Message from the Program Director
It is my pleasure to extend a warm welcome to all of you joining the Masters of International Relations program at
Dar Al-Hekma University.
Our thoughtfully designed curriculum provides you with a comprehensive and interdisciplinary education taught by faculty members who will guide you through a range of subjects in the disciplines of political science, economics and law. As global challenges continue to unfold, the need for a deeper understanding of international politics, diplomacy and global affairs has never been greater. By choosing to pursue your Master’s degree in International Relations, you have made a commendable decision to equip yourselves with the needed knowledge and skills to navigate this landscape and make a difference.
Welcome to our program at Dar Al-Hekma University!
Program Mission
Graduating professionals with advanced knowledge in the field of international relations within an academic environment that encourages scientific research and community engagement.
Program Goals
- Graduate qualified students with degrees in international relations work in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, international law, and international business firms.
- Prepare students who intend to pursue further academic studies.
- Establish outreach links with the community through lectures and other activities.
Why Choose the Master of International Relations Program at Dar Al-Hekma University?
- The curriculum was developed in collaboration with the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, Boston.
- With wide exposure to international relations and regional issues, students may specialize in one of two tracks, international law or international economics.
- The Master of International Relations program is enriched by students and diverse international faculty, thus empowering graduates with essential skills to thrive locally and globally
- Courses in the MAIR program are taught evenings to accommodate working students and are delivered on a modular basis in 3-4-week cycles for each course throughout the semester.
- In addition to theory-based lectures, students are engaged in research and in practical work in a required internship course usually completed at an international or governmental organization.
Admission Requirements
Programs
| Linguaskill Score
| Required Bachelor
Degree
| Pre-Requisite Program
| Othe Admission Requirement
|
|---|
Master of Arts in
International Relations
| 176
| A Bachelor Degree in
Any Field
| None
| Pass Interview
|
For further details about admissions, click here
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this program, graduates will be able to:
Knowledge
- Explain how the political, social, economic, and legal institutions function in the international system.
Skills
- Use communication skills for both individual and team work as appropriate in the subdisciplines of international relations.
- Demonstrate leadership abilities using the communication skills and knowledge acquired in the program.
- Conduct international relations related research on a contemporary topic.
- Demonstrate the use of technology for research related to the discipline of international relations.
Values
- Demonstrate ethical conduct in the use of sources and in the workplace.
Plan of Study
|
Year One (1) |
|---|
|
Semester – Fall |
Semester – Spring |
|---|
Course Code |
Course Title |
Credit Hours |
Course Code |
Course Title |
Credit Hours |
| INTR 6301 | Core: Theories Concepts in
International Relations | 3
| INTR 6304 | Core: Comparative Politics | 3 |
| INTR 6302 | Core: International
Organizations | 3 | INTR 6305 | Core: fundamental
of Economics | 3 |
| INTR 6303 | Core: International Law | 3 | INTR 6306 | Core: Research Methodology
and Statistics | 3 |
| INTR 6304 | Core: Processes of
International Negotiations | 3 |
|
Total Credit Hours |
9 |
Total Credit Hours |
12 |
|
Year Two (2) |
|---|
|
Semester – Fall |
Semester – Spring |
|---|
Course Code |
Course Title |
Credit Hours |
Course Code |
Course Title |
Credit Hours |
| XXXX xxxx | Course from concentration choice | 3 | INTE 6304
| Core: International Political Economy
| 3 |
| XXXX xxxx | Course from concentration choice | 3 | INTR 6312 | Core: Research Project | 3 |
| XXXX xxxx | Course from concentration choice | 3 | XXXX xxxx | Free Elective
| 3 |
| XXXX xxxx | Free Elective | 3
|
|
|
Total Credit Hours |
12 |
Total Credit Hours |
9 |
Career Prospects
The program equips students with the necessary skills that qualify them for a variety of career paths/jobs in the job market and a variety of places where they can excel including, but not limited to:
- Government
- Foreign Affairs
- International organizations
- Law offices
- Multinational corporations
- Private sector corporations and small businesses
- Management consultancy
- Academia
- Non-profit organizations
(INTR 6301) Theories and Concepts in International Relations:
Credit Hours: 3 (3.0)
This course is a broad introduction to the study of international relations (IR). Students are acquainted with major theories and concepts in preparation additional courses in the international relations subfield of political science. Students learn about the nature of the international system, the origins and consequences of major wars, the dynamics of coercion, international institutions and the problem of cooperation, the interaction of domestic and international politics, the role of ideas and norms about sovereignty, military intervention, and human rights; state failure, terrorism; nuclear proliferation; global reactions to United States hegemony, and the future of international politics.
