Graduate School of
International Relations and
Pacific
Studies (IR/PS)
[ Professors] [ Courses]
OFFICE: Building 4, Level 1, Robinson Building Complex
The Master of Pacific International Affairs (MPIA)
Requirements for Admission
Students interested in pursuing the MPIA degree program at UCSD’s Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies (IR/PS) must have earned a B.A., or its equivalent, from an institution of comparable standing to the University of California. A minimum grade-point average of 3.0 or better in undergraduate course work or prior graduate study is required for admission. Undergraduate preparation that includes one or more of the following is strongly encouraged: the social sciences (specifically economics and political science), quantitative methods (such as calculus and statistics), foreign language, and related area studies courses. The admissions committee looks for students with previous professional employment, a history of meaningful international experience, and demonstrated leadership ability.
Applicants are required to submit the following: an online UCSD application for graduate study (http://graduateapp.ucsd.edu); two official transcripts from each college or university attended; three letters of recommendation; a résumé or curriculum vitae; a personal statement; a Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) score report. TOEFL scores are also required of international applicants whose native language is not English and whose undergraduate education was conducted in a language other than English. A minimum score of 550 on the paper/pencil version and a minimum score of 213 on the computer-based version of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required. For further details regarding the application process, procedures, and deadlines please visit the IR/PS Web site, http://irps.ucsd.edu, and click on “Admissions”.
Orientation tours are available for all prospective applicants who would like
further information about the MPIA program. Tours assist prospective applicants
in becoming better acquainted with IR/PS’s MPIA program and in understanding
how the program might relate to their long-term career goals. The tour schedule
is available on the IR/PS Web site in the Admissions section under
“Orientation Tours.” To sign up for a tour, please
contact the IR/PS Office of Admissions at (858) 534-5914 or e-mail
The MPIA is a two-year, full-time program.
The MPIA Curriculum (ninety-eight units)
The MPIA curriculum (ninety-eight units) is made up of a set of core disciplinary and skill-oriented courses (thirty-eight units), a regional specialization (eight units), the foreign language requirement (up to twenty-four units), a professional Career Track (twenty-four units), and unstructured electives.
Core Curriculum
The Core Curriculum is designed to integrate diverse subject areas such as international management, international relations, applied economics, and comparative public policy. It comprises the following courses:
Globalization, the World System and the Pacific (IRCO 412)
Managerial Economics (IRCO 401)
Policy Making Processes (IRCO 400)
Quantitative Methods (IRCO 453 and IRCO 454)
International Politics and Security (IRCO 410)
International Economics (IRCO 403)
Finance (IRCO 421)
Accounting (IRCO 420)
Capstone Course—choices include Managerial Decision Making (IRCO 460),
Business and Government in the Global Economy (IRCO 461), Public Policy
Workshop (IRCO 462), Strategy and Negotiation (IRCO 463)
The Corporation in the Global Economy: The Interaction of Business and Government (IRCO
464)
The Regional Specialization
The regional specialization is made up of two designated courses on the economy and political system of a student’s chosen country or region. All students must complete a regional specialization, and may choose from among the following five options: Latin America, Japan, Korea, China, and Southeast Asia.
The Foreign Language Requirement
IR/PS considers foreign language competency to be an indispensable skill for international relations professionals. The foreign language requirement is designed to ensure that students achieve a level of competency to assist in their global interactions. The foreign language requirement may be satisfied in any one of three ways: (a) native speaker ability; (b) completing six quarters (four semesters) of college-level language instruction from UCSD or a comparable institution, with a grade of B or better in the final course; or (c) passing a special IR/PS-administered language exam, which is the equivalent of the final exam administered in the sixth-quarter course in the selected language. The foreign language requirement may be partially or wholly completed prior to matriculation at IR/PS. Please contact the IR/PS Language Program for additional information.
Students must fulfill the foreign language requirement in a language that corresponds to their elected region of specialization. Students may select either Brazilian Portuguese or Spanish when studying Latin America. Students specializing in China, Japan, or Korea, must study Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin, or other dialect), Japanese, or Korean, respectively. Students electing to specialize in Southeast Asia may study Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Malay, Chinese, Thai, Tagalog, Vietnamese, or other approved language. Please contact the IR/PS Language Program for further information.
Beyond the basic language requirement, IR/PS also offers the option of certification of more advanced language proficiency for students who choose to pursue further language study. Students pursuing advanced language skills are strongly encouraged to undertake significant language study prior to coming to IR/PS.
