Master of International Affairs

Concentrations are intended to give students at the Bush School of Government and Public Service more opportunities to fashion a specific program of study tailored to their needs and interests. Students are required to complete two concentrations for their degree. Each concentration consists of three courses, and the same course may not count as contributing to more than two concentrations. At least one of the concentrations must be in the student’s chosen track within the Master of International Affairs (MIA) program. The other concentration may be selected from the other track or from the concentrations in the Master of Public Service and Administration program.

Concentrations are defined as clusters of courses dealing with a common theme or topic. Most courses in MIA concentrations are Bush School courses, but some include seminars offered by other departments at the university.

Students may elect to add a third concentration to their degree plan. These concentrations may be chosen from the pre-arranged list; or, with the faculty advisor and department head’s approval, students may design their own concentration either from courses offered throughout the university or in combination with other Bush School courses.

Concentration Topics:

National Security and Diplomacy Concentrations
Cross-listed NSD/IDEP Concentrations
- Conflict and Development
- Pandemic Preparedness and Disaster Response
- Women, Peace, and Security
International Development and Economic Policy Concentrations
- International Economic Development
- Foreign Economic Policy
Regional Concentrations

National Security and Diplomacy Concentrations

Cyber Policy

Faculty coordinator: Professor Gary Brown

INTA 689 Cyber Law (Brown) Spring
INTA 706 Cyberspace Implications for National Security – CORE COURSE (Brown) Fall
INTA 713 Advanced Cyber Policy (Brown) Spring
PSAA 608 Cybersecurity Issues & Operations
CSCE 702 Law & Policy Cybersecurity (Dewitte)

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 (Hennessey-Niland) – CORE COURSE Fall
INTA 613 Diplomatic Negotiations (Hennessey-Niland) – CORE COURSE Spring
INTA 625 International Trade Policy – Espinoza-Bardales
INTA 646 Foreign Policy Analysis (Hudson) Fall
INTA 674 US Foreign Policy in the Persian Gulf (Tabaar) Spring
INTA 689 Indo-Pacific (Hennessey-Niland)
INTA 689 International Sports and Diplomacy (Hennessey-Niland)
INTA 689 U.S./Latin America Relations & the Illicit Economy (Teague)
INTA 704 American Grand Strategy (Schuessler) Spring
INTA 711 Briefing Tradecraft (Weary) Spring
INTA 719 US-Mexico Relations (Teague) Spring
INTA 721 History, Strategy, and American Statecraft (Bartel) 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 (Castillo) Summer for NSAP & Spring
INTA 623 Grand Strategy (Layne) – CORE COURSE Fall
INTA 631 US Military Power (Castillo) – CORE COURSE Fall
INTA 645 Women and Nations (Hudson) Fall
INTA 646 Foreign Policy Analysis (Hudson) Fall
INTA 648 Contemporary Civil Wars (Huang) Fall
INTA 659 Transnational Security (Huang) Fall
INTA 661 NATO: From Military Alliance to Collective Security (Thornton) Spring
INTA 672 East Asian Security (Norris) Spring
INTA 674 US Foreign Policy in the Persian Gulf (Tabaar) Spring
INTA 689 Proxy Wars (Chinchilla) Spring
INTA 689 US/Latin America Relations and Illicit Economy Spring
INTA 704 American Grand Strategy (Schuessler) – CORE COURSE Spring
INTA 706 Cyberspace Implications for National Security (Brown) Fall
INTA 711 Briefing Tradecraft (Weary) Spring
INTA 714 Defense Intelligence (Reilley) Fall
INTA 719 US-Mexico Relations (Teague) Spring
INTA 721 History, Strategy, and American Statecraft (Bartel) Spring
INTA 728: War or Peace in the Space Domain (Jackson) Fall & Spring
HIST 634 Maritime History and Sea Power
HIST 645 Modern Military History (HIST faculty)
NUEN 650 Nuclear Non-proliferation (NUEN faculty Dr. Sunil Chirayath)
PSAA 653 Weapons of Mass Destruction

