University Catalog 2024-2025

International Studies

The Master of International Studies (MIS) is a 36 credit, non-thesis professional degree program that prepares students for careers in government service, non-profit administration, international business, and international student services and study abroad. Located in the School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA), the MIS degree draws upon faculty and courses from colleges and departments across the university. Approximately half of the course work for the degree is devoted to developing international knowledge and competencies. The remaining coursework is comprised of regional, topical, professional or technical specializations designed by students in consultation with their faculty advisors. The program has an excellent internship program that contributes to job placement upon graduation.

Degree Requirements

The requirements for the MIS degree are as follows:

  1. 36 credit hours of course work;
  2. Core Curriculum (15 hours). One course from each of the following five groups:
    International Relations
    Comparative Politics/Societies
    International Law and Organization
    International Economy/Development
    Research Methods
  3. Individualized specialization (18 hours). The specialization may be in a geographical region (e.g., Europe, Latin America), an international topic (e.g., security, global governance,  sustainable development), a professional field (e.g., public administration, non-profit management), or a technical specialty (e.g., Geographic Information System-GIS).
  4. Capstone seminar (3 hours) and oral presentation of work to faculty and peers;
  5. International experience or study abroad; and
  6. Competency in a foreign language as determined by the Department of World Languages and Culture.

More Information

MIS Program Website.

Admission Requirements

A list of application requirements can be found on the MIS Application Information page. T

Applicant Information

  • Delivery Method: On-Campus
  • Entrance Exam: None
  • Interview Required: None

Application Deadlines

  • Fall: Mar 1 priority, Rolling admissions through June 25
  • Spring: Nov 1 priority, Rolling admissions through November 25

Faculty

Full Professors

  • Lada Kochtcheeva
  • Richard Mahoney
  • Andrew J. Taylor

Associate Professors

  • William A. Boettcher III
  • Clifford E Griffin
  • Heidi H. Hobbs
  • Moses Khisa
  • Jessica Liao
  • Mark T. Nance
  • Robert Reardon
  • Traciel V. Reid
  • Michael John Struett
  • James Richard Zink

Assistant Professor

  • Elizabeth Lane

Practice/Research/Teaching Professors

  • Tracy Ann Appling
  • Dmitri Mitin

Teaching Assistant Professor

  • Zlatin Mitkov

Courses

MIS 598  Special Topics in International Studies  (1-6 credit hours)  

In-depth investigation of a contemporary topic in the field of international studies in a class context. Topic and mode of instruction to be determined by faculty member. May be taken for up to six hours of credit.

Prerequisite: Advanced Undergraduate standing, PBS status, or Graduate standing

Typically offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer

MIS 601  Colloquium in International Studies  (3 credit hours)  

Selected topics in international studies required for writing and oral presentation of MIS capstone paper.

Prerequisite: Graduate standing

Typically offered in Fall and Spring

MIS 630  Independent Study  (1-3 credit hours)  

Investigation of topics of particular interest to advanced students under faculty direction on a tutorial basis. Credits and content vary with student/faculty discretion and needs.

Restricted: MIS Students Only

Typically offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer

MIS 651  Internship in International Studies  (1-6 credit hours)  

Exposure of student to value systems and technological environment of cultures other than his/her own through a supervised work experience. Application of technological knowledge to development problems. Required technical paper summarizing and analyzing this experience.

Prerequisite: MIS standing

Typically offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer

MIS 685  Master's Supervised Teaching  (1-3 credit hours)  

Teaching experience under the mentorship of faculty who assist the student in planning for the teaching assignment, observe and provide feedback to the student during the teaching assignment, and evaluate the student upon completion of the assignment.

Prerequisite: Master's student

Typically offered in Fall and Spring

MIS 688  Non-Thesis Masters Continuous Registration - Half Time Registration  (1 credit hours)  

For students in non-thesis master's programs who have completed all credit hour requirements for their degree but need to maintain half-time continuous registration to complete incomplete grades, projects, final master's exam, etc.

Prerequisite: Master's student

Typically offered in Fall and Spring

MIS 690  Master's Examination  (1-9 credit hours)  

For students in non thesis master's programs who have completed all other requirements of the degree except preparing for and taking the final master's exam.

Prerequisite: Master's student

Typically offered in Fall and Spring

PS 502  The Legislative Process  (3 credit hours)  

The formulation of public policy from institutional and behavioral viewpoints. Important current legislative problems at congressional and state legislative levels selected and serve as basis for analyzing legislative process.

