MIA

MIA Program (36 credit hours)

The Master of International Affairs (MIA) degree program is a 36-credit-hour program. This degree is offered jointly between the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs (O’Neill) and the Hamilton-Lugar School of Global and International studies (HLS) at Indiana University Bloomington.

Students must complete at least 15 credit hours in O’Neill and at least 15 credit hours in HLS. The remaining 6 credits can be completed through graduate level coursework from either school, or from other academic units at IUB that have either been preapproved or have received program director and instructor approval for enrollment. 

O'Neill courses have the prefix SPEA. HLS courses can have any of the following prefixes: AFRI, CEUS, EALC, EURO, INST, INTL, LTAM, MELC, REEI, SEAS, and SGIS. 
 

*The curriculum below is the current curriculum for students who began Fall 2024 and/or 2025*

MIA Requirement I: International Affairs Core (15 credit hours)

The MIA core courses ensure that students acquire essential competence in understanding the global governance system, statistics, economics, policy analysis, and management.

INTL-I 520History of the International System
INTL-I 521Global Governance and International Organizations
INTL-I 524Practicum in International Policy Analysis
SPEA-D 577International Economic Strategies and Trade Policy
SPEA-V 506Statistical Analysis for Effective Decision Making

MIA Requirement II: Concentration (12 credit hours)

MIA students must complete a concentration. They must select one of the three (3) concentrations described below. Students should confer with their academic advisor and/or the MIA program director prior to concentration selection and course registration. Some students choose to develop a “Specialized Concentration.” In this case, students should work closely with a program director to develop a cohesive design for consideration and final approval.

Courses noted with an asterisk (*) were added to the approved concentration curriculum starting in Fall 2026. For students who began the MIA prior to Fall 2026, these courses have been pre-approved to count toward your concentration; please contact your academic advisor for next steps if you plan to take one of these courses toward your concentration.

The Finance and Trade concentration prepares students with the knowledge and skillset to effectively work within the international organs of multinational corporations and financial institutions as well as the government organizations that regulate these activities and ministries that raise capital from foreign sources.

REQUIREMENTS: (3 credit hours) 

  • SPEA-D 573: Development Economics

 

ELECTIVES: (9 credit hours)

Choose 9 credits from the following courses: 

  • CEUS-R 527: Post-Soviet Central Asia Politics, Economics, and Foreign Policy
  • EALC-E 592: Political Economy of East Asia
  • EALC-E 593: China's Political Economy
  • EURO-W 501: The Economics of European Integration
  • INTL-I 503: China and the Global South*
  • INTL-I 503: Harnessing Foreign Investment for Development
  • REEI-R 500: Oil and Power in Global Affairs*
  • SPEA-D 578: Introduction to Comparative and International Affairs
  • SPEA-D 669: Economic Development, Globalization, and Entrepreneurship
  • SPEA-E 574: Energy Systems in Transition
  • SPEA-F 526: Financial Management for Nonprofit Organizations*
  • SPEA-F 527: International Development Finance*
  • SPEA-F 560: Public Finance and Budgeting*
  • SPEA-F 584: Tax Policy in Developing Countries
  • SPEA-V 517: Public Management Economics*

*notes course added to concentration starting Fall 2026; pre-approved for students who began prior to Fall 2026 (but email your academic advisor)

Concentration Advisor:
 
Dan Preston

The Global Development, Environment, and Sustainability concentration provides students with the interdisciplinary toolbox to work for nongovernmental organizations, government agencies and private companies that focus on the development of middle to low-income countries.

 

REQUIREMENTS: (3 credit hours)

Choose one of the following courses:

  • SPEA-D 573: Development Economics
  • INTL-I 522: Theoretical and Empirical Overview of Global Development

ELECTIVES: (9 credit hours)

Choose 9 credits from the following courses:

  • INTL-I 502: Seminar in Global Health and Environment
  • INTL-I 503: Seminar in Global Development*
  • INTL-I 504: Seminar in Human Rights and International Law*
  • SPEA-D 576: Approaches to Development
  • SPEA-D 669: Economic Development, Globalization, and Entrepreneurship
  • SPEA-F 527: International Development Finance*
  • SPEA-E 543: Environmental Management
  • SPEA-E 574: Energy Systems in Transition
  • SPEA-E 591: Climate Change Impacts on Natural Resources (Prerequisite: grad course in ecology, envl policy or envl mgt or waiver of one of these)
  • SPEA-H 527: International Healthcare Systems
  • SPEA-L 563: Planning and Community Development
  • SPEA-L 622: Local Economic Development
  • SPEA-N 534: NGO Management for International Development*
  • SPEA-P 539: Management Science for Public Affairs (Prerequisite: E538 or V506)
  • SPEA-P 562: Public Program Evaluation* (Prerequisite: V506)
  • SPEA-R 533: Public Natural Resources Law (Recommendation: V536/V540)
  • SPEA-R 535: International Environmental Policy
  • SPEA-R 564: Environmental and Natural Resource Policy Design and Implementation (Prerequisite: V517)
  • SPEA-R 625: Environmental Economics and Policy (Prerequisite: V517)
  • SPEA-R 626: Energy Justice and Policy Seminar (Prerequisite: E574)
  • SPEA-R 643: Natural Resource Management and Policy
  • SPEA-R 645: Environmental Law
  • SPEA-R 674: Energy Economics and Policy (Prerequisite: V517)
  • SPEA-S 515: Sustainable Communities
  • SPEA-S 596: Sustainable Development (Prerequisite: V517 or equivalent coursework)
  • SPEA-V 535: Managing and Leading Public Affairs
  • SPEA-V 538: Comparative and International Policy Process*

