Master of Social Sciences in
International Relations and Public Policy

The Master of Social Sciences in International Relations and Public Policy (MSS-IRP) offers specialized training to postgraduate students who are pursuing a career in foreign policy or who wish to prepare themselves for advanced research in international relations. Through intensive reading assignments and small seminars, students are introduced to major debates in international relations theory as well as historical and current developments in world politics. Research and writing assignments train students in the core skills of rigorously analyzing complex social issues, engaging with diverse arguments, and communicating them clearly to audiences. The culmination of the degree is an original thesis on a topic of the student’s own choosing, researched and written under the guidance of a faculty advisor.

Alumni of the MSS-IRP program have gone on to successful careers both in China and abroad, including in the government sector, international organizations, non-profits, business, education, and research.

Programme Intended Learning Outcomes

• Understand the main issues and challenges, key concepts, representative theories and major debates in the fields of International Relations and Public Policy.
• Apply such knowledge to identify and analyze relevant issues and challenges in the fields of International Relations and Public Policy.
• Obtain an adequate level of critical thinking, research skills, communication skills, and digital literacy, and be able to write essays, reports or theses and to publicly present such works with these skills.
• Develop and apply broad and forward-looking global perspectives on public and international affairs in their specific and contingent local, national, regional, transnational and global contexts.
• Be job-ready in relevant professions or be ready for further studies in related academic fields following the completion of the entire coursework and project report.

Course Plan

The MSSIRP is structured as a two-year program. In the first year, students undertake intensive coursework, including four compulsory courses in international relations theory, political science research methods, and public policy analysis. In addition, students choose four elective courses from a range of international relations and policy-related topics, such as international political economy, global governance, and political theory. The second year is devoted entirely to researching and writing the thesis. After completing the thesis, students present their research in a formal oral examination before a panel of two faculty members.

Year 1

Year 2