Students on the Country and Regional Studies track are subject to a different foreign language requirement. These students must pass both the speaking and the reading proficiency examination in their selected language. The writing proficiency examination is optional. The minimum required level of proficiency is equivalent to a Foreign Service Institute (FSI) Scale 2+ for Spanish, 2 for Portuguese, and 2- for most other languages.
The proficiency examination is administered throughout the academic year. Students not following the Country and Regional Studies track may take the exam once free of charge in a language that IR/PS currently provides instructional support. Those students on the Country and Regional Studies track may take the exam twice free of charge, regardless of language selection. Please consult with the IR/PS Language Program Office for additional information.
A variety of language courses are offered by UCSD. IR/PS offers four-unit language courses for international relations professionals in Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, and Spanish at the intermediate or advanced levels. In addition, subject to demand, courses in Bahasa Indonesia, Korean, Vietnamese, or other Pacific Rim languages may be offered. Students electing to study a foreign language where IR/PS instructional support is not offered must secure their own language instruction and funding. Course credit for self-supported language learning may be given upon evaluation and approval of the director of the Language Program. Please contact the IR/PS Language Program for additional information.
Students are placed in foreign language courses based on prior preparation and on the results of a placement test administered during orientation.
Career Tracks
Beyond the core curriculum, the regional specialization, and the foreign language requirement, students are offered an array of career tracks from which to choose. The career tracks provide an opportunity to focus on a specialized professional career path and to work closely with other students and faculty who share similar interests. A career track consists of six courses (twenty-four units). Each track combines some designated requirements and a range of relevant electives from which to choose. All students must complete a career track. A student whose interests do not fall within the existing range of tracks may complete the Self-Design track, and create a tailor-made package of courses in consultation with their faculty advisor. Currently, IR/PS offers the following career tracks:
International Management
International Politics
International Environmental Policy
Public Policy
International Economics
International Development and Non-Profit Management
Country and Regional Studies
Self-Design (approval of faculty advisor and associate dean required)
Electives
Students may use remaining units to take electives across the range of IR/PS courses in management, political science, economics, regional studies, and language, as well as (with approval) courses offered elsewhere on campus. The number of elective units available to a student will vary, depending on factors such as prior language study. Prospective students are advised to consult the IR/PS Office of Admissions for a full list of elective courses currently offered.
Internships
Students are strongly encouraged to participate in various internship programs that are available in business and industry, federal and state government, and through various nonprofit foundations and institutions. The Career Services team works closely with students, alumni, donors, and the public to support student internship programs with organizations in the nonprofit, public, and private sectors. To enhance students' professional goals, IR/PS strongly recommends that each student participate in an internship the summer following his or her first year. Internships offer opportunities to apply theoretical knowledge to real work situations and investigate global career options through hands-on experience.
Education Abroad Program
Students are encouraged to participate in the Education Abroad Programs (EAP) in their second year of study. Though this will necessitate a third year of study to meet MPIA requirements, the opportunity provides unparalleled experience in the selected regional study area and language. By petition, certain credits earned through EAP may be applied to the MPIA degree requirements.
Career Services
The IR/PS Career services team provides students with expertise, guidance, and resources to successfully manage their careers. This individualized process begins in career management orientation before the student’s first quarter and continues throughout the two-year program.
Career Services include individual career consulting appointments, workshops, employer/alumni panels, internship/job listings, and on-campus interviews. Specialized workshops include résumé writing/cover letters, effective job search strategies, interviewing skills (including videotaped mock interviews), labor market trends, job offer evaluation, and negotiation of total compensation packages.
The Ph.D. in Economics and International Affairs
Requirements for Admission
Applicants who seek admission to the highly competitive joint Ph.D. program must have earned a B.A., or its equivalent, from an institution of comparable standing to the University of California. Preference will be given to students with prior academic records of distinction and to those who have a background in one of the fields of emphasis and/or geographical areas covered by the program.
Applicants are required to submit the following: an online UCSD application for graduate study (http://graduateapp.ucsd.edu); two official transcripts from each college or university attended; three letters of recommendation; a résumé or curriculum vitae; a personal statement; a writing sample; a Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score report. TOEFL scores are also required of all international applicants whose native language is not English and whose undergraduate education was conducted in a language other than English. A minimum score of 550 on the paper/pencil version and a minimum score of 213 on the computer-based version of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required.
The minimum criteria required for admission to the extremely selective joint
Ph.D. program can be found on the following Web site:
The Ph.D. Curriculum
Program of Study
The Ph.D. In economics and international affairs prepares students for research careers in economics, with an emphasis on international affairs and the Pacific region. The program combines the analytical skills of economics with political economy, institutional analysis, and region/empirical knowledge.
