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Apply for 2025-2026 MAIR
Master of Arts in International Relations (MAIR) Program
Across all professional fields in the public and private sectors there is a growing recognition by employers that workforce requirements include having the skill-sets to read, evaluate, and analyze quantitative data and information in a sophisticated manner. Increase your marketable expertise, professional flexibility and mobility, and career advancement readiness with the Master of Arts in International Relations (MAIR). The program is designed to provide advanced coursework and applied quantitative methods training for students seeking international careers as analysts in the public and private sectors as well as researchers in academia and think tanks.
The MAIR program provides training for students with career goals centered in research and analysis that require sophisticated applied research and analysis of international relations issues. The program focuses on developing research skills for quantitative analyses of international relations issues in response to a growing need and recognition for analysts who can design and conduct statistical analyses on pressing international problems. Program graduates will be ideally suited for a wide variety of careers in academia, government, journalism, law, non-governmental organizations, and international business.
The MAIR is a 30-credit graduate program that includes coursework in international political economy, international security, international law, and statistical methods of data analysis for international relations research questions. The curriculum emphasizes developing research and analysis skills based on a solid background in international relations theory and quantitative empirical research. The location of the campus in College Park, Maryland, allows students to take advantage of their proximity to Washington, D.C., further enabling them to participate in internship opportunities, build their professional network, and make the transition to the next step in their career.
Standalone MA and 4+1 Options
Currently enrolled UMD students with junior standing can apply for the MAIR combined 4+1 program. Up to nine graduate credits (3 courses) taken during the senior year (4th year) will double-count for both the bachelor’s and master’s degrees. There is no additional cost for these three graduate courses, as they are covered by existing undergraduate tuition. Following full completion of the undergraduate degree, the remaining 21 credits (7 courses) will be taken in a 5th year, over two semesters, contingent upon formal admission to the graduate school with a minimum 3.0 GPA. These 7 courses will be billed at the graduate rate per credit hour.
Potential applications who have already completed their undergraduate study may apply for MAIR’s standalone MA degree track. These students will already have secured their baccalaureate degree (either at UMD or elsewhere) and will take all 30 credit hours billed at the graduate rate.
More information about MAIR and graduate billing can be found at Extended Studies (EXST).
