and the BUSN 5000 course does not require a substitution.

Upon completion of all required credit hours, two separate diplomas are issued at the same time. The two degrees cannot be awarded separately or sequentially under this arrangement.

• BUSN 5000 Business (3 hours)
• MBA 5010 Value Creation (3 hours)
• MBA 5020 Quantitative Methods for the MBA (3 hours)
• MBA 5030 Market Analysis and Business Planning (3 hours)
• MBA 5100 Adding Value through Human Capital (3 hours)
• MBA 5200 The Financial Value of Capital Projects (3 hours)
• MBA 5300 Providing Value to Customers (3 hours)
• MBA 5400 The Supply Chain and Business Processes (3 hours)
• MBA 5500 Information Support for Decision Making (3 hours)
• MBA 5910 Cases in Value Creation (3 hours)
• MBA 5920 Walker Consulting Project: Adding Value to Organizations (3 hours)
• INTL 5000 Introduction to International Relations (3 hours)
• INTL 5100 Research Methods and Perspectives (3 hours)
• INTL 6000 Capstone in International Relations (3 hours)
  or INTL 6250 Thesis* (6 hours) and INTL 6900 University Thesis Requirement* (0 hours)
• Two courses from the Comparative Politics Cluster of the MA in international relations (6 hours)
• Four courses from the International Politics Cluster of the MA in international relations (12 hours)

*Students taking INTL 6250 must also register for INTL 6900. Students completing their degree at either the Vienna or Geneva campus must complete INTL 6250 and INTL 6900.

Dual Major Option: National Security Studies/International Relations

51 Credit Hours

Upon completion of the 51 credits, a single degree is awarded with two major concentrations. The two programs cannot be awarded separately or sequentially under this arrangement. 

Required Courses

• INTL 5000 Introduction to International Relations (3 hours)
• NTSC 5000 Introduction to National Security Studies (3 hours)
• INTL 5100 Research Methods and Perspectives (3 hours)
  or NTSC 5100 Research Methods in National Security Studies (3 hours)
• INTL 5590 International Security (3 hours)
• INTL 6000 Capstone in International Relations (3 hours)
  or NTSC 6000 Capstone in National Security Studies (3 hours)
  or INTL 6250 Thesis* (6 hours) and INTL 6900 University Thesis Requirement* (0 hours)
  or NTSC 6250 Thesis in National Security Studies* (6 hours) and INTL 6900 University Thesis Requirement* (0 hours)

*Students taking INTL 6250 Thesis or NTSC 6250 Thesis in National Security Studies (6 hours) must also register for INTL 6900 University Thesis Requirement (0 hours). INTL 6900 acknowledges successful completion of all thesis requirements including conforming to university and departmental guidelines, as well as depositing the thesis in the University library. The six credit hours for INTL 6250 or NTSC 6250 are drawn from the 3 hours reserved for the NTSC 6000 capstone and 3 elective credit hours in the program.

Electives

• 4 additional courses (12 hours) from the International and Regional Security Track in the MA in national security studies
• 4 courses (12 hours) from electives in other tracks in the MA in national security studies
• 2 courses (6 hours) from the Comparative Politics Cluster of the MA in international relations
• 2 elective courses (6 hours) in the MA in international relations

Admission

See the Admission section of this catalog for general admission requirements. Students interested in applying must submit their application online at www.webster.edu/apply. Transcripts should be sent from your institution electronically to transcripts@webster.edu. If this service is not available, send transcripts to:

Office of Admission
Webster University
470 E. Lockwood Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63119 

Advancement to Candidacy

Students are admitted to their graduate program upon completion of all admission requirements. Students are advanced to candidacy status after successfully completing 12 credit hours with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. In specialized programs, courses required as prerequisites to the program do not count toward the 12 credit hours required for advancement.