Master of International Affairs (MIA)

Get prepared to change the world in just one year

Whether you’re a future diplomat, business executive, NGO leader or more, our Master of International Affairs (MIA) program will prepare you for a wide array of career opportunities in the global marketplace.

This program, a joint effort between the world-renowned O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs and the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, the national leader in language and area studies, gives students the practical skills and in-depth knowledge to succeed in internationally oriented careers.

Over 60% of O’Neill master’s students receive funding.

Competitive funding packages are available to assist in making our top-ranked school affordable. Email us about funding your degree. 

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Hear from MIA program leadership and students about why the MIA program was the perfect fit for them and how it helped launch their careers in exciting ways. 

Description of the video:

In order to affect change in the world, you first need to try and understand the world. And so a Master of International Affairs will do exactly that. 

 

The MIA program is designed to bring the world class education of public affairs and public administration from the O'Neill School, together with the excellent foreign language and international and area studies instruction from the Hamilton Lugar School. 

 

The joint program, it was perfect for me because it has like the best from both schools. You can have access to the faculty of both the schools but also to the resources. 

 

O'Neill and HLS have both given me opportunities to meet with dignitaries like Senator Evan Bayh, met multiple ambassadors, secretary generals. And as a student they gave us opportunities to have lunch with them and have meetings with them. Unbridled access that I didn't think I would get here in the Midwest. 

 

We're one of the first of its kind at a public research university where we offer a broader array of courses and faculty, but also at an affordable cost without giving up that connection to great careers or great opportunities abroad. 

 

The skills that I learned at IU that prepared me well for the Foreign Service was the concrete skills of economics and budgeting, statistics, social science research. Having the deep background both on the international relations, as well as the public affairs side is really critical, because the problems of today's world are really complex and you need to be able to understand them from lots of different perspectives. 

 

We really have faculty they're at the forefront of their fields. People who are academically oriented, who publish in the top journals in the world, but also people who are practitioners, who advise organizations like the World Bank, the United Nations, that provide you those connections to the outside world in a very practical way. 

 

My relations with professors, their support really helped me a lot. I approached them for career guidance, for supporting me with my research, and creating some meaningful relationships that will be beneficial for my future. 

 

IU was definitely my best option they have given me many tools. All the learning is not just in the books and in the classes, but also the opportunity to take this into a professional level, as all the internships that we have access to. 

 

All the people who graduate with this Master of International Affairs are going to be little seeds we're planting out there to put that knowledge to use to help our state, our country, and eventually the world. So it's not just an academic perspective, it's actually a practitioner perspective.

Be prepared to take on many important career roles in global affairs

Potential career tracks with an MIA degree include:

  • Governments at the national level within development agencies, ministries of foreign affairs, ministries of defense, intelligence agencies, environmental agencies, and international trade offices as well as globally oriented departments at the state and local levels.
  • Multilateral organizations with global mandates as well as regionally focused institutions.
  • Nongovernmental organizations and domestic nonprofits involved in advocacy, research, education, social enterprise, impact investing, grant-making, and field work.
  • Private sector organizations in consulting, energy, environment, technology, media, financial services, healthcare, and many more.

The MIA Program

3concentrations

36credit hours

3semesters

Curriculum

The MIA degree will prepare you to make a lasting impact on international affairs and contribute to the greater good for our planet. Our curriculum blends the best of advanced quantitative analysis and qualitative learning by offering students pathways through three multidisciplinary concentrations*:

  1. Security, Diplomacy, and Governance
  2. Finance and Trade
  3. Global Development, Environment, and Sustainability

You’ll take 36-hours split over the fall, spring, and summer semesters, with five required core courses to acquire essential competence in international and global governance, history, statistics, economics, and policy analysis. You’ll take an additional required core concentration course related to your major concentrations, three additional concentration courses, and three electives. The combination of a rigorous core, concentration diversity, and flexibility to tailor your elective courses from a broad set of courses at the O’Neill School, Hamilton Lugar School, and within the College of Arts and Sciences, makes the program an attractive option for anyone considering a career in international affairs. 

The following is a general guide. You will work with your advisor and refer to the bulletin for your schedule.

Fall Semester

  • 2 general core courses
  • 1 concentration core course
  • 1 additional concentration course
  • 1 elective

Spring Semester

  • 2 general core courses
  • 2 additional concentration courses
  • 1 elective

Summer

  • 1 general core course
  • 1 elective

Students may also substitute an internationally focused internship as an elective. This could potentially be paired with an online course over the summer. 