*notes course added to concentration starting Fall 2026; pre-approved for students who began prior to Fall 2026 (but email your academic advisor)

Concentration Advisor:

 

Dan Preston

The Security, Diplomacy, and Governance concentration provides students with the tools to enter careers that keep communities safe, mitigate threats to peace or security, maintain productive relations between countries, and manage international institutions designed to address common challenges.

 

REQUIREMENTS: (3 credit hours)

  • INTL-I 523: International Security Regimes 

ELECTIVES: (9 credit hours)
Choose 9 credits from the following courses:

  • INTL-I 500: After Atrocities Reconstructing Peace
  • INTL-I 500: Ocean Governance
  • INTL-I 500: Policy Writing and Global Affairs*
  • INTL-I 500: U.S. Foreign Policy*
  • INTL-I 504: Seminar in Human Rights and International Law*
  • INTL-I 506: Women and War
  • INTL-I 510: Seminar in Diplomacy, Security, Governance*
  • INTL-I 510: Violence Against Civilians in War
  • INTL-I 525: International Climate Governance
  • INTL-I 545: Practicum in Human Rights Law
  • CEUS-R 515: Politics and Society in Central Asia
  • EALC-E 592: Political Economy of East Asia
  • REEI-R 500: Oil and Power in Global Affairs*
  • REEI-R 500: Russian Foreign Relations & Eastern Europe*
  • SPEA-D 548: US Foreign Policy and Third World Regimes
  • SPEA-D 583: Conflict and Development
  • SPEA-M 547: Negotiation and Dispute Resolution for Public Affairs
  • SPEA-M 575: Comparative Public Management & Administration
  • SPEA-N 523: Civil Society and Public Policy*
  • SPEA-N 524: Civil Society in Comparative Perspective
  • SPEA-N 534: NGO Management for International Development
  • SPEA-P 541: Benefit Cost Analysis* (Prerequisite: V517)
  • SPEA-V 535: Managing and Leading Public Affairs
  • SPEA-V 538: Comparative and International Policy Process
  • SPEA-V 550: Global Governance
  • SPEA-V 550: Homeland Security
  • SPEA-V 550 : Latin American Governance

*notes course added to concentration starting Fall 2026; pre-approved for students who began prior to Fall 2026 (but email your academic advisor)

Concentration Advisor:

 

Dan Preston

Some students choose to develop a “Specialized Concentration.” In this case, students should work closely with a program director to develop a cohesive design for consideration and final approval.

A student, whose educational and professional goals are not satisfied by existing MIA concentrations, may design a Specialized Concentration that best suits his or her needs in consultation with a faculty advisor with final approval required by the relevant faculty program director(s). The student, the student’s advisor, and the appropriate Faculty Program Director must sign a Specialized Concentration Form that specifies the courses that will comprise the customized concentration. This form is available the Forms section of the Current Student Portal. The completed Specialized Concentration Form must be submitted prior to enrolling in the courses outlined. The concentration must be declared within the first 24 credit hours of the student’s academic program.

MIA specialized concentrations consist of 12 credit hours.

Although no specific guidelines exist for the courses to be included in a Specialized Concentration, students must take O’Neill/HLS courses unless approved by a faculty advisor(s) and the appropriate Faculty Program Director(s). Students must name their Specialized Concentration. However, these names will not appear on their IU transcript. Instead, after “Major” the words “Specialized Study” will appear.

MIA Requirement III: Electives (9 credit hours)

Students can choose any of the graduate-level courses offered by O'Neill or HLS. Possible options would include language and/or culture courses at HLS, or further studies in O’Neill related subject areas.

O'Neill courses have the prefix SPEA. HLS courses can have any of the following prefixes: AFRI, CEUS, EALC, EURO, INST, INTL, LTAM, MELC, REEI, SEAS, and SGIS.

Additionally, the following courses are preapproved:

  • POLS-Y 569 International Relations: Approaches and Issues
  • ECON-E 501 Economic Development
  • ECON-E 501 International Trade

Students may take up to 6 credits in graduate level courses offered by other academic units at IUB, pending they are not using prior experience (PE) or transfer credit, with approval from the Faculty Program Director.