Graduate Programs – Concentrations
International Relations
Graduate study of International Relations at the University of Massachusetts Amherst emphasizes the impact of ideas, beliefs, and institutions on the patterns of conflict and cooperation among states and other actors without ignoring the impact of material factors like geography and technology. Faculty research interests cover both contemporary issues and the historical development of the international system. While emphasizing qualitative methods, the program is open to a variety of approaches and encourages the use of multiple methods in research projects. Most instruction occurs in graduate research seminars in which students engage with the basic literature on the subject while designing and carrying out article-length research projects during the term. Recent seminars include International Political Economy, Cooperation and Conflict in the Modern World Order, International Institutions, and International Environmental Politics and Policy.
Our particular areas of strength include constructivist analyses of cooperation and conflict, international institutions, establishment, maintenance, and modification of international regimes in economic, environmental, and resource management areas, the mutual influences flowing between international and state-level political processes, and the roles of nonstate actors.
The comprehensive examination in international relations assesses students’ mastery of the field—their knowledge of the main theoretical positions and debates, their knowledge of current and historical events, and their ability to use theory to illuminate events and events to test and refine theories. Students preparing to take the comprehensive examination in international relations are encouraged to take the International Relations Proseminar early in their studies.
