2IP: International MA Program

The International Institute of Paris MA Program is designed to appeal to students from a wide range of backgrounds, including politics, history and strategic studies. It also provides opportunities for professionals in the areas of defense, diplomacy and foreign affairs to reflect on the broader implications of their experiences. The MA Program is a one-year fulltime classroom study program that offers students the opportunity to engage critically within the fields of Political Science and International Relations. The program consists of a broad based multi-disciplinary curriculum. In addition, MA students are encouraged to choose a familiar subject for their thesis dissertation in the expectation that they will broaden their minds and discover their true intellectual interests and aptitudes thanks to the academic advising provided by the Institute.

The Department of Arts is one of the largest as it covers a wide range of disciplines from areas of study more traditionally associated with the Humanities such as History, Philosophy, History of Arts, Music, and Biblical and Theological studies to Professional Disciplines such as Education, International Law and Psychology. Research leading to higher degree (MA, MSc, or MLitt or PhD) can be undertaken in any of these areas by a combination of taught Courses and dissertation. In the Department of Humanities within the International Institute of Paris, we seek to enlighten the mind and transform the soul. In our program, your mind will be developed, disciplined, and deepened through an inquiry into the great human questions.

You will be introduced into these questions in a rigorous way by learning the approaches of various disciplines of liberal arts. It is the Institute’s purpose to seek wisdom for personal and cultural renewal through the pursuit of an integrated, interdisciplinary approach to human questions. We have an enthusiastic, award-winning faculty from a variety of disciplines that are dedicated to helping you seek the wisdom we need to lead flourishing, integrated lives. We approach the great human questions out of the Catholic tradition from a variety of perspectives.

We inquire into contemporary culture with rigor and depth. We invite you to think about the deepest human questions with us by pursuing truth and intellectual excellence through an interdisciplinary course of studies. You will also be taught how to bring the fruits of these inquiries into harmony through philosophy and theology. In short, you will become a liberally educated person who is able to reason well and communicate the fruits of your inquiries to others. The Department of Humanities consists of six autonomous sections and programs, each with its own headquarters: Anthropology, Foreign Languages and Literatures, History, Literature, Music and Theater Arts, and Writing and Humanistic Studies

MA- Majors

M.A. in International Relations                                                        LLM in International Law

M.A. in Conflict, Development and Security                                  M.A in Global Governance and Social Theory

M.A. in Defense and Security Analysis M.A. in Diplomacy        MA in Political Philosophy

M.A. in Peace Studies                                                                        MA in European Union Governance

M.A. in Conflict Resolution                                                              MA in Global Political Economy

M.A. in Globalization & the Information Age                              MA in Security Studies

Course Requirements

Any five of 1-14 within Member School

Program Requirements

To ensure a balanced, comprehensive background in international relations, all candidates must pass examinations in at least two out of four core subjects. Students should make every effort to complete the core requirements over their first two semesters and should have completed these requirements by the beginning of their fourth semester. However, students who concentrate in International Relations must complete the Theories of International Relations core exam no later than the end of their second semester. Some programs may require that students pass one or more core exams as a prerequisite to certain courses. Students may prepare independently for the core exams with the aid of the syllabus.

If they feel insufficiently prepared in any areas, students may enroll in the appropriate core courses either for credit or as auditors. If they take the courses for credit, they must fulfill all of the specific course requirements set by the instructors. Credits for core courses are counted among the 16 courses required for the degree.

Concentration Requirements

All candidates must concentrate their studies in two programs, one of which must be International Economics. The other program may be a program in the International Relations field. A student usually takes six courses to meet a concentration requirement. Students must consult with the director of their chosen second program or with their adviser in order to plan an appropriate course of study.

Before graduation, M.A. candidates must pass a written and oral examination to show proficiency in one of the following modern foreign languages. Those that are not native speakers of English must pass the written and oral English proficiency exam.

Core exams will receive a letter grade, and the exams will be graded as rigorously as a final exam in a core course. Students have the option of retaking the exam once if they are not satisfied with their initial grade, presumably after having audited the core course in a later semester. The higher of the two grades will appear on their transcript but will not be included in the calculation of their grade point average.

Students may choose to take the core course for credit after taking the core exam once or twice. Students must register for the core course for credit if they have not passed a particular core requirement by the beginning of their final semester at 2IP. Students will be approved to take this as a fifth course if other courses are required for graduation.

The MA Thesis

Each student is required to write a Master Project based on original research. Students are expected to indicate their proposed thesis topic in their application but this topic can be refined and developed during the coursework. The research component will be especially enhanced by knowledge of some type of available primary resources, whether archival documents, prospective interviews and fieldwork, or periodical collections.

M.A. students may transfer a maximum of 35 credits from graduate courses at other institutions with approval of the Graduate Committee. Courses are not transferable until after a student has enrolled. Recipients of scholarships must enroll for a minimum of 25 credits each semester in order to remain eligible for financial aid.