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Concentrations

Master of International Affairs

Master of International Affairs
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Concentrations are intended to give Bush students 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. The other concentration may be selected from the other track or from the concentrations in the MPSA 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 from courses offered throughout the University or in combination with other Bush School courses.

National Security and Diplomacy Concentrations

American Homeland Security

Faculty coordinator: Professor Ronald Sievert
  • INTA 612 US Law and Homeland Security (Sievert)
  • INTA 657 Terrorism in Today’s World (Mac Namee)
  • INTA 689 Bioterrorism (Blackburn)
  • INTA 699 Cyberspace Implications for National Security (McLaughlin)
  • PSAA 604 Emergency Management and Homeland Security (McIntyre)
  • PSAA 605 Homeland Security (McIntyre)
  • PSAA 608 Cyber Security for Managers (Davis)
  • PSAA 640 Energy and Security Policy (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)

Intelligence as an Instrument of Statecraft

Faculty coordinator: Professor James Olson
  • INTA 652 Role of Intelligence (Olson) – CORE COURSE
  • INTA 650 National Security Law (Sievert)
  • INTA 657 Terrorism in Today’s World (Mac Namee)
  • INTA 659 Transnational Security Issues (Huang and Nielsen)
  • INTA 696 Analytical Tradecraft (Weary)
  • INTA 698 Advanced Analytical Tradecraft (Weary)
  • INTA 706 Cyberspace Implications for National Security (McLaughlin)
  • INTA 700 Counterintelligence
  • INTA 689 Introduction to Cyber for the Non-Technical (Sowell)
  • INTA 689 Intelligence Collection Systems
  • INTA 689 Briefing Tradecraft
  • INTA 689 Counterterrorism Financing
  • INTA 689 Defense Intelligence

US Defense Policy and Military Affairs

Faculty coordinator: Professor Jasen Castillo
  • INTA 617 Deterrence & Coercion (Castillo)
  • INTA 631 U.S. Military Policy (Castillo)
  • INTA 650 National Security Law (Sievert)
  • INTA 654 Military Strategy (Castillo)
  • INTA 661 NATO: From Military Alliance to Collective Security (Thornton)
  • INTA 665 National Security and Defense Planning (Ross)
  • INTA 706 Cyberspace Implications for National Security (McLaughlin)
  • INTA 689 Cyber Literacy for the Global Arena
  • HIST 645 Modern Military History (History faculty)
  • NUEN 650 Nuclear Non-proliferation (NUEN faculty Dr. Sunil Chirayath)

American Diplomacy and Foreign Policy

Faculty coordinator: Professor Larry Napper
  • INTA 603 American Diplomacy (Napper)– CORE COURSE
  • INTA 609 International Law (Sievert)
  • INTA 613 Diplomatic Negotiations (Napper)– CORE COURSE
  • INTA 640 The Politics & Practice of Democracy Promotion (Snider)
  • INTA 646 Foreign Policy Analysis (Hudson)
  • INTA 667 International Crisis Management (Olson)
  • INTA 704 American Grand Strategy (Schuessler)
  • MGMT 639 Negotiations (MGMT faculty)

International Politics and Grand Strategy

Faculty coordinator: Professor John Schuessler

Core Courses – students must take at least one of the following (listed in BOLD)

  • INTA 615 Democratization as Foreign Policy (Thornton)
  • INTA 617 Deterrence and Coercion (Castillo)
  • INTA 620 International Security (Castillo)
  • INTA 623 Grand Strategy (Layne)– CORE COURSE
  • INTA 631 US Military Power (Castillo)
  • INTA 645 Women and Nations (Hudson)
  • INTA 646 Foreign Policy Analysis (Hudson)
  • INTA 648 Contemporary Civil Wars (Huang)
  • INTA 661 NATO: From Military Alliance to Collective Security (Thornton)
  • INTA 665 National Security and Defense Planning (Ross)
  • INTA 672 East Asian Security (Norris)
  • INTA 674 US Foreign Policy in the Persian Gulf
  • INTA 676 International Politics of the Middle East (Gause/Tabaar)
  • INTA 689 The Interagency
  • INTA 704 American Grand Strategy (Schuessler) – CORE COURSE