*See Coordinators for Approval of Other Courses Not Listed

Intelligence

Faculty coordinator: Professor Gregory Vogle

INTA 652 Role of Intelligence (Vogle) – CORE COURSE Fall & Spring

INTA 657 Terrorism in Today’s World (Howell) Fall
INTA 659 Transnational Security Issues (Huang) Fall
INTA 696 Analytical Tradecraft (Weary) Fall
INTA 698 Advanced Analytical Tradecraft (Weary) Spring
INTA 705 Bioterrorism (Parker) Fall
INTA 706 Cyberspace Implications for National Security (Brown) Fall
INTA 710 Intelligence Collection Systems (Howell) Spring
INTA 711 Briefing Tradecraft (Weary) Spring
INTA 714 Defense Intelligence (Reilley) Fall
INTA 718 Counter Terrorism Financing (Howell) Fall
INTA 723 Covert Actions (Vogle) Fall & Spring

*ONE CORE: Students must take INTA 652

Both IDEP and NS&D Concentrations

Conflict and Development

Faculty coordinator: Professor Reyko Huang

Core Courses – students must take at least one of the core courses, listed in BOLD (but **please note,** there is no core course requirement for those graduating in 2024 or 2025):

INTA 624 African Politics & Regional Affairs (Natsios) Fall
INTA 632 Advanced Economic Development (Mu) Spring
INTA 635 Great Famines (Natsios) Fall
INTA 636 International Development in Theory and Practice (Natsios) Spring
INTA 644 Post-Conflict Recovery and Development (Hamie) Fall
INTA 645 Women and Nations (Hudson) Fall
INTA 647 State-Building & State Failure in the Developing World (Huang) Spring
INTA 648 Contemporary Civil Wars (Huang) Fall
INTA 659 Transnational Security (Huang) Fall
INTA 689 SPTP Foreign Aid (Denly) Spring
INTA 689 SPTP U.S/Latin America Relations and the Illicit Economy (Teague) Spring
INTA 689 SPTP Regional Challenges in WPS
INTA 701 Women, International Development and Environmental Conflict (Ruyle) Fall
INTA 703 Clientelism in the Developing World (Hamie) Spring
INTA 719 US-Mexico Relations (Teague) Spring
INTA 720 Human Trafficking (Hamie) Fall
INTA 729 Gender & Armed Conflict (Lee) Spring

Pandemic Preparedness and Disaster Response

Faculty coordinator: Professor Andrew Natsios

INTA 635 Great Famines, War, and Humanitarian Assistance (Natsios) Fall
INTA 644 Post Conflict Recovery & Development (Hamie)
INTA 705 Bioterrorism (Parker) Fall

*ONE CORE: Students must take INTA 702

Women, Peace, and Security Concentration

Faculty coordinator: Professor Valerie Hudson

INTA 625 International Trade Policy (Espinoza-Bardales) Spring
INTA 644 Post-Conflict Recovery & Development (Hamie) Fall
INTA 645 Women and Nations – CORE COURSE (Hudson) Fall
INTA 659 Transnational Security (Huang) Fall
INTA 670 Capstone for WPS Students (prerequisite INTA 645) (Hudson) Spring
INTA 689 Special Topics in Women, Peace, and Security
INTA 689 Classic Readings in Feminist IR/Political Science (Hudson) Spring
INTA 701 Women, International Development and Environmental Conflict (Ruyle) Fall
INTA 720 Human Trafficking (Hamie) Fall
INTA 729 Gender & Armed Conflict (Lee)

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.

*ONE CORE: Students must take INTA 645

International Development and Economic Policy Concentrations

Foreign Economic Policy

Faculty coordinator Prof. Luis Espinoza-Bardales

INTA 625 International Trade Policy (Espinoza-Bardales)
INTA 630 International Economic Development (Serra) Spring
INTA 636 International Development in Theory and Practice (Natsios) Spring
INTA 689 Foreign Aid (Denly)
INTA 689 Environmental Issues and Development (Zarate-Bararrera)
INTA 689 US-Latin America Relations and the Illicit Economy
INTA 722 The Politics of Immigration (TBD)
ACCT 647 Financial Statement Analysis (ACCT faculty)
AGEC 608 Economics of Foreign Intervention, Conflict, and Development (AGEC faculty)
AGEC 613 International Agricultural Development Policy (AGEC faculty)
AGEC 620 Food Security, Climate, and Conflict (AGEC faculty)
ECON 617 Economics of International Firms (ECON faculty)
ECON 663 International Transfer Pricing (ECON faculty)
PSAA 689 Nonprofit Advocacy in the Policy Process (Rosser)