(INTR 6302) International organizations:
Credit Hours: 3 (3.0)
This course examines international organizations in both theory and practice. It carefully examines various international organizations, considering their historical origins, ostensible functions, the international and domestic political forces that impact their operations, and their effectiveness. Students learn contending theories of international organizations, and then investigate practical applications in the areas of global and regional governance, collective security, and functional cooperation across a variety of realms.
(INTR 6303) International Law:
Credit Hours: 3 (3.0)
International law may be defined as the rules, principles, and norms that govern relations between states. This course is an introductory survey of international law and its role in international politics. In the process, central questions such as the effectiveness of international law in providing international order and reducing conflict, and the relationship between international law and state sovereignty, will be addressed.
(INTR 6304) Comparative Politics:
Credit Hours: 3 (3.0)
This course presents an overview of comparative political systems throughout the world, and introduces students to the basic concepts and methods of comparative politics. The course provides for discussion of key concepts and theoretical issues, as well as case studies. Students learn about diverse governments, role of government, political culture, state formation, democratization, communism and other forms of governments.
(INTR6305) Fundamentals of Economics:
Credit Hours: 3 (3.0)
The purpose of this course is to lay the foundation for the understanding of economics through introducing the students to the basic analysis, such as supply and demand, market structure and economic growth, used by economists to understand microeconomic decision making and the functioning of the macroeconomy.
(INTR 6306) Research Methodology and Statistics:
Credit Hours: 3 (3.0)
This course examines international organizations in both theory and practice. It provides contending theories of international organizations, and different methodologies used in international relations research. It serves as an introduction to the fundamental tools of research methodology in international relations. It includes comparison between qualitative and quantitative research, hypotheses testing, correlation coefficient and regression analysis. Students investigate practical applications in the areas of global and regional governance, collective security, and functional cooperation across a variety of realms.
(INTL 6304) Processes of International Negotiations:
Credit Hours:
This course provides an overview of negotiation theories and practices of international importance – bilateral, regional and multilateral. The emphasis is on different approaches to understanding what drives negotiation process and explains the outcome. The course examines not only the official negotiation process but also the important functions of prenegotiation and post-agreement negotiations concerned with implementation and compliance. Case studies and examples from different issue areas are used to learn more generally about contemporary international negotiations: its features and many faces, its limitations and possibilities for greater effectiveness.
(INTE 6304) International Political Economy:
Credit Hours: 3 (3.0)
This course focuses on the major theories of international political economy and the dual realities of scarcity and sovereignty in the international state system. It addresses the issues of the distribution of wealth and poverty in the international state system. The course also identifies the relevant international institutions and their political dynamics that regulate finance and trade and underscore the interaction of politics and economics in the international state system.
(INTR 6312) Research Project:
Credit Hours: 3 (3.0)
This course provides practical instruction for students to complete a master’s research in International Relations. The students apply the process involved in conducting and writing research.
Concentration I: International Law.
(INTL 6301) Comparative Legal Systems:
Credit Hours: 3 (3.0)
This course provides students with a basic understanding of the two-principal legal traditions of the world—the common law and the civil law traditions—and of the Islamic tradition which has taken on increased significance in recent years. In addition, it will offer one class providing and overview of the Chinese legal system in light of China’s increasing importance in the world.
(INTL 6302) Human Rights Law:
Credit Hours: 3 (3.0)
This course offers philosophical, legal, and political perspectives on human rights. After a short historical introduction to international human rights, it surveys international human rights treaties, courts, and institutions. Next it turns to topics in human rights theory, covering some contemporary philosophical theories of human rights. It also explores some human rights problems and controversies such as economic and social rights, group rights, and cultural relativism. This is an introductory survey course on international human rights law and procedures, which will include detailed consideration of global, regional, and national mechanisms for the protection of human rights.
(INTL 6303) International Trade:
Credit Hours: 3 (3.0)
This course introduces the fundamentals of international trade in the context of the World Trade Organization (WTO). It focuses on the effects of trade agreements and institutions on policy at national, international and global levels, with emphasis on emerging issues of trade. It further examines the conflicts and convergence of trade policies at the international level in accordance with WTO rules. This course also exposes students to assessing international trade and related issues in negotiations at regional and international levels.
