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Overview

Objectives

The MSc (International Relations) programme offers an integrative set of courses that aims to equip students with the ability to understand the complexity of international relations from both the academic and policy perspectives.

The MSc IR programme is designed to help students:

  • Develop analytical skills to understand a complex, interdependent world.
  • Recognize the significance of theory for practice, and practice in theory.
  • Appreciate the complex dynamics between state and non-state actors.
  • Encourage creative rethinking of academic and policy analysis.

Relevance

Contemporary international relations are no longer the exclusive preserve of state actors. The high politics of war, peace, and strategic diplomacy have expanded in scope to accommodate an array of concerns, encompassing complex and interrelated issues, such as: international trade and investment; ethnic conflict; terrorism and insurgency; non-traditional security issues related to the environment, energy, water, and health. Against this backdrop, the management of conflict and the search for justice and recognition (state, social, individual) are becoming more emotively charged. The traditional approach to security is being subsumed by newer concepts, such as global governance, politics of communications, and the politics of the global South. At the same time, global and regional multilateral institutions are experimenting with new techniques for dealing with conflict and wars of all sort and scales.

Benefits

For the wide array of our student body—post-graduate students, diplomatic personnel, military personnel, civil servants, NGO activists, philanthropists, and retired professionals—the benefits of our multipronged programme is that it offers skills for navigating our new, complex, and volatile international arena. For students already equipped with a wealth of experience from their careers (public or private), joining the MSc programme will enrich their awareness of creative possibilities for making this world a better place.

Content

The MSc (international relations) programme is specially designed to cover a broad spectrum of issues, including:

  • Theories of International Relations
  • The Making of Foreign Policy
  • Technology Management
  • Global Governance
  • Politics of Communications
  • Politics of the Global South
  • Foreign Policies of the Great Powers
  • Area studies, specifically the Asia Pacific Region

Career Advancement

MSc (International Relations) graduates may pursue careers in public relations or media industries.
Other options are public sector jobs in policymaking or foreign affairs and positions in international organisations and NGOs. Opportunities in research and academia also await students who complete this course.

Certificate in Global Southeast Asia (CGSEA)

MSc (Asian Studies and International Relations) students may opt for specialized track that would lead to the conferment of a special Certificate in Global Southeast Asia (CGSEA) from the S. Rajaratnam School of international Studies (RSIS).

In order to obtain the CGSEA, MSc (Asian Studies and International Relations) students must fulfil the following compulsory requirements:

Coursework Track
Enrol in 4 CGSEA Courses
Dissertation Track
Enrol in 2 CGSEA courses and write a dissertation on a topic related to Southeast Asia.

List of CGSEA courses:

AS6020: Islam, State and Society in Southeast Asia
AS6034: The Anthropology of Southeast Asia
AS6007: Government and Politics of Southeast Asia
AS6009: China and Ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia
AS6010: Indonesia Rising: Politics, Society & Strategic Thought
AS6011: State, Society and Politics in Malaysia
AS6027: State, Society and Politics in the Philippines
AS6029: Governance and Security in Myanmar [cross-listed under IR]
AS6031: State, Society and Politics in Singapore
IR6040: Indonesia’s Foreign Policy [cross-listed under AS]
IR6045: Singapore’s Foreign Policy [cross-listed under AS]
IR6011: Foreign Policy and Security Issues in Southeast Asia
IR6042: ASEAN and the Security Architecture in Asia
SR6022: The Military, State and Society in Southeast Asia
SR6028: Countering Religiously Motivated Terrorism in Southeast Asia: Issues and Challenges
IP6026: Introduction to the Political Economy of Southeast Asia
IP6022: Indonesian Economy

Note: not all the courses may be offered in the academic year