Cyber Policy

Faculty coordinator: Professor Jesse Sowell
  • INTA 689 Introduction to Cyber for the Non-Technical (Sowell) – CORE COURSE
  • INTA 689 Data Science for Policy Analysis (Sowell)
  • INTA 706 Cyberspace Implications for National Security (McLaughlin)
  • INTA 708 Internet Infrastructure: Platforms and Politics (Sowell)
  • INTA 689 Advanced Cyber Policy (Sowell)
  • CSCE 402 Law & Policy Cybersecurity (Dewitte)
  • ISTM 635 Business Information Security (Sen)
  • ISTM 645 IT Security Controls (Whitten)
  • ISTM 665 Security Management & Compliance (Whitten)

Cross-listed NSD/IDEP Concentrations

Conflict and Development

Faculty coordinator: Professor Reyko Huang

Core Courses – students must take at least one of the following (listed in BOLD)

  • INTA 632 Advanced Economic Development (Mu)
  • INTA 635 Great Famines (Natsios) – CORE COURSE
  • INTA 636 International Development in Theory and Practice (Natsios)
  • INTA 637 Field Research Methods (Gottlieb)
  • INTA 638 Political Economy of Development in Africa (Gottlieb)
  • INTA 640 The Politics & Practice of Democracy Promotion (Snider)
  • INTA 642 Institutions and Development (Gottlieb)
  • INTA 644 Post-Conflict Recovery and Development (Hamie)
  • INTA 645 Women and Nations (Hudson)
  • INTA 647 State-Building and State Failure in the Developing World (Huang) – CORE COURSE
  • INTA 648 Contemporary Civil Wars (Huang) – CORE COURSE
  • INTA 659 Transnational Security (Huang)
  • INTA 701 Women, International Development and Environmental Conflict (Ruyle)
  • INTA 703 Clientelism in the Developing World (Hamie)
  • PSAA 610 Comparative Public Administration and Management (Hilderbrand)
  • PSAA 640 Energy Policy and Security (Griffin)

Women, Peace, and Security

Faculty coordinator: Professor Valerie Hudson
  • INTA 641 Globalization, Workers and Development (Robertson)
  • INTA 645 Women and Nations – required core course (taught every Fall) (Hudson)
  • INTA 689 Special Topics in Women, Peace, and Security
  • INTA 659 Transnational Security (Huang)
  • INTA 670 Capstone for WPS Students (to be taught in Spring) (Hudson)
  • INTA 701 Women, International Development and Environmental Conflict (Ruyle)
NOTE: Instructors of the following courses may require you to obtain their permission to enroll in these courses:
  • HLTH 634 Women’s Health (HLTH faculty)
  • COMM 634 Communication and Gender (COMM faculty)
  • SOCI 661 Sociology of Gender (SOCI faculty)
  • ENGL 680 Theories of Gender (ENGL faculty)

*Other courses not listed here may be approved by petition to the faculty coordinator of the concentration.

Methods

Faculty coordinator: Professor Jessica Gottlieb

*To fulfill this concentration, the students must pick three technical or applied methods courses. Below is a sample of some suggested courses from across the university. For a more extensive list, please meet with the concentration coordinator. Other classes may be included upon permission of the concentration coordinator.

  • INTA 632 Advanced Economic Development (Mu)
  • INTA 637 Field Research Methods (Gottlieb)
  • PSAA 630 Program Evaluation in Public and Nonprofit Organizations (PSAA faculty)
  • GEOG 390 Principles of GIS
  • GEOG 659 Geodatabases
  • GEOG 665 GIS-Based Spatial Analysis and Modeling
  • GEOG 676 GIS Programming
  • STAT 648 Applied Statistics and Data Analysis
  • STAT 632 Statistical Methodology II-Bayesian Modeling and Inference
  • PHEB 603 Biostatistics II
  • ECMT 675 Econometrics I
  • AGEC 642 Dynamic Optimization in Agricultural & Applied Economics
  • ECMT 475 Economic Forecasting
  • ECON 665 Experimental Economics
  • HLTH 632 Health Program Evaluation

Pandemic Preparedness & Disaster Response

Faculty coordinator: Professor Andrew Natsios
  • INTA 635 Great Famines, War, & Humanitarian Aid
  • INTA 702 Infectious Diseases in the Developing World
  • INTA 689 Science and Policy
  • INTA 689 Agricultural Bioterrorism
  • INTA 705 Bioterrorism
  • TBD Outbreak: A One Health Field Investigation
  • HPCH 625 Health of Refugees & Displaced Populat
  • ENTO 635 Vector-Borne Disease Mgmt &Response
  • PHEB 615 Disaster Epidemiology