Prerequisite: Advanced Undergraduate standing including 12 hrs. of PS, Graduate standing or PBS status

Typically offered in Spring only

PS 506  United States Constitutional Law  (3 credit hours)  

Basic constitutional doctrines, including fundamental law, judicial review, individual rights and political privileges and national and state power. Special attention given to application of these doctrines to regulation of business, agriculture andlabor and to rights safeguarded by First, Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution.

Prerequisite: 12 hours of PS or Graduate standing or PBS status

Typically offered in Fall only

PS 507  Civil Liberties In the United States  (3 credit hours)  

Leading constitutional cases in civil liberties and individual rights along with writings of leading commentators.

Prerequisite: 12 hours of PS or Graduate standing or PBS status

Typically offered in Fall and Spring

PS 530  Seminar In International Relations  (3 credit hours)  

May be taken for up to six hours credit. In-depth examination of a topic within larger field of international politics to be selected by instructor for each semester from subjects pertaining to interstate relations, international law and organization, regional politics, foreign and security policy or global issues. Students undertake substantial independent research project.

Typically offered in Fall only

PS 531  International Law  (3 credit hours)  

Sources and subjects of international law, domestic and international jurisdictions, judicial settlement, legal and illegal uses of force and substance of law in selected policy areas.

Prerequisite: Graduate standing or Advanced Undergraduate standing

Typically offered in Fall and Spring

PS 532  Seminar in Global Governance  (3 credit hours)  

The politics of global governance, with emphasis on the role of intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, international regimes, and supranational institutions, and the comparative analysis of different governance structures. Includes study of the mechanisms of international cooperation between states and their citizens in a variety of issue areas, such as trade, money, development, humanitarianism, the environment, human rights, and security. Graduate standing.

Typically offered in Fall only

PS 533  Global Problems and Policy  (3 credit hours)  

International policy processes and policy responses to problems of global scope including role of international law. Consideration given to economic development, human rights and other policy problems selected for specific semesters. Independent research on a global policy problem of student's choice.

Prerequisite: Advanced Undergraduate standing including 12 hours of PS program, Graduate standing or PBS status

Typically offered in Spring only

PS 534  The Politics of Human Rights Policies  (3 credit hours)  

Human rights policies and politics within the modern global society; the interplay of international organizations, governments and non-governmental actors in promoting and undermining international human rights; examines how domestic politics, sovereignty, cultural norms, religion, geo-political competition, past colonialism, and economic considerations affect efforts to address human rights violations in different countries; human rights issues such as genocide, humanitarian intervention, women and gender issues, refugees, transitional justice or reconciliation, ethnic/racial divisions, human trafficking, etc. Graduate standing.

Typically offered in Fall only

PS 536  Global Environmental Law and Policy  (3 credit hours)  

International organizations, laws and policies addressing global environmental problems including: population growth, atmospheric pollution, climate change, use of oceans, forests and biodiversity. Relationship between environment and Third World economic development.

Prerequisite: Graduate standing or PBS status

Typically offered in Summer only

PS 539  International Political Economy  (3 credit hours)  

Politics of international trade and payments, with special emphasis on international and domestic determinants of protectionism, international and national political institutions, multinational corporations, debt crises, and dilemmas of economic underdevelopment.

Prerequisite: Advanced Undergraduate standing, Graduate standing or PBS status

Typically offered in Fall only

This course is offered alternate years

PS 540  Seminar In Comparative Politics  (3 credit hours)  

This seminar opens with a survey of the problems and methods of comparative political analysis, after which students assigned a specific, limited subject to be examined within framework of a systematic, analytical scheme appropriate to topic. Specific topics drawn from subjects of political ideologies, political groups, political elites and decision-making institutions and processes.

Prerequisite: One course in comparative politics and one course in PS methodology

Typically offered in Fall and Spring

PS 541  Political Islam  (3 credit hours)  

Explores the diversity of movements, organizations, and political parties that fall within political Islam, from the extremist, violent fringe to democratically functioning groups. Begins with an overview of the interaction of religion and politics before defining political Islam and exploring major groups practicing it. The course provides a comparative perspective on Islam's interactions with the political realm, as well as a study of the role it plays in promoting or hindering democratic development.

Prerequisite: Graduate standing

Typically offered in Spring only

This course is offered alternate odd years

PS 542  European Politics  (3 credit hours)  

Analysis of political institutions and processes in selected European states and the European community and major social, economic and political issues confronting European societies.