(INTL6305) Elements of International Environmental Policy:
Credit Hours: 3 (3.0)
This course provides students with a basic understanding of the two principal legal traditions of the world—the common law and the civil law traditions—and of the Islamic tradition which has taken on increased significance in recent years. In addition, it will offer one class providing and overview of the Chinese legal system in light of China’s increasing importance in the world.
Concentration II: International Economics
(INTE 6301) Survey of International Economics:
Credit Hours: 3 (3.0)
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the two major branches of international economics: Trade Theory and International Finance. Students develop an understanding of financial relations and macroeconomics forces and how they shape patterns of international trade, through application to empirical literature.
(INTE 6302) International Macroeconomics:
Credit Hours: 3 (3.0)
The purpose of this course is to develop the models relating to international macroeconomics first introduced in the Fundamentals of Economics. This course provides students with the conceptual framework that is required to understand the implications of countries’ current account imbalances; to identify the factors that determine the volume and composition of international capital flows; to interpret exchange rate fluctuations; and to assess the scope for monetary and fiscal policy in open economies.
(INTE 6303) Topics in International Economic Issues:
Credit Hours: 3 (3.0)
This course covers key topics of current research and developments in international economics. The course presents significant opportunities to analyze and discuss important issues and trends in the global economy. The course focuses on the study and implications of these issues for various countries and regions around the world.
(INTR 6309) Development Economics:
Credit Hours: 3 (3.0)
This course provides an introduction to several of the main economic issues confronting developing countries. Based on a combination of theoretical models, empirical readings, and country/regional case studies, the course sheds light on some of the major public policy challenges facing governments in developing countries. The course concentrates on three broad topics: poverty and its relationship with inequality and growth, long-run economic growth, and short-run recovery from economic shocks. The unifying theme is the challenge of creating “pro-poor” growth -- how best to connect the poor to the growth process.
(INTE 6302) International Macroeconomics:
Credit Hours: 3 (3.0)
The purpose of this course is to develop the models relating to international macroeconomics first introduced in the Fundamentals of Economics. This course provides students with the conceptual framework that is required to understand the implications of countries’ current account imbalances; to identify the factors that determine the volume and composition of international capital flows; to interpret exchange rate fluctuations; and to assess the scope for monetary and fiscal policy in open economies.
(INTE 6303) Topics in International Economic Issues:
Credit Hours: 3 (3.0)
This course covers key topics of current research and developments in international economics. The course presents significant opportunities to analyze and discuss important issues and trends in the global economy. The course focuses on the study and implications of these issues for various countries and regions around the world.
(INTL 6303) International Trade:
Credit Hours: 3 (3.0)
This course introduces the fundamentals of international trade in the context of the World Trade Organization (WTO). It focuses on the effects of trade agreements and institutions on policy at national, international and global levels, with emphasis on emerging issues of trade. It further examines the conflicts and convergence of trade policies at the international level in accordance with WTO rules. This course also exposes students to assessing international trade and related issues in negotiations at regional and international levels.
Free Electives.
(INTR 6308) The Art and Science of Statecraft:
Credit Hours: 3 (3.0)
This course looks at foreign policy through the lens of Statecraft. Statecraft is the art of communication between state entities to promote foreign policy. Best practices and examples of the art and science of foreign policy making are examined, and how different options affect short and long term goals.
(INTR 6310) Force and Strategy:
Credit Hours: 3 (3.0)
This course provides an overview of the role of armed force in international politics. It examines the circumstances under which states and non-state actors use force or the threat of force to advance their interests and enhance their security. The course has two objectives. First, it introduces students to some of the theories and concepts that form the basis of security studies as a distinct subfield of international relations (IR). Second, it examines some current security challenges for the Gulf States and other states.
(INTR6307) Foreign Policy and the Arab World:
Credit Hours: 3 (3.0)
This course investigates the domestic and external factors that influence foreign policy decisions reached by Arab governments. Students study the input and output factors of foreign affairs and then evaluate the applicability of various international relations theory approaches (balance-of-power, domestic politics, political culture, etc.) in understanding how Arab states actually practice foreign policy.
(INTR 6311) Internship:
Credit Hours: 3 (3.0)
Continuous and direct communication and meetings between academic and field supervisors of the internship discussing the best practices and methods to improve the implementation of the internship.
