American University’s School of International Service

International Relations Online

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Study in a Global Classroom. Serve the Global Community.

More than 50 years since that historic visit, the School’s students, faculty, and alumni still embrace President Eisenhower’s call to service, and the School is among the largest schools of international affairs in the world.

Today, SIS remains committed to offering students an interdisciplinary, human-focused approach to the study of international relations. The School has more than 3,000 students from nearly 150 countries and offers 15 graduate degrees that emphasize learning through service.

International Relations Online broadens access to SIS to students all over the world. Offered online, the program allows students to pursue their degree while continuing their work in the communities they serve. With this program, SIS continues its tradition of service and scholarship, expanding its work to achieve sustainable, worldwide peace.

When President Obama spoke to the SIS community in 2010, he praised the School for “tackling the most complicated global issues of our time.”

We hope that you will join us.

In 1957, President Dwight Eisenhower came to American University to celebrate the groundbreaking of the original School of International Service building. In a speech on campus that day, President Eisenhower spoke to the School’s future students, who would “go into the service of our country in the noblest work that our nation can possibly pursue, and that is the seeking of a peace based on justice and the right.”

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PROGRAM OVERVIEW

International Relations Online is the innovative, online Master of Arts in International Relations degree offered by American University’s School of International Service (SIS). SIS is among the largest schools of international affairs in the world and is a top-ten ranked school of international affairs by Foreign Policy magazine.

No other highly ranked program offers a comparable online master’s degree in international relations with AU’s level of interaction among faculty and students. The multidisciplinary curriculum, which is equal to SIS’ on-campus programs, is designed to prepare students with essential, foundational knowledge and skills for understanding international relations.

FACULTY

American University School of International Service (SIS) faculty are dedicated to fostering relationships with students both inside and outside of classes. All scholar-practitioners, SIS professors draw from a wide range of areas of expertise to offer students a multidisciplinary approach to international affairs from both practical and theoretical perspectives. As active and current professionals in the field, faculty consistently offer students advice and networking assistance as they seek internship and career opportunities.

CONCENTRATIONS

Global Security and Conflict Resolution

This concentration introduces students to the causes and dynamics of peace and security to prepare them for a role in preventing, managing, and resolving conflict. The courses in the concentration prepare students to think critically about these issues from the perspectives of internal state processes and actors, frameworks of analysis and tools for response, and global and regional interactions.

Sustainable International Development

This concentration takes on some of the most profound challenges facing humanity: poverty and inequality, the environment and sustainability, and global health, as well as the intersections between these fields. Courses incorporate theory, policy, and practice to address questions concerning poverty alleviation, environmental policy, climate change, foreign aid, resource flows and distribution, and human health and well-being.

D.C. IMMERSION EXPERIENCE

The intensive, in-person immersion experience at American University in Washington, D.C., allows students to take advantage of the School of International Service’s deep connections in the diplomatic and policy communities. Based around relevant practical skills training, the immersion includes a professional development workshop and an opportunity to engage with SIS faculty and peers.

3,000+Students enrolled at SIS

148 Countries represented

89%Of SIS 2012 MA graduates were employed, fulfilling other plans, or pursuing an advanced degree within six months of graduation.

Sharon K. Weiner Associate Professor, Director of Doctoral Studies

Sharon K. Weiner writes about the intersection of organizational politics and U.S. national security policy. Her book, “Our Own Worst Enemy?” Institutional Interests and the Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Expertise” (MIT Press, 2011), examines the role of organizational and partisan politics in the success and failure of U.S. cooperative nonproliferation programs with the former Soviet Union. It is the winner of the 2012 Louis Brownlow award from the National Academy of Public Administration. She holds a PhD in Political Science from MIT’s Security Studies Program.

Patrick Thaddeus JacksonProfessor, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education

In 2003–4, Patrick Thaddeus Jackson served as president of the International Studies Association–Northeast; he has taken on this role again in 2012–13. Jackson was named the 2012 U.S. Professor of the Year for the District of Columbia by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and received the School of International Service’s Scholar/Teacher of the Year award in 2011. His most recent book, “The Conduct of Inquiry in International Relations,” (Routledge, 2011) was the recipient of the 2012 Yale H. Ferguson Award, which honors a book that most advances the vibrancy of international studies as a pluralist discipline. Jackson has taught at New York University and Columbia University, where he earned his PhD in Political Science.

CURRICULUM (36-39 credit hours)

Core Courses (9 credit hours)

International Studies: History, Theory, Practice Intercultural Communication Global Governance

Economics (3-6 credit hours)

Introduction to Economic Theory (waived with approved prior economics coursework)

International Economics

Methods and Analysis (6 credit hours)

Quantitative Methods for International Relations and Policy Analysis or Program Evaluation - Program Design, Monitoring & Evaluation (DM&E)

Concentrations (9 credit hours)

Global Security and Conflict Resolution Sustainable International Development

Electives (6 credit hours)

Capstone Experience (3 credit hours)

Other Requirements Proficiency in a Modern Foreign Language

Other Program ComponentsD.C. Immersion

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David BoscoAssistant Professor

David Bosco served as a political analyst and journalist in Bosnia and Herzegovina and as deputy director of a joint United Nations/NATO project on repatriating refugees in Sarajevo.

Amitav AcharyaProfessor, UNESCO Chair

Amitav Acharya is the UNESCO Chair in Transnational Challenges and Governance and Chair of the ASEAN Studies Center. He is the author of numerous books, including the 2011 “The Making of Southeast Asia.” He is also the president of the International Studies Association.

Ambitious. Engaged. Everywhere.