International Economic Development

Faculty coordinator: Professor Ren Mu

INTA 616 Economic Development in China (Mu) Spring
INTA 625 International Trade Policy (Espinoza-Bardales) Fall
INTA 632 Advanced Economic Development (Mu) Spring
INTA 630 International Development Economics (Serra) Spring
INTA 635 Great Famines (Natsios) Fall
INTA 636 International Development in Theory and Practice (Natsios) Spring
INTA 638 Political Economy & Development in Africa (Kappiaruparampil) Spring
INTA 644 Post Conflict Recovery and Development (Hamie) Fall
INTA 645 Women and Nations (Hudson) Fall
INTA 689 Foreign Aid (Denly)
INTA 689 Environmental Issues and Development (Zarate-Barrera)
INTA 689 US-Latin America and the Illicit Economy
INTA 701 Women, International Development and Environmental Conflict (Ruyle) Fall
INTA 722 The Politics of Immigration (TBD)
AGEC 608 Economics of Foreign Intervention, Conflict, and Development (AGEC faculty)
PSAA 636 Grant and Contract Management (PSAA faculty)
HLTH 607 International Health (HLTH faculty)
PLAN 623 Development & Planning in Developing Countries (ARCH faculty)

Regional Concentrations (NS&D and IDEP Students both welcome to take one of these)

One course must be a Bush School course and only one course may be undergraduate. See Peg Hosea for instructions on how to make the undergraduate course graduate credit.

China and Indo-Pacific

Faculty coordinator: Professor William Norris

INTA 616 Economic Development in China (Mu) Spring
INTA 621Chinese Foreign Policy (Norris) Fall
INTA 672 East Asian Security (Norris) Fall
INTA 673 Chinese Domestic Politics (Norris) – CORE COURSE Fall
INTA 689 China Study Abroad – (Norris) Spring (odd-numbered years only)
INTA 709 China’s Military (Norris) 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)

*ONE CORE: Students must take INTA 673

Europe

Faculty coordinator: Professor Gabriela Marin Thornton

INTA 607 Eurasian Security (Lemon) Spring
INTA 610 Eastern European Politics (Shynkaruk)
INTA 655 Nationalism, Immigration and Terrorism in the European Union (Thornton) – CORE COURSE
INTA 661 NATO: From Military Alliance to Collective Security (Thornton) Spring
INTA 686 Russia and International Politics (Chinchilla) Fall
INTA 722 The Politics of Immigration (TBD)
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)

*ONE CORE: Students must take INTA 655

Latin America

Faculty coordinator: Professor Aileen Teague

INTA 694 Economic Restructuring in Latin America (TBD) Spring
INTA 689/735 US/Latin America Relations & the Illicit Economy (Teague)
INTA 719 US-Mexico Relations (Teague) 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 (Huang)
INTA 659 Transnational Security
INTA 689 SPTP: The Environment and Development
INTA 722 The Politics of Immigration (TBD)

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 (Tabaar) – CORE COURSE Fall
INTA 671 The Political Economy of the Middle East (TBD) – CORE COURSE Fall
INTA 674 US Foreign Policy in the Persian Gulf (Tabaar) – CORE COURSE Spring
INTA 675 Religion and Politics in Iran (Tabaar) Fall
INTA 676 International Politics of the Middle East (Gause) – CORE COURSE Spring
INTA 668 The Politics and History of the Arab Spring (TBD) Spring
INTA 689 Understanding Terrorism (Howell) – not 100% certain this will be taught again
INTA 707 The Politics of Egypt (TBD) Fall
INTA 742 US in the Middle East: From the Arab Spring to an Uncertain Future (Pino)