MAIR Program Information

Master of Arts in International Relations (MAIR) Program Information

The Master of Arts in International Relations (MAIR) is designed to provide advanced coursework and applied quantitative methods training for students seeking international careers as analysts in public and private sectors as well as researchers in academia and think tanks. By combining the fundamental skills learned in the first year of the program with the analytical skills that are the focus of the Master's program, graduates of the MAIR program will be ideally suited for a wide variety of careers in academia, government, journalism, law, non-governmental organizations, and international business. The MAIR curriculum of 30 credits 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 reason for developing quantitative research skills is that across all professional fields in the public and private sectors, there is a growing recognition by employers that their workforce needs to have the skill set to read, evaluate, and analyze quantitative data and information in a sophisticated manner. Employees with such skill sets are, therefore, in greater demand and should have more successful careers.

The MAIR program is administered both to college graduates as a standalone master’s and to existing UMD undergraduates as a combined 4+1 pair of degrees (BA plus MA in MAIR).

The MAIR combined program provides undergraduate students in BSOS, SPH, and JOUR an opportunity to earn a Bachelor's and Master's degree in five academic years. Students admitted to the MAIR 4+1 program will complete a minimum of 141 credits, of which 111 will be earned at the undergraduate level and 30 will be at the graduate level. Nine graduate credits (three courses) will be taken during students' senior year of undergraduate studies. The remaining 21 credits (seven courses) will be taken in the year following completion of the Bachelor's degree. Students in their junior year of a major in BSOS, SPH, and JOUR can apply to the MAIR program and, once admitted, begin coursework in their senior year.BSOS, SPH, and JOUR majors with coursework in international relations, some quantitative methods, and a 3.0 or higher GPA will be most competitive for admission to the MAIR 4+1 program. For example, those BSOS, SPH, and JOUR majors that will complete the IR concentration or the Minor in International Development and Conflict Management should be very competitive for admission to the MAIR 4+1 program. Once enrolled in the MAIR 4+1 program, students who complete their BA degree will then be formally admitted to the Graduate School at UMD, provided they meet all prevailing Graduate School admission requirements.