Head: David H. Bearce

The Department of International Affairs offers graduate study leading to the Master of International Policy degree. Students admitted to the program will have a minimum of four years of professional experience. This degree prepares students for a professional career in the field of international affairs, both at the governmental level and at the non-governmental level.

This program is also approved to be offered at the Texas A&M Washington, D.C. teaching site.

Program Requirements

• Student's Advisory Committee
• Degree Plan
• Credit Requirements
• Transfer of Credit
• Limitations on the Use of Transfer, Extension and Certain Other Courses
• Final Examination

Student’s Advisory Committee

The MIP student’s advisory committee consists of the MIP coordinator faculty member and the Head of the Bush School’s INTA Department. The Head of the Bush School’s INTA Department has the responsibility of approving the proposed degree plan for an MIP student. When necessary, recommendations in cases of academic deficiency will be made to the Graduate and Professional School.

Degree Plan

The student in consultation with his or her advisory committee will develop the proposed degree plan. The degree plan must be completed and filed with the Graduate and Professional School prior to the deadlines imposed by the student’s college and no later than the dates announced in the Graduate and Professional School Calendar of deadlines for graduation.

This proposed degree plan should be submitted through the online Document Processing Submission System located on the website http://ogsdpss.tamu.edu.

Additional coursework may be added to the approved degree plan by petition if it is deemed necessary by the advisory committee to correct deficiencies in the student’s academic preparation. No changes can be made to the degree plan once the student’s Request for Final Examination or Request for Final Examination Exemption is approved by the Graduate and Professional School.

Credit Requirements

A minimum of 30 semester credit hours of approved courses is required for the Masters in International Policy program. Two courses are required: INTA 606 (International Politics in Theory and Practice) and INTA 608 (Fundamentals of the Global Economy). Students must complete at least 15 hours in one of INTA Department’s two tracks: International Development and Economic Policy or National Security and Diplomacy. Other classes will be electives.

At least 24 hours must be taken on campus with an option to take six credit hours online if necessary. Two intensive courses in the International Affairs Department are offered every June, thus allowing students to complete the required 30 hours on campus within 11 months.

Transfer of Credit

All transfer credit is subject to Texas A&M University rules. Only graduate credits earned from accredited institutions with letter grades of 3.0 and higher qualify toward transfer credit. Students may transfer into the degree plan a maximum of nine graduate credit hours.

Transfer options include a choice of one of the options below or a combination of the options, not to exceed nine graduate credit hours of total transfer credit approval into the degree:

 a. Up to six credit hours of graduate courses taken from any of the Bush School’s graduate certificates will automatically transfer into the MIP without program director approval.

b. The MIP program director may approve up to six graduate credit hours from outside the Bush School of Government and Public Service to transfer into the MIP from other accredited institutions.

c. The MIP program director may approve up to six graduate credit hours of Texas A&M University electives toward the degree’s elective requirement.

A student who has earned 12 hours of graduate credit at Texas A&M University may be authorized to transfer courses in excess of the limits prescribed above upon the advice of the advisory committee and with the approval of the Graduate and Professional School. Graduate and/or upper-level undergraduate courses taken at an accredited U.S. institution or approved international institution with a final grade of B or greater, might be considered for transfer credit if, at the time the courses were completed, the courses would be accepted for credit toward a similar degree for a student in degree-seeking status at the host institution. Otherwise, the limitations stated in the preceding section apply. Coursework in which no formal grades are given or in which grades other than letter grades (A or B) are earned (for example, CR, P, S, U, H, etc.) is not accepted for transfer credit. Courses appearing on the degree plan with grades of D, F or U may not be absolved by transfer work. Credit for thesis research or the equivalent is not transferable. Credit for coursework submitted for transfer from any college or university must be shown in semester credit hours or equated to semester credit hours. An official transcript from the university at which the transfer coursework was taken must be sent directly to the Office of Admissions.

Courses used toward a degree at another institution may not be applied for graduate credit. If the course to be transferred was taken prior to the conferral of a degree at the transfer institution, a letter from the Registrar at that institution stating that the course was not applied for credit toward the degree must be submitted to the Graduate and Professional School.

Grades for courses completed at other institutions are not included in computing the GPA.

Limitations on the Use of Transfer, Extension and Certain Other Courses

Some departments may have more restrictive requirements for transfer work. If otherwise acceptable, certain courses may be used toward meeting credit-hour requirements for the master’s degree under the following limitations.

1. The maximum number of credit hours which may be considered for transfer credit is the greater of 12 hours or one-third (1/3) of the total hours of a degree plan. The following restrictions apply:
   • Graduate and/or upper-level undergraduate courses taken in residence at an accredited U.S. institution, or approved international institution with a final grade of B or greater will be considered for transfer credit if, at the time the courses were completed, the student was in degree-seeking status at Texas A&M University, or the student was in degree-seeking status at the institution at which the courses were taken; and if the courses would be accepted for credit toward a similar degree for a student in degree-seeking status at the host institution.
   • Courses previously used for another degree are not acceptable for degree plan credit.
2. The maximum number of credit hours taken in post-baccalaureate non-degree (G6) classification at Texas A&M University which may be considered for application to the degree plan is 12.

3. A zero credit 684 or 685 course is only allowed for non-thesis option master's students. A zero credit 681 course can be used for either thesis or non-thesis option master’s students. Other courses, including 691 (Research) hours, are not eligible for zero credit.

4. Any combination of 684, 685, 690 and 695 may not exceed 25 percent of the total credit hour requirement shown on the individual degree plan:
   • A maximum of 8 hours of 684 (Professional Internship) and/or
   • A maximum of 8 hours of 685 (Directed Studies), and
   • Up to 3 hours of 690 (Theory of Research), and
   • Up to 3 hours of 695 (Frontiers in Research).
5. A maximum of 2 hours of 681 (Seminar).
6. A maximum of 9 hours of advanced undergraduate courses (300- or 400-level).
7. For graduate courses of three weeks’ duration or less, taken at other institutions, up to 1 hour of credit may be obtained for each five-day week of coursework. Each week of coursework must include at least 15 contact hours.
8. No credit hours of 691 (Research) may be used.
9. Continuing education courses may not be used for graduate credit.
10. Extension courses taken are not acceptable for credit.
11. For non-distance degree programs, no more than 50 percent of the non-research coursework required for the program may be completed through distance education courses.
12. To receive a graduate degree from Texas A&M University, students must earn one-third or more of the credits through the institution’s own direct instruction. This limitation also applies to joint degree programs.  

Exceptions will be permitted only in unusual cases and when petitioned by the student’s advisory committee and approved by the Graduate and Professional School.

Final Examination

A comprehensive final examination is not required for the Master in International Policy.

Additional Requirements

• Residence
• Time Limit
• Foreign Languages
• Internship or Practicum
• Application for Degree

Residence

The 30 graduate credit hour Master in International Policy is offered fully in residence with an option of taking up to six credits online.

Time Limit

All degree requirements must be completed within a period of seven consecutive years for the degree to be granted. A course will be consider valid until seven years after the end of the semester taken. Graduate credit for coursework which is more than seven calendar years old may not be used to satisfy degree requirements.

Foreign Languages

A foreign language is not required for the Master in International Policy.

Internship or Practicum

An internship or practicum is not required for the Master in International Policy.

Application for Degree

For information on applying for your degree, please visit the Graduation section.