Master in International Affairs

Application deadline for the 2024-2025 academic year: July 19th 2024

Download our Master's Informational Brochure

The Master of Science in International Affairs at the FSU campus in the Republic of Panama is an interdepartmental graduate program offering globally-oriented professionals the opportunity to acquire an understanding of increasingly complex issues that transcend national boundaries.

At FSU Panama, courses are selected from the participating departments of Geography, History, Political Science, Religion, and the School of Public Administration and Policy. The program is structured so that it can be individually tailored to a wide variety of career goals, but overall the main emphasis is to integrate one’s preparation in any one of the traditional disciplines with an international, interdisciplinary emphasis. The Master’s degree in International Affairs is designed to enable students to pursue successful careers in government service, business, international institutions and non-governmental organizations.FSU is committed to providing a stimulating academic environment that promotes intellectual discovery through rigorous scholarship. Its Panama site has over sixty years of strong educational presence. The Republic of Panama, a vibrant cosmopolitan center that attracts international organizations from the private and public sectors, offers our students unique opportunities to explore both the theoretical and practical aspects shaping international affairs. 

Curriculum
The Master of Science in International Affairs at the FSU campus in the Republic of Panama is a 31 semester-hour graduate program that can be completed in 5 semesters of enrollment. Specific requirements are listed below.

All students are required to take:

  • INR5938 Joint Seminar in International Affairs, 3 credits. A core course for all majors in the program and serves as an introduction to references and research tools in international relations; disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches and basic concepts in the field;
  • INR5935 Special Topics (International Affairs Colloquium), 1 credit, repeatable, which deals with contemporary problems and issues in international affairs;
  • INR5012 Problems of Globalism, 3 credits. This is a core course for all international affairs graduate students providing background for a theoretical and practical understanding of globalization and the international organizations that are significant actors in this process;
  • At least 9, but no more than 18 semester hours in one of the participating departments (see areas of concentration);
  • Course work in at least three of the participating departments: Geography, History, Political Science, Public Administration, Religion;
  • At least six hours focusing on the developing or post-communist world (i.e., outside of the United States, Canada, Western Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand); and
  • Written master’s comprehensive examination. The exam must be completed within 7 years after completing the coursework.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT: All students must satisfy the foreign language requirement for the Master of Arts degree, even if they choose to graduate with a Master of Science degree. Proficiency in a foreign language will be demonstrated by one of the following:
Satisfactory performance on the Graduate Reading Knowledge Examinations (GER 5069, ITA 5069, POR 5069, RUS 5069, SPN 5069) or on the Graduate School Foreign Language Tests of the Educational Testing Service;
Certification by the appropriate language department;
Completion of twelve semester hours in a foreign language with an average grade of at least 3.0 (B);
Or four years of a single language in high school.
Students may count up to six semester hours of graduate level courses in a foreign language toward the master’s degree, as long as those courses represent work over and above that required for fulfilling the foreign language requirement.
 
THE AREAS OF CONCENTRATION IN FSU PANAMA: Students in the Master’s program of FSU Panama will be able to choose one of three departments for their concentration: History, Political Science, or Public Administration and Policy (courses offered through distance education). A minimum of 9 and a maximum of 18 hours must be taken in one of these three areas.
GRADUATE CERTIFICATE IN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT (optional/additional cost applies): Students in the Master’s program have the additional option to enhance their curriculum by completing the Emergency Management Graduate Certificate. Courses used for the certificate may also be used to complete either the concentration area in Public Administration or elective hours for the Master’s program. Information on the certificate can be found here: Emergency Management, Graduate Certificate.

Tuition and fees for the Master in International Affairs

Tuition  Cost
31 semester hours @ $ 400.00 per credit hour $12,400
Fees  
Application fee (first semester only) $100
FSU ID ($5.00 per semester) for 5 semesters $25
Technology/Recreation fee ($125 per semester) for 5 semesters $625
Insurance ($20 per semester) for 5 semesters $100
Total $13,250

Request more information