MIA Master’s Degree – Curriculum, Tracks, Concentrations
Advanced degrees for careers in public service, international affairs, and policyThe MIA program prepares principled leaders to serve with integrity, purpose, and effectiveness in government or nongovernmental organizations. Students gain the practical tools, policy knowledge, and ethical foundation needed to navigate complex challenges and make a meaningful impact in public service.
How It Works
Degrees are specialized based on the tracks and concentrations that students choose custom to their interest and career goals. Students choose a track and are encouraged to select an elective concentration or they may design an individualized concentration in conjunction with their advisor.
- TracksChoose between the International Development & Economic Policy and National Security & Diplomacy Tracks.
- ConcentrationsThe MIA program offers a range of elective concentrations that allow students to tailor their studies to their professional interests and career goals. Students must complete two concentrations (3 courses each) to tailor their degree. At least one of the concentrations must be in the student’s chosen MIA track; the second may be from either MIA track or the MPSA program. Up to two courses can overlap between concentrations. Students may add a third pre-approved concentration or design a custom one with advisor and department head approval (using Bush School or University-wide courses).
- CurriculumAll MIA students complete a common core of five required courses, a summer internship or intensive language & cultural study, and a three-course specialization in each of two selected areas of concentration.
National Security and Diplomacy Concentrations
Cyber Policy Faculty coordinator: Professor Gary Brown
Core Course – students must take INTA 706 (listed in BOLD)
INTA 689 Cyber Law – Spring
INTA 706 Cyberspace Implications for National Security – CORE COURSE Fall
INTA 713 Advanced Cyber Policy – Spring
PSAA 608 Cybersecurity Issues & Operations
CSCE 702 Law & Policy Cybersecurity
Diplomacy and Foreign Policy Faculty coordinator: Professor John Hennessey-Niland
All students presenting this concentration should take either INTA 603 or INTA 613 as a core course but both courses are recommended.
INTA 603 American Diplomacy – CORE COURSE Fall
INTA 613 Diplomatic Negotiations – CORE COURSE Spring
INTA 625 International Trade Policy
INTA 646 Foreign Policy Analysis – Fall
INTA 674 US Foreign Policy in the Persian Gulf – Spring
INTA 689 Indo-Pacific
INTA 689 International Sports and Diplomacy
INTA 689 U.S./Latin America Relations & the Illicit Economy
INTA 704 American Grand Strategy – Spring
INTA 711 Briefing Tradecraft – Spring
INTA 719 US-Mexico Relations – Spring
INTA 721 History, Strategy, and American Statecraft – Spring
MGMT 639 Negotiations (MGMT faculty)
Grand Strategy & Defense Policy Faculty coordinator: Professors John Schuessler & Jasen Castillo
Core Courses – students must take at least one of the following (listed in BOLD)
INTA 617 Deterrence and Coercion – Summer for NSAP & Spring
INTA 623 Grand Strategy – CORE COURSE Fall
INTA 631 US Military Power – CORE COURSE Fall
INTA 645 Women and Nations – Fall
INTA 646 Foreign Policy Analysis – Fall
INTA 648 Contemporary Civil Wars – Fall
INTA 659 Transnational Security – Fall
INTA 661 NATO: From Military Alliance to Collective Security – Spring
INTA 672 East Asian Security – Spring
INTA 674 US Foreign Policy in the Persian Gulf – Spring
INTA 689 Proxy Wars – Spring
INTA 689 US/Latin America Relations and Illicit Economy – Spring
INTA 704 American Grand Strategy – CORE COURSE Spring
INTA 706 Cyberspace Implications for National Security – Fall
INTA 711 Briefing Tradecraft – Spring
INTA 714 Defense Intelligence – Fall
INTA 719 US-Mexico Relations – Spring
INTA 721 History, Strategy, and American Statecraft – Spring
INTA 728 War or Peace in the Space Domain – Fall & Spring
HIST 634 Maritime History and Sea Power
HIST 645 Modern Military History (HIST faculty)
NUEN 650 Nuclear Non-proliferation (NUEN faculty)
PSAA 653 Weapons of Mass Destruction
*See Coordinators for Approval of Other Courses Not Listed
Intelligence Faculty coordinator: Professor Gregory Vogle
Core Course – students must take INTA 652 (listed in BOLD)
INTA 652 Role of Intelligence – CORE COURSE Fall & Spring
INTA 657 Terrorism in Today’s World – Fall
INTA 659 Transnational Security Issues – Fall
INTA 696 Analytical Tradecraft – Fall
INTA 698 Advanced Analytical Tradecraft – Spring
INTA 705 Bioterrorism – Fall
INTA 706 Cyberspace Implications for National Security – Fall
INTA 710 Intelligence Collection Systems – Spring
INTA 711 Briefing Tradecraft – Spring
INTA 714 Defense Intelligence – Fall
INTA 718 Counter Terrorism Financing – Fall
INTA 723 Covert Actions – Fall & Spring
Both IDEP and NS&D Concentrations
Conflict and Development Faculty coordinator: Professor Reyko Huang
