The Committee on International Relations (CIR) is a one-year

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

graduate program in the Division of Social Sciences at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

. It is one of the oldest

international relations International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...

graduate programs in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

History

CIR was founded in 1928 by a group of University of Chicago professors, including

Hans Morgenthau Hans Joachim Morgenthau (February 17, 1904 – July 19, 1980) was a German-American jurist and political scientist who was one of the major 20th-century figures in the study of international relations. Morgenthau's works belong to the tradition ...

and Quincy Wright. While CIR is known worldwide for one of the most distinguished programs in the study of

international security ''International Security'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal in the field of international and national security. It was founded in 1976 and is edited by the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University and publis ...

, CIR faculty and students are also well known for academic work in international political economy, international institutions,

globalization Globalization is the process of increasing interdependence and integration among the economies, markets, societies, and cultures of different countries worldwide. This is made possible by the reduction of barriers to international trade, th ...

international law International law, also known as public international law and the law of nations, is the set of Rule of law, rules, norms, Customary law, legal customs and standards that State (polity), states and other actors feel an obligation to, and generall ...

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

, comparative politics, development and regional studies.

The program

The combination of intellectual diversity and analytical strength provide a stimulating environment for CIR students. The small size and intellectual rigor of the program ensure that students with differing perspectives will challenge each other and come to a more sophisticated understanding of the complicated interaction between the realities of international politics and international economics. The program provides excellent preparation for students, whether they choose to continue their graduate studies in leading PhD programs, or decide to work in

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

or the

private sector The private sector is the part of the economy which is owned by private groups, usually as a means of establishment for profit or non profit, rather than being owned by the government. Employment The private sector employs most of the workfo ...

. Each CIR graduate student is assigned a preceptor based on their own disciplinary and research interests in

, such as war, regional studies, or international economics.

Coursework

Students take three credited courses per quarter, which constitutes a full-load at the University of Chicago. Of the nine total courses, two are required "Core" classes, including a course on

and another on international political economy. CIR students also take three mandatory non-credit classes, including two MA thesis workshops in the Fall and Winter quarters and a class taught by the CIR preceptors called "Perspectives on International Relations" in the Fall quarter. With the remaining seven credited courses, students are allowed to take any graduate-level course, with the following three