International Development and Economic Policy

International Economic Development

Faculty coordinator: Professor Ren Mu
  • INTA 616 Economic Development in China (Mu)
  • INTA 630 International Economic Development
  • INTA 632 Advanced Economic Development (Mu)
  • INTA 635 Great Famines (Natsios)
  • INTA 636 International Development in Theory and Practice (Natsios)
  • INTA 637 Field Research Methods (Gottlieb)
  • INTA 638 Political Economy of Development in Africa (Gottlieb)
  • INTA 640 The Politics & Practice of Democracy Promotion (Snider)
  • INTA 642 Institutions and Development (Gottlieb)
  • INTA 645 Women and Nations (Hudson)
  • INTA 641 Globalization, Workers and Development (Robertson)
  • INTA 644 Post Conflict Recovery and Development (Hamie)
  • INTA 671 The Political Economy of the Middle East (Snider)
  • INTA 694 Economic Restructuring in Latin America (Robertson)
  • PSAA 610 Comparative Public Administration and Management (Hilderbrand)
  • PSAA 614 Govt and Institutional Reform
  • PSAA 636 Grant and Contract Management (PSAA faculty)
  • HLTH 607International Health (Health faculty)
  • PLAN 623 Development & Planning in Developing Countries (ARCH faculty)

International Economics and Trade

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

International Nongovernmental Organizations (INGO)

Faculty coordinators: Professor Mary Hilderbrand, Professor Raymond Robertson
  • PSAA 603 NGO Management in International Settings (Hilderbrand) – CORE COURSE
  • PSAA 626 Contract Management
  • PSAA 630 Program Evaluation in Public and Nonprofit Organizations
  • PSAA 632 Fiscal Management for Non-Profits
  • PSAA 633 Philanthropy and Fundraising in Non-profit Organizations
  • PSAA 636 Grant and Project Management
  • PSAA 643 Foundations of the Nonprofit Sector
  • PSAA 644 Management and Leadership of Nonprofits
  • PSAA 645 Networks and Inter-organizational Collaborations
  • PSAA 648 Performance management I the Public and Nonprofit Sectors
  • PSAA 649 Volunteer and Human resource Management
  • PSAA 650 Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship
  • PSAA 689 Nonprofit Governance
  • INTA 630 International Economic Development
  • INTA 632 Advanced Economic Development (Mu)
  • INTA 634 Politics and Development Policies
  • INTA 636 International Development in Theory and Practice (Natsios)
  • INTA 643 International Organizations (Hamie)
  • INTA 644 Post Conflict Recovery and Development (Hamie)
  • INTA 702 Infectious Diseases in the Developing World: Risks, Challenges and Solutions (Crudo)
  • ALEC 645 Initiating, Managing, and Monitoring Projects of International Agricultural Development
  • RPTS 604 Principles of Community and Community Development
  • RPTS 605 Community Organization

Note: Three courses are required for the concentration, including PSAA 603.MPIA students selecting this concentration should take at least two PSAA courses, including the required PSAA 603.
An internship with a non-US or an international NGO is highly recommended for students doing this concentration.

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

Faculty coordinator: Professor William Norris
  • INTA 616 Economic Development in China (Mu)
  • INTA 621 Chinese Foreign Policy (Norris)
  • INTA 672 East Asian Security (Norris)
  • INTA 673 Chinese Domestic Politics (Norris) – CORE COURSE
  • INTA 689 China’s Military (Norris)
  • INTA 689 China Study Abroad – (Norris) (Offered only in spring term of odd-numbered years)

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 481 Twentieth Century China (HIST faculty)
  • 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)
  • INTA 686 Russia and International Politics (Napper)
  • 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)

Middle East

Faculty coordinator: Professor Mohammad Tabaar
  • INTA 604 Contemporary Politics of the Middle East (Tabaar)– CORE COURSE
  • INTA 664 The Middle East State System (Gause)
  • INTA 671 The Political Economy of the Middle East (Snider) – CORE COURSE
  • INTA 674 US Foreign Policy in the Persian Gulf (Tabaar)
  • INTA 675 Religion and Politics in Iran (Tabaar)
  • INTA 676 International Politics of the Middle East (Gause) – CORE COURSE
  • INTA 668 The Politics and History of the Arab Spring (Snider)
  • INTA 689 The Politics of Egypt (Snider)
  • INTA 703 Clientelism in the Developing World (Hamie)