Core Courses – students must take at least one of the following (listed in BOLD)
INTA 624 African Politics & Regional Affairs – Fall
INTA 632 Advanced Economic Development – Spring
INTA 635 Great Famines – Fall – CORE COURSE
INTA 636 International Development in Theory and Practice – Spring
INTA 644 Post-Conflict Recovery and Development – Fall
INTA 645 Women and Nations – Fall
INTA 647 State-Building & State Failure in the Developing World – CORE COURSE Spring
INTA 648 Contemporary Civil Wars – CORE COURSE Fall
INTA 659 Transnational Security – Fall
INTA 689 SPTP Foreign Aid – Spring
INTA 689 SPTP U.S/Latin America Relations and the Illicit Economy – Spring
INTA 689 SPTP Regional Challenges in WPS
INTA 701 Women, International Development and Environmental Conflict – Fall
INTA 703 Clientelism in the Developing World – Spring
INTA 719 US-Mexico Relations – Spring
INTA 720 Human Trafficking – Fall
INTA 729 Gender & Armed Conflict – Spring
Pandemic Preparedness and Disaster Response Faculty coordinator: Professor Andrew Natsios
ONE CORE: Students must take INTA 702
INTA 635 Great Famines, War, and Humanitarian Assistance – Fall
INTA 644 Post Conflict Recovery & Development
INTA 705 Bioterrorism – Fall
Women, Peace, and Security Concentration Faculty coordinator: Professor Valerie Hudson
ONE CORE: Students must take INTA 645
INTA 625 International Trade Policy – Spring
INTA 644 Post-Conflict Recovery & Development -Fall
INTA 645 Women and Nations – CORE COURSE Fall
INTA 659 Transnational Security Fall
INTA 670 Capstone for WPS Students (prerequisite INTA 645) Spring
INTA 689 Special Topics in Women, Peace, and Security
INTA 689 Classic Readings in Feminist IR/Political Science – Spring
INTA 701 Women, International Development and Environmental Conflict – Fall
INTA 720 Human Trafficking – Fall
INTA 729 Gender & Armed Conflict
NOTE: Instructors of the following courses may require you to obtain their permission to enroll in these courses:
COMM 634 Communication and Gender (COMM faculty)
EHRD 634/WGST 634 Gender and Education (EHRD faculty)
EHRD 649/WGST 649 Feminist Pedagogy (EHRD faculty)
ENGL/WGST 680 Theories of Gender (ENGL faculty)
HLTH 634 Women’s Health (HLTH faculty)
LAW 652 Gender and the Law (LAW faculty)
POLS 660 Diversity in Politics (POLS faculty)
POLS 673 Seminar in Gender and Politics in Comparative Perspective (POLS faculty)
SOCI 661/WGST 661 Sociology of Gender (SOCI faculty)
SOCI 610/WGST 610 Reproduction, Birth, and Power (SOCI faculty – Morris)
WGST 650 Gender and International Education (EHRD faculty)
Other courses not listed here may be approved by petition to the faculty coordinator of the concentration.
International Development and Economic Policy Concentrations
Foreign Economic Policy Faculty coordinator: Professor Luis Espinoza-Bardales
INTA 625 International Trade Policy
INTA 630 International Economic Development Spring
INTA 636 International Development in Theory and Practice Spring
INTA 689 Foreign Aid
INTA 689 Environmental Issues and Development
INTA 689 US-Latin America Relations and the Illicit Economy
INTA 722 The Politics of Immigration
ACCT 647 Financial Statement Analysis
AGEC 608 Economics of Foreign Intervention, Conflict, and Development
AGEC 613 International Agricultural Development Policy
AGEC 620 Food Security, Climate, and Conflict
ECON 617 Economics of International Firms
ECON 663 International Transfer Pricing
PSAA 689 Nonprofit Advocacy in the Policy Process
International Economic Development Faculty coordinator: Professor Ren Mu
INTA 616 Economic Development in China Spring
INTA 625 International Trade Policy Fall
INTA 632 Advanced Economic Development Spring
INTA 630 International Development Economics Spring
INTA 635 Great Famines Fall
INTA 636 International Development in Theory and Practice Spring
INTA 638 Political Economy & Development in Africa Spring
INTA 644 Post Conflict Recovery and Development Fall
INTA 645 Women and Nations Fall
INTA 689 Foreign Aid
INTA 689 Environmental Issues and Development
INTA 689 US-Latin America and the Illicit Economy
INTA 701 Women, International Development and Environmental Conflict Fall
INTA 722 The Politics of Immigration
AGEC 608 Economics of Foreign Intervention, Conflict, and Development
PSAA 636 Grant and Contract Management
HLTH 607 International Health
PLAN 623 Development & Planning in Developing Countries
Regional Concentrations (NS&D and IDEP Students both welcome to take one of these)
China and Indo-Pacific Faculty coordinator: Professor William Norris
ONE CORE: Students must take INTA 673
INTA 616 Economic Development in China – Spring
INTA 621Chinese Foreign Policy – Fall
INTA 672 East Asian Security – Fall
INTA 673 Chinese Domestic Politics – CORE COURSE Fall
INTA 689 China Study Abroad – Spring (odd-numbered years only)
INTA 709 China’s Military – Fall
INTA 717 US-China Relations
