Earn two MA degrees in two years to prepare for the changing demands of the global marketplace: The Masters Degree in Economics and the Professional MA Degree in International Relations from the Maxwell School.

The interplay between international relations and economic forces dominates our attention today. The daily headlines reveal the extent of global conflict rooted in economics--everything from transatlantic trade wars, to sovereign debt default to environmental devastation. Students of international relations cannot fully appreciate the underpinnings and solutions to modern conflict without a firm grasp of economic principles. Furthermore, in the increasingly competitive job market, IR students with a firm grounding in economic theory and applied quantitative techniques hold a distinct advantage in building quality careers in government, the private sector or with non-government organizations.

The Maxwell School has introduced a Joint Economics and International Relations Option. This rigorous course of study allows you to earn two MA degrees--in International Relations and in Economics--in only two years. You will be expected to complete challenging courses in economic theory as well as econometrics, in addition to core courses in International Relations. We expect our most promising IR students with a strong interest in Economics to take advantage of this unique opportunity to acquire a strong interdisciplinary expertise.

The Department of Economics offers a Masters Degree that emphasizes the simultaneous development of a strong grounding in economic concepts and the rigorous application of theory to applied, policy-oriented settings.  Graduates of Economics lead a wide variety of careers in business and government, including management, consulting, research and policy analysis.

The International Relations Program offers a Professional Masters Degree that prepares students for leadership in public and international affairs.  The Program emphasizes integrative interdisciplinary social science perspectives and practical and collaborative experiences that enable students to deal with global issues of governance and policy. Students have the option of enhancing their professional and theoretical skills with a challenging internship in Geneva or Washington, D.C. as well as other sites worldwide.

Requirements 

Students are admitted to both programs separately and must fulfill the core courses, specializations, and exit requirements for both programs. Upon completion of these requirements, students are awarded two degrees, the MA-IR from the International Relations Program and the MA in Economics from the Economics Department.  An overview of the joint degree requirements can be found below:

First Semester (12 Credits)

ECN 505 – Mathematics for Economists.  Mathematical techniques required for economics including calculus, matrix algebra, difference and differential equations, and set theory. 

IRP 645 – History of International Relations.  This course considers the relationships between Nations, States and Empires, in their various attempts to assert or resist hegemonic interests, in time.  The general orientation of the course will be towards the kind of comparative historical reasoning that will offer the student a critical context from which to assess contemporary debates in the theory, policy, and practice of international affairs.

ECN 601 – Survey of Microeconomic Theory. For graduate students with little recent work in economics.

ECN 521 – Economic Statistics.  Theory and application of statistical methods applied to economics.

IRP 705 - Qualitative Analysis for IR

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Second Semester (12 Credits)

ECN 602 – Survey of Macroeconomic Theory.  For graduate students with little recent work in economics.

ECN 522 – Econometric Methods.  Statistical procedures and problems of estimating parameters in regression models of economic behavior.

ECN 566 – International Macroeconomics and Finance.  Monetary, fiscal, and regulatory consequences of mushrooming international financial markets including equities, bonds, and other securities, commodity and options contracts, and bank deposits and loans.

IRP 707 Culture in World Affairs (or)

PSC 783 Comparative Foreign Policy

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Maymester (1 credit)

Prerequisites:

A minimum of one year of economics principles (and preferably intermediate economics) at the undergraduate level is required.  Students must demonstrate basic competency in differential and integral calculus. 

Application Procedures and Deadlines:

Applications are invited from persons who are committed to careers in the field of international affairs with a specialization in international economics, trade, or development.  Interested persons must apply and be accepted to both programs to be eligible.  Prospective applicants are welcome to visit our campus, although personal interviews are not required. Further information on application procedures and deadlines can be found on our admissions page, or by calling International Relations at (315) 443-2306.

If you have questions about the application, please contact the IR Office as soon as possible.

Financial Aid:

The Maxwell School provides financial aid to support graduate study.  For more information on financial aid, please click here.

Careers in International Affairs:

Students who have earned MA degrees in Economics and International Relations enter careers in global business and international development. For example, recent graduates of the Maxwell School have found positions in multinational corporations, investment banks, and policy consulting firms, as well as the US Government, the World Bank System, the IMF and the United Nations.

More than 6,000 Maxwell graduates hold a variety of influential positions in the United States and around the world.  In the Washington, D.C. area, there are 1,600 Maxwell alumni who work in the executive branch, on Capitol Hill, in NGOs, and in international organizations.

For More Information about the Joint Economics and International Relations Option:

Contact Dr. Stuart Brown, Professor of Economics and International Relations.

Dr. Brown specializes in international economics and finance, macroeconomics and the political economy of transitional countries.  He has worked at the IMF and the Bank of America in London.