Prerequisite: Nine hours of PS program, Graduate standing or PBS status

Typically offered in Spring only

PS 543/PS 443  Seminar in Latin American & Caribbean Politics  (3 credit hours)  

Comparative political development in Latin America and the Caribbean. Emphasis on democratization and implications for US foreign policy. Credit cannot be given for both PS 443 and PS 543

Prerequisite: Six hours of Political Science including PS 231

Typically offered in Spring only

PS 544  Contemporary African Politics  (3 credit hours)  

A survey of key themes, trajectories, and trends in contemporary African politics. It analyzes political and economic development on the continent since the dawn of independence in the late 1950s. Although largely focused on Sub-Saharan Africa, the course will nevertheless touch upon linkages and connections with North Africa as well as diasporic influences and inspirations especially in the pan-African struggles for independence and the forging of new sovereign nation-states.

Prerequisite: Graduate standing

Typically offered in Fall only

PS 545/PS 445  Comparative Systems of Law and Justice  (3 credit hours)  

Legal culture and administration of justice in various countries and in the U.S. Emphasis on the impact of legal ideology on crime, political justice, police administration, corrections and judicial process. Credit will not be given for both PS 445 and PS 545

Junior standing or above

Typically offered in Fall and Spring

PS 546  The Politics of East Asia  (3 credit hours)  

This course examines the history and key theoretical and policy debates on the politics of East Asia, which in this course includes China, Japan, two Koreas, and Taiwan. Yet, other countries in and beyond the region (the United States, Russia, Southeast Asian nations) and their relations with the five states are an integral part of the course. The class comprises three parts. Part I introduces the modern history of East Asia. Part II examines the contemporary governments of East Asia, including their political systems and the main debates surrounding their politics. Part III focuses on interstate relations of East Asia and Pacific, comprising a series of topics that are both timely and heatedly debated among intellectuals and policymakers. While these topics are mostly country/countries-specific, they together are important in understanding the regional dynamics of East Asia.

Typically offered in Fall only

PS 547  Russian Politics  (3 credit hours)  

The course investigates the principal political and societal actors in today's Russia, as well as the key trends in Russia's domestic and foreign policy.

Typically offered in Spring only

PS 560  Nuclear Nonproliferation Policy & Process  (3 credit hours)  

Policy and processes associated with global nuclear nonproliferation efforts. Special emphasis on the history of the development of the global nonproliferation regime, current challenges, and future threats.

Typically offered in Fall and Spring

PS 561  Nuclear Strategy and Nonproliferation  (3 credit hours)  

No understanding of world politics is complete without an accounting of the role of nuclear weapons. Observers have credited the nuclear revolution with everything from responsibility for the longest period without a great-power war in modern history to bringing humanity to the precipice of annihilation. This course gives students an understanding of the role that nuclear weapons have played in world politics over the past seven decades. The course explores the ways these weapons have been incorporated into military force structures; the roles they have played in military strategy; and the effort to control their spread, limit deployments and stockpiles, avoid nuclear war, and prevent nuclear terrorism. This course will be of use to graduate students with an interest in international relations, foreign policy, and national security. No prior background in international security or nuclear policy is required.

Typically offered in Fall only

PS 571  Research Methods and Analysis  (3 credit hours)  

A survey of methods used in behavioral research as applied to field of political science: elements of empirical theory, research design, measurement of variables, sampling procedures, data courses, techniques of data collection, statistical analysis, qualitative methodologies and presentation of research findings.

Prerequisite: Advanced Undergraduate standing including 12 hours of PS program, Graduate standing or PBS status

Typically offered in Fall only

PS 585  Constitutional and Legal Principles for Police Supervisors  (3 credit hours)  

Intensive look at the constitutional underpinnings and restrictions on laws and government agency policies impacting police agencies. Specific constitutional protections relating to interrogation and search of employees, freedom of speech, freedom of religion and drug testing. Legal risks and liabilities facing police managers and how to reduce these risks.

Typically offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer

PS 590  Special Topics  (1-6 credit hours)  

Typically offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer

PS 598  Special Topics In Political Science  (1-6 credit hours)  

Detailed investigation of a topic. Topic and mode of study determined by student and a faculty member.

Prerequisite: Six hours of PS program or graduate student standing.

Typically offered in Fall and Spring

PS 610  Special Topics  (1-6 credit hours)  

Detailed investigation of a topic. Topic and mode of study determined by student and a faculty member.

Prerequisite: Six hours of PS program or graduate student standing.

Typically offered in Fall and Spring