INTA 730 Indo Pacific
The following courses that are offered intermittently on main campus may also be counted:
COMM 460 Gender, Media, and Modernity in East Asia (COMM faculty)
COMM 663 Media Studies/China (COMM faculty)
HIST 481 Twentieth Century China (HIST faculty)
HIST 639 Readings in Asian History (HIST faculty) – may count with concentration coordinator’s approval
HIST 647 Research Seminar in Asian History (HIST faculty – may count with concentration coordinator’s approval
HIST 689 Politics and Culture in Modern China (HIST faculty)
SOCI 463 Gender in Asia (SOCI faculty)
SOCI 689 Population and Society of Modern China (SOCI faculty)
Europe Faculty coordinator: Professor Gabriela Marin Thornton
ONE CORE: Students must take INTA 655
INTA 607 Eurasian Security – Spring
INTA 610 Eastern European Politics
INTA 655 Nationalism, Immigration and Terrorism in the European Union – CORE COURSE
INTA 661 NATO: From Military Alliance to Collective Security – Spring
INTA 686 Russia and International Politics – Fall
INTA 722 The Politics of Immigration
HIST 402 History of Modern Germany from 1815 (HIST faculty)
HIST 403 History of Nazi Germany (HIST faculty)
HIST 405 History of the Holocaust (HIST faculty)
HIST 410 Russian History to 1801 (HIST faculty)
Latin America Faculty coordinator: Professor Aileen Teague
INTA 694 Economic Restructuring in Latin America -Spring
INTA 689/735 US/Latin America Relations & the Illicit Economy
INTA 719 US-Mexico Relations – Spring
PSAA 654 US Border Security
The following course will be considered/counted on a case-by-case basis by the faculty coordinator:
INTA 648 Contemporary Civil Wars
INTA 659 Transnational Security
INTA 689 SPTP: The Environment and Development
INTA 722 The Politics of Immigration
The following courses that are offered intermittently on main campus may also be counted with permission of the faculty coordinator:
HIST 441 Mexican History since 1821 (HIST faculty)
HIST 615 Colonial Latin America (HIST faculty)
HIST 617 Latin America: The National Period (HIST faculty)
POLS 423 U.S.-Latin American Relations (POLS faculty)
POLS 624 Regional Seminar: Latin American Politics (POLS faculty)
POLS 650 Graduate Seminar in Latin American Political Philosophy (POLS faculty)
SOCI 402 Sociology of Latin America (SOCI faculty)
Middle East Faculty coordinator: Professor Mohammad Tabaar
Core Courses – students must take at least one of the following (listed in BOLD)
INTA 604 The Politics of the Contemporary Middle East – CORE COURSE Fall
INTA 671 The Political Economy of the Middle East – CORE COURSE Fall
INTA 674 US Foreign Policy in the Persian Gulf – CORE COURSE Spring
INTA 675 Religion and Politics in Iran – Fall
INTA 676 International Politics of the Middle East – CORE COURSE Spring
INTA 668 The Politics and History of the Arab Spring – Spring
INTA 689 Understanding Terrorism – not 100% certain this will be taught again
INTA 707 The Politics of Egypt – Fall
INTA 742 US in the Middle East: From the Arab Spring to an Uncertain Future
Individually Designed Concentration
Individually Designed Concentration
In consultation with his/her faculty advisor a student may choose to create and individualized concentration consisting of three approved courses relevant to the concentration topic. Can be from the Bush School and from other Texas A&M departments. See Ms. Peg Hosea or download the form online.
Curriculum for AY 2026-2027
What follows is a suggested sequence of courses to fulfill the requirements for the degree. Students will construct their own schedules as they see fit to meet these requirements.Year One – Semesters I & II
Students mix and match the following courses to be taken in their first year, with the exception of BUSH 631 and BUSH 635 in which IDEP track students must take in sequence.
INTA 606: International Politics in Theory and Practice (core course)
INTA 608: Fundamentals of Global Economy (core course)
BUSH 631: Quantitative Methods in Public Management I (core course)
IDEP track students must take BUSH 631 in their first semester.
Track Requirement (core course):
IDEP – BUSH 635: Quantitative Methods in Public Management I (take in spring after BUSH 631)
Four electives
Summer
Professional Internship OR
Intensive language and cultural study
Year Two – Semester III:
Four concentration courses or electives
In the third semester, a student also has the option to study abroad. See International Opportunities for more information.
Year Two – Semester IV:
Three concentration courses or electives
INTA 670: Capstone
** To graduate, a student must successfully pass a foreign language exam administered in accordance with the ratings of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. The student must demonstrate a minimal proficiency in speaking and comprehension at the established rating of “intermediate low” in a second language.
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