  • History of the International System (INTL-I 520)
  • International Economic Strategies and Trade Policy (SPEA-D 577)
  • Global Governance and International Organizations (INTL-I 521)
  • Statistical Analysis for Effective Decision Making (SPEA-V 506)
  • Practicum in International Policy Analysis (INTL-I 500)
  • Elective courses organized by concentration

Fall

  • SPEA-D 577 International Economic Strategies and Trade Policy
  • INTL-I 521 Global Governance and International Organizations
  • SPEA-V 506 Statistical Analysis for Effective Decision Making
  • INTL-I 523 International Security Regimes
  • 1 Elective in Concentration

Spring

  • INTL-I 500 Practicum in International Policy Analysis
  • INTL-I 520 History of the International System
  • 2 Electives in Concentration
  • 1 Elective outside Concentration

Summer

  • International Internship for 3 credits
  • 1 Elective course online

Note: Choices are more limited in the summer

Fall

  • SPEA-D 577 International Economic Strategies and Trade Policy
  • INTL-I 521 Global Governance and International Organizations
  • SPEA-V 506 Statistical Analysis for Effective Decision Making
  • SPEA-D 573 Development Economics
  • 1 Elective in Concentration

Spring

  • INTL-I 500 Practicum in International Policy Analysis
  • INTL-I 520 History of the International System
  • 2 Electives in Concentration
  • 1 Elective outside Concentration

Summer

  • 2 Elective courses outside Concentration

 Note: Choices are more limited in the summer

Fall

  • SPEA-D 577 International Economic Strategies and Trade Policy
  • INTL-I 521 Global Governance and International Organizations
  • SPEA-V 506 Statistical Analysis for Effective Decision Making
  • 2 Electives in Concentration

Spring

  • INTL-I 500 Practicum in International Policy Analysis
  • INTL-I 520 History of the International System
  • INTL-I 503 Seminar in Global Development
  • 1 Elective in Concentration
  • 1 Elective outside Concentration

Summer

  • Internationally oriented internship in Bloomington for 3 credits
  • 1 Elective course outside concentration

 Note: Choices are more limited in the summer

 

* With the permission of the MIA program director you may design your own concentration. This option is intended to be exercised in very limited circumstances.

Global Leadership Program

Get a jumpstart on your international career while completing your coursework. Explore the Global Leadership Program to find leadership and work experiences available abroad.

A history of world-class expertise

MIA faculty members are world-class scholars and practitioners, experts on issues related to global governance, security, development, and the environment. Faculty from the Hamilton Lugar School and the nation’s top-ranked O’Neill School will play a major role in shaping your vision and understanding of how the world works beyond our borders. In fact, the two schools bear the names of three of America’s finest public servants—the Hon. Lee Hamilton and the late Sen. Richard Lugar, and former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Paul H. O’Neill.

MIA FAQ

You can complete the degree part-time over a period that extends beyond one year. Admitted students who wish to explore this possibility should discuss it with the MIA co-directors. Currently, the program does not offer a fully online version, so it must be completed in person.

There are no prerequisite courses.  However, you must have completed an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution prior to matriculation if you are applying as a college senior. We base admission decisions on the overall quality of the application.

The MIA degree follows the procedures set by Indiana University which can be found on covid.iu.edu

As of December 2020, tuition will be $515.83 per credit hour for in-state residents and $1,268.75 for non-residents.

Learn more about estimated living expenses in Bloomington

 

What internships do you anticipate being available, and who are the Hamilton Lugar School’s contacts who would support paid/unpaid internships? Are there particular nonprofits, private companies, or government agencies with which you anticipate a strong relationship that would increase the likelihood of placements?

We anticipate students will pursue a broad range of internship opportunities across sectors.  You will have access to career services support from both HLS and O’Neill as well as the possibility of ad hoc assistance by faculty members and alumni in your internship search.

If interested in pursuing an internship abroad, learn more about our Global Leadership Program. 

It’s possible to have more than one concentration!  Work with your academic advisor or faculty director to map out the courses from the outset if you wish to pursue multiple concentrations within the 36 credit hours.

The initial deadline for applications is January 15. After that, admissions will be accepted on a rolling basis until April 1. The final, hard deadline for any applications to be considered for admission for the fall semester is June 1.  If you are seeking financial support, you are encouraged strongly to submit your application by the January 15 deadline.

No. The GRE is optional.