Tazreena Sajjad, Professorial Lecturer & SIS Alumna

Until 2006, Dr. Sajjad worked as the Global Rights’ Asia Program Associate in Afghanistan. She has also worked as a research analyst for Survivors’ Rights International and as an independent consultant for the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU) in Kabul.

John PrendergastHumanitarian & Alumnus

John Prendergast has worked with numerous television outlets to raise awareness of humanitarian crises in Africa, including “Nightline” and “The Lehrer NewsHour.” He is the founder of The ENOUGH Project.

Eve BratmanAssistant Professor & SIS Alumna

Dr. Bratman’s research involves sustainable development politics in the Brazilian Amazon. Her major research projects focus on the links between environmental policy, agriculture, and human rights in Brazil and beyond.

SIS STUDENTS WORKED WITH SEARCH FOR

COMMON GROUND on a study about

youth engagement in Liberia.

Akbar AhmedProfessor, Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies

Ambassador Akbar Ahmed has taught at Princeton, Harvard, and Cambridge Universities and has been called “the world’s leading authority on contemporary Islam” by the BBC.

SIS IS HOME TO THE 100,000

STRONG FOUNDATION. The foundation works to send American students to study

in China with the goal of bridging the countries’

cultural divide.

SIS IS HOME TO THE

U.S.-PAKISTAN WOMEN’S COUNCIL, a State Department initiative that seeks opportunities for

women in Pakistan.

Ben JensenAssistant Professor & SIS Alumnus

After enlisting in the military in 2002, Professor Jensen served in Kosovo and Kabul working in peace enforcement.

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THE VIRTUAL CAMPUS The International Relations Online learning platform features live, online classes, dynamic self-paced course work, and student community groups as well as social networking.

An Immersive Online Experience

Play back and review lectures and class discussions.

View classmates logged in to live classes.

The International Relations Online program uses the most advanced web-based technology available to create an immersive, dynamic learning experience unlike any other.

ONLINE CLASSES

Live classes are held weekly in an interactive virtual classroom. Students participate in the online learning environment through live video with professors and fellow classmates. All conversation happens in real time, with students able to use the platform to collaborate in small groups, discuss course materials, or make presentations. The experience is the same as an on-campus seminar — online.

DYNAMIC COURSEWORK

Professors work with world-class instructional designers to create highly produced course content that students complete between weekly class sessions. Coursework may include videos, presentations, quizzes, expert discussions, and recorded lectures. All content is drawn from the professor’s on-campus curriculum but transformed for the online classroom.

FACULTY INVOLVEMENT

Classes are taught by renowned SIS faculty, and they are available for one-on-one office hours. Office hours are held on the platform, so students and professors can speak in real time, face-to-face.

Collaborate face-to-face with classmates and professors.

Discuss content and ask questions in real time.

See course materials designed by SIS faculty.

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ADMISSIONS & FINANCIAL AID

Admissions Requirements

American University’s School of International Service seeks International Relations Online students who are dedicated to service for the global good. To apply, candidates must hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution. For a full listing of application requirements, please contact an admissions counselor at 1-855-306-AUIR or visit IRonline.american.edu/admissions.

Financial Aid

U.S. citizens and permanent residents may apply for federal financial aid to help finance their degrees. Candidates can research other resources, including tuition assistance from an employer, scholarships funded by professional organizations, and loan forgiveness programs based on service after graduation.

STUDENT LIFE

Student Support

SIS offers superior student services from the moment candidates contact the School through graduation. Applicants work one-on-one with a dedicated admissions counselor throughout the application process. Students have access to academic advising, library services, technical support, and career services. After graduation, International Relations Online students join SIS’ global alumni community.

Career Services

Students’ relationship with the SIS career services team begins as soon as they start classes. Students work with their advisor to assess their resume and develop a strategy to meet their career goals. Students can also take advantage of alumni mentoring through our extensive, global network of more than 15,000 graduates.

Becoming a Student

“We believe that we’re here to help students go out and make a difference in the world.” —Dean Goldgeier

James Goldgeier Dean, School of International Service

Prior to joining American University, Dean Goldgeier was a professor of political science and international affairs at the George Washington University. He taught previously at Cornell University, and has held appointments at Stanford University’s Center for International Security and Cooperation, the U.S. Department of State, the National Security Council, the Brookings Institution, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Library of Congress, the Woodrow Wilson Center, the Hoover Institution, and the German Marshall Fund’s Transatlantic Academy. He is the co-author of several books, including “America Between the Wars: From 11/9 to 9/11” (PublicAffairs, 2008).

Dean Goldgeier’s areas of expertise include contemporary international relations, American foreign policy, U.S.–Russia relations, the European Union, transatlantic security, and NATO.

David GregoryJournalist and SIS Alumnus

David Gregory is the moderator of “Meet the Press,” America’s #1 Sunday morning public affairs program. As moderator, Gregory has reported from Afghanistan, landing the first network interview with General David Petraeus after he took command of U.S. and NATO forces there. Gregory has also dedicated hour-long programs to examine the health care debate, the war in Afghanistan, the Gulf oil spill, the economic crisis and debt ceiling debate, and the death of Osama bin Laden.

Gregory covered Clinton in 1998 to cover the Clinton impeachment story for MSNBC and went on to serve as NBC’s Chief White House Correspondent for eight years during the presidency of George W. Bush.

Gregory has covered three presidential campaigns and reported extensively on the aftermath of 9/11, including the run up to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq from both Washington and around the world.

International Relations Online students join SIS’ global alumni network of more than 15,000 graduates.

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“Genuine peace must be the product of many nations, the sum of many acts. It must be dynamic, not static, changing to meet the challenge of each new generation. For peace is a process — a way of solving problems.” —President John F. Kennedy addressing American University

students and faculty on June 10, 1963