Program Advisory Committee
Each student is assigned a Program Advisory Committee of four economics and IR/PS faculty, at least one must be from economics, one from IR/PS and one outside member from another UCSD department. With this committee, the student works out a plan of study that the committee must approve. The student must make satisfactory progress in a coherent program of course work and reading courses, which meet the approval of the Program Advisory Committee.
Course Requirements
The Ph.D. curriculum in economics and international affairs is designed to provide students with basic training in the techniques of modern economics, as well as empirical and institutional knowledge of the Pacific region. The first year will consist of the three sequences of microeconomics, macroeconomics, and econometrics, taught in the Department of Economics. The second year will consist of continuation of the three series plus seven electives. Two of these electives will be an IR/PS sequence in political economy. In subsequent years, courses will consist of the regional sequence, an empirical project, and two third-year papers.
Regional Requirement
Students must take at least three courses, one of which may be a reading course on policy processes and issues in the Pacific region. These courses may consider the Pacific region as a whole, as a sub-region, or examine individual countries. The courses may be in both IR/PS and, with prior permission, related departments. Some students may choose to take more than the minimum three courses to deepen their knowledge of a particular country or area. Comprehensive examination on regional areas is not required.
Language Requirement
Students are expected to achieve a level appropriate to the student’s dissertation topic of reading proficiency in at least one foreign language. Proficiency may be verified by examination or by certification by thesis supervisor.
Comprehensive Examinations
Students must pass written comprehensive exams in microeconomics, macroeconomics, and econometrics, which will be administered and graded by the economics department.
Dissertation
Candidates must present a dissertation prospectus no later than March of their third year in the doctoral program. They will be examined on their prospectus by their dissertation committee and must complete a dissertation, which makes a substantial and original contribution to knowledge commensurate with the standards of the University of California in order to receive the Ph.D. degree.
Oral Defense
Students will defend their dissertation at a final oral examination, which will be open to the public.
Ph.D. Time Limit Policies
Students must be advanced to candidacy by the end of five years. Total university support cannot exceed six years. Total registered time at UCSD cannot exceed seven years.
The Ph.D. In Political Science and International Affairs
Requirements for Admission
Applicants who seek admission to the highly competitive joint Ph.D. program must have earned a B.A., or its equivalent, from an institution of comparable standing to the University of California. Preference will be given to students with prior academic records of distinction and to those who have a background in one of the fields of emphasis and/or geographical areas covered by the program.
Applicants are required to submit the following: an online UCSD application for graduate study (http://graduateapp.ucsd.edu); two official transcripts from each college or university attended; three letters of recommendation; a résumé or curriculum vitae; a personal statement; a writing sample; a Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score report. A minimum score of 550 on the paper/pencil version and 213 on the computer-based version of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required of all international applicants whose native language is not English and whose undergraduate education was conducted in a language other than English.
The minimum criteria required for admission to the extremely selective joint
Ph.D. program can be found on the following Web site:
The Ph.D. Curriculum
Program of Study
The Ph.D. In political science and international affairs prepares students for research careers in political science, with an emphasis in either international policy analysis or comparative policy analysis. The program combines the analytical skills of political science with political economy, institutional analysis, policy analysis (especially economic policy) and regional training, with special attention to East Asia and/or Latin America.
Course Requirements
The Ph.D. Curriculum in political science and international affairs is designed to provide students with basic training in the techniques of modern political science, as well as applications to specific policy areas and countries or regions.
Seventeen courses are required prior to advancement to candidacy. There is a common core sequence, consisting of comparative public policy, two courses in comparative politics, two courses in international relations and research design. Each student must declare a primary field of either international policy analysis (IPA) or comparative policy analysis (CPA), consisting of three specialized courses. There is also a regional focus of five courses. Three additional courses must be taken from a set of electives.
Regional Requirement
The regional focus consists of international relations of Asia Pacific or international relations of the Americas (depending on which region is the student’s primary region), three additional courses in the student’s primary region, and one course in another region offered by either lR/PS or the Department of Political Science are required. By petition, students may count a region other than one of the IR/PS offerings (currently China, East Asia, Japan, Latin America, or South-east Asia) as their primary region.
Language Requirement
All students in the program are required to meet a high standard of proficiency in a foreign language before being advanced to candidacy. The language must be linked to the student’s region.
Seminar Papers
Each student must submit two seminar papers, one in each field. The penultimate draft of each seminar paper must be completed prior to taking the appropriate field exam, and the final draft must be completed by the end of the quarter in which the exam is taken. Both papers must demonstrate knowledge of the student’s regional focus, as well as knowledge of relevant theory in the field. At least one of the papers must also demonstrate knowledge of a substantive policy area, related to the student’s primary focus field.
Comprehensive Examinations
Each student must pass two comprehensive examinations, one in international relations and one in comparative politics. Each exam will be graded by a joint committee consisting of three permanent faculty members, with at least one from political science and at least one from IR/PS.
The primary field exam contains a focus field, which may be either a substantive field of policy analysis (e.g. trade, environment, international finance) or the student’s chosen primary region. Regardless of focus field, that part of the exam will test the student’s knowledge of theoretical literature and ability to apply it to a policy issue of relevance to the region.
Dissertation
Candidates must present a dissertation prospectus to be examined by their dissertation committee, and must complete a dissertation which makes a substantial and original contribution to knowledge commensurate with the standards of the University of California in order to receive the Ph.D. Degree The dissertation committee shall consist of four faculty members chosen from the Department of Political Science and IR/PS, with at least one from each unit. A fifth member must be from outside the department and IR/PS.
Oral Defense
Students will defend their dissertation at a final oral examination, which will be open to the public.
Ph.D. Time Limit Policies
Students must be advanced to candidacy by the end of the fourth year. Total university support cannot exceed seven years. Total registered time at UCSD cannot exceed eight years.
The Ph.D. In International Affairs
Pending final approval of the joint Ph.D. Degree programs in economics and international affairs, and political science and international affairs, no future admissions will be made to the Ph.D in International Affairs Program.
Global Leadership Institute Program
The Global Leadership Institute (GLI) is a graduate-level, executive education program. Since 1989, GLI has served as an executive training program for mid-career professionals seeking to expand their knowledge and experience in various aspects of international affairs including politics, public policy, management, and economics. Participants also have the opportunity to learn English or other languages of countries located in the Pacific region. Professional tours are offered throughout the quarter, thereby allowing GLI Fellows the opportunity to see industry-related operations firsthand in a cross-section of public and private sector organizations. The duration of each participant’s program may range from one quarter (eleven weeks) up to two years. For international applicants, in addition to participating under the Exchange Visitor (J) Visa program as a short-term Fellow enrolled in courses, GLI also hosts research scholars exclusively interested in gaining access to UCSD’s extensive resources. Both working professionals and graduate students in study abroad programs may opt for either Exchange Visitor (J) Visa category. GLI also offers customized courses in a variety of disciplines for organizations sending a group of professionals in a specialized field; these courses can be integrated with regularly scheduled course work during the academic quarter. Custom group programs ranging in duration from one day to two months are also available. A certificate of study is presented upon successful completion of a GLI program.
For more information, please contact the Global Leadership Institute via e-mail
at
The Korea-Pacific Program
The Korea-Pacific Program was formed in September 1989 in recognition of the growing importance of Korea in the world, of Korean-U.S. relationships, and of the Korean model of social and economic development.
Directed by IR/PS Professor Stephan Haggard, the program promotes the understanding of Korea in an international context and encourages the study of Korea by offering courses on the country’s economics and politics. Research is supported on contemporary Korean political economy. Outreach to the community is offered through seminars, lectures, courses, and cultural events.
In comparison with other Korean studies programs in the United States, the IR/PS Korea-Pacific Program is distinctive in several respects: it concentrates on contemporary Korea, focuses on policy questions, stresses the foundations of Korean economic growth, explores Korea’s international relations, and seeks to understand Korea in a broad regional context.
The ASEAN-Pacific Project
The ASEAN-Pacific Project is one of several major regional and theme-based nodes of activity within the Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies. Its mandate is to support students and to serve as a catalyst for the development of Southeast Asia-related teaching and research activities within the school.
The ASEAN-Pacific Project extends the success of the school’s original Vietnam-Pacific Project, with scope being broadened to embrace the other countries of Southeast Asia.
The project is built upon private donations to the school, with this resource being supplemented by resources obtained from external grant agencies and the university. The project supports the activities of students at IR/PS with an interest in Southeast Asia through fellowships (for summer travel and internships) and visiting guests speakers.
The project also serves as a catalyst and facilitator for research projects within the school relating to Southeast Asia. It seeks to promote disciplinary-driven work on political and economic topics pertaining to Southeast Asia, as distinct from more traditional area studies scholarship. Examples of this include recent work on national political institutions and policy-making, the dynamics of regional cooperation, food and agricultural policies, and the relocation of the global magnetic disk-drive industry to Southeast Asia. Other recent research-related initiatives include a major international workshop for Ph.D. students in political science working on Southeast Asia, and a workship for the U.S. Agency for International Development on political conflict in Indonesia.