The Bush School of Government & Public Service

Public Service is a noble calling.


Home / Department of International Affairs / International Affairs Degree Programs / Master of International Affairs / MIA Concentrations

MIA Concentrations

Master of International Affairs

Master of International Affairs
Curriculum | View By Semester | Tracks | Concentrations | Courses | Admissions 🗗

APPLY NOW

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

American 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 609 International Law (Sievert) – Fall
  • INTA 613 Diplomatic Negotiations (Hennessey-Niland) – CORE COURSE – Spring
  • INTA 640 The Politics & Practice of Democracy Promotion (TBD) – Spring
  • INTA 646 Foreign Policy Analysis (Hudson) – Fall
  • INTA 674 US Foreign Policy in the Persian Gulf (Tabaar) – Spring
  • INTA 689 Foreign Affairs and the Constitution (Sievert) – Spring
  • INTA 689 Indo-Pacific (Hennessey-Niland)
  • INTA 689 International Sports and Diplomacy (Hennessey-Niland)
  • 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)

International Law and Organizations

Faculty coordinator: Professor Ronald Sievert
  • INTA 612 US Law and Homeland Security (Sievert) – Fall
  • INTA 650 National Security Law (Sievert) – Spring
  • INTA 657 Terrorism in Today’s World (Howell) – Fall
  • INTA 689 Foreign Affairs and the Constitution (Sievert)
  • INTA 705 Bioterrorism (Parker) – Fall
  • INTA 706 Cyberspace Implications for National Security (Brown) – Fall
  • INTA 719: US-Mexico Relations (Teague) – Spring
  • PSAA 604 Emergency Management and Homeland Security (TBD)
  • PSAA 605 Homeland Security (TBD)
  • PSAA 608 Cyber Security for Managers (Davis)
  • PSAA 640 Energy and Security (Griffin)
  • PSAA 655 Domestic Intel Operations
  • PSAA 656 Fundamentals of Homeland Security (Davis)
  • PSAA 660 Domestic Terrorism (Davis)
  • PLAN 616 Analyzing Risk/Hazard (PLAN faculty) (can take the place of PSAA 647 Risk and Public Policy)
  • PLAN 649 Organizational and Community Response to Crisis and Disaster (PLAN faculty)

Cyber Policy

Faculty coordinator: Professor Gary Brown

Visit the Program on Cyber Policy, Strategy, and Security website for more information on the Cyber Policy concentration.

  • INTA 689 Internet Infrastructure: Platforms and Politics (TBD) – Spring
  • INTA 712 Non-Technical Introduction to Cyber Policy (TBD) – CORE COURSE – Fall
  • INTA 713 Advanced Cyber Policy (TBD) – Spring
  • INTA 706 Cyberspace Implications for National Security (Brown) – Fall
  • INTA 708 Data Science for Policy Analysis (TBD) – Fall (689)
  • PSAA 608 Cybersecurity Issues & Operations
  • CSCE 702 Law & Policy Cybersecurity (Dewitte)
  • ISTM 635 Business Information Security (Sen)
  • ISTM 645 IT Security Controls (Whitten)
  • ISTM 655 Security Management & Compliance (Whitten)

Intelligence as an Instrument of Statecraft

Faculty coordinator: Professor Gregory Vogle

Visit the Intelligence Studies Program website for more information on the Intelligence as an Instrument of Statecraft concentration.

  • INTA 650 National Security Law (Sievert) – Spring
  • 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 712 Introduction to Cyber for the Non-Technical (TBD) – Fall
  • INTA 714 Defense Intelligence (TBD) – Fall
  • INTA 718 Counter Terrorism Financing (Howell) – Fall
  • INTA 723 Covert Actions (Vogle) – Fall & Spring

Grand Strategy and Defense Policy

Faculty coordinator: Professors John Schuessler and Jasen Castillo

Visit the Albritton Center for Grand Strategy website for more information on the International Politics & Grand Strategy concentration and related student programming.

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 620 International Security (Kanin – DC) – 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 650 National Security Law (Sievert) – Spring
  • INTA 654 Military Strategy (Castillo) – Fall
  • INTA 659 Transnational Security (Huang) – Fall
  • INTA 661 NATO: From Military Alliance to Collective Security (Thornton) – Spring
  • INTA 665 National Security and Defense Planning (TBD) – Fall
  • INTA 672 East Asian Security (Norris) – Spring
  • INTA 674 US Foreign Policy in the Persian Gulf (Tabaar) – Spring
  • INTA 676 International Politics of the Middle East (Gause) – Spring
  • INTA 689 DoD: An Instrument of National Power (TBD) – Fall
  • INTA 689 War or Peace in the Space Domain (Jackson) Fall & 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 (TBD) – Fall
  • INTA 719 US-Mexico Relations (Teague) – Spring
  • INTA 721 History, Strategy, and American Statecraft (Bartel)
  • HIST 634 Maritime History and Sea Power
  • HIST 645 Modern Military History (History faculty)
  • NUEN 650 Nuclear Non-proliferation (NUEN faculty Dr. Sunil Chirayath)

*See Coordinators for Approval of Other Courses Not Listed

Both NSD/IDEP Concentrations

Conflict and Development

Faculty coordinator: Professor Reyko Huang
  • INTA 632 Advanced Economic Development (Mu) – Spring
  • INTA 635 Great Famines (Natsios) – Fall
  • INTA 636 International Development in Theory and Practice (Natsios) – Spring
  • INTA 640 The Politics & Practice of Democracy Promotion (TBD) – Spring
  • INTA 644 Post-Conflict Recovery and Development (Hamie) – Fall
  • INTA 645 Women and Nations (Hudson) – Fall
  • INTA 647 State-Building and State Failure in the Developing World (Huang) – Spring
  • INTA 648 Contemporary Civil Wars (Huang) – Fall
  • INTA 659 Transnational Security (Huang) – Fall
  • INTA 671 Political Economy of the Middle East (TBD) – Fall
  • INTA 689 SPTP African Politics (Laurienti) – Fall
  • INTA 689 SPTP Women & Armed Conflict (Lee) – Spring
  • 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
  • PSAA 610 Comparative Public Administration and Management (PSAA faculty)

Pandemic Preparedness & Disaster Response

Faculty coordinator: Professor Andrew Natsios
  • INTA 635 Great Famines, War, and Humanitarian Assistance (Natsios) – Fall
  • INTA 689 Agricultural Bioterrorism (Moats) none
  • INTA 702 Infectious Disease in the Developing World – CORE COURSE – Fall
  • INTA 705 Bioterrorism (Parker) – fall
  • TBD Outbreak: A One Health Field Investigation (Coats, Parker, Hamer)
  • ENTO 635 Vector-Borne Disease Management and Response in Human and Animal Systems (Entomology – Coates)
  • PHEB 615 Disaster Epidemiology (School of Public Health – Clendenin)

Women, Peace, and Security

Faculty coordinator: Professor Valerie Hudson

Visit the Program on Women, Peace, and Security website for more information on the Women, Peace, and Security concentration.

  • INTA 625 International Trade Policy (Robertson) – Spring
  • INTA 641 Globalization, Workers, and Development (Robertson) – Spring
  • INTA 644 Post-Conflict Recovery & Development (Hamie) – Fall
  • INTA 645 Women and Nations – CORE COURSE (taught every Fall) (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 689 Women & Armed Conflict (Lee)
  • INTA 701 Women, International Development and Environmental Conflict (Ruyle) – Fall
  • INTA 720 Human Trafficking (Hamie) – Fall

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 610/WGST 610 Reproduction, Birth, and Power (Morris, SOCI)
  • SOCI 661/WGST 661 Sociology of Gender (SOCI faculty)
  • 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

International Economic Development

Faculty coordinator: Professor Ren Mu
  • INTA 616 Economic Development in China (Mu) – SPring
  • 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 640 The Politics & Practice of Democracy Promotion (TBD)- Spring
  • INTA 641 Globalization, Workers and Development (Robertson)- Spring
  • INTA 644 Post Conflict Recovery and Development (Hamie) – Fall
  • INTA 645 Women and Nations (Hudson) – Fall
  • INTA 671 The Political Economy of the Middle East (TBD) – Fall
  • INTA 689 The Politics of Immigration (TBD)
  • INTA 694 Economic Restructuring in Latin America (Robertson)- Spring
  • PSAA 636 Grant and Contract Management (PSAA faculty)
  • HLTH 607 International Health (Health faculty)
  • PLAN 623 Development & Planning in Developing Countries (ARCH faculty)

Foreign Economic Policy

Faculty coordinator: Professor Raymond Robertson
  • INTA 625 International Trade Policy (Robertson) – Spring
  • INTA 630 International Economic Development (Serra) – Spring
  • INTA 641 Globalization, Workers and Development (Robertson) – Spring
  • INTA 694 Economic Restructuring in Latin America (Robertson) – Spring
  • ACCT 647 Financial Statement Analysis (ACCT faculty)
  • ECON 617 Economics of International Firms (ECON faculty)

Regional Concentrations

NSD and IDEP students are 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 621 Chinese Foreign Policy (Norris) – Fall
  • INTA 672 East Asian Security (Norris) – Fall
  • INTA 673 Chinese Domestic Politics (Norris) – CORE COURSE – Fall
  • INTA 689 Indo Pacific
  • INTA 689 China Study Abroad – (Norris) (Offered only in Spring term of odd-numbered years)
  • INTA 709 China’s Military (Norris) – Fall

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 639 Readings in Asian History (HIST faculty) – may count with concentration coordinators approval)
  • HIST 647 Research Seminar in Asian History (HIST faculty) – with concentration director 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
  • 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 (Hennessey-Niland) – Fall
  • INTA 689 The Politics of Immigration (TBD)
  • INTA 689 Eurasian Security (Lemon) – Spring
  • 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 689: Latin America and the War on Drugs (Teague)
  • INTA 694: Economic Restructuring in Latin America (Robertson) – Spring
  • INTA 716: Latin American Democracy and Development (TBD) – Spring
  • INTA 719: US-Mexico Relations (Teague) – Spring

The following course will be considered/counted on a case-by-case basis by the faculty coordinator:

  • INTA 689: 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 – with permission of the coordinator (SOCI faculty)

Middle East

Faculty coordinator: Professor Mohammad Tabaar

Visit the Middle East Program website for more information on the Middle East concentration.

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 668 The Politics and History of the Arab Spring (TBD) – Spring
  • INTA 671 The Political Economy of the Middle East (TBD) – CORE COURSE – Fall
  • INTA 674 US Foreign Policy in the Persian Gulf (Tabaar) – Spring
  • INTA 675 Religion and Politics in Iran (Tabaar) – Fall
  • INTA 676 International Politics of the Middle East (Gause) – CORE COURSE – Spring
  • INTA 689 Understanding Terrorism (Howell)
  • INTA 707 The Politics of Egypt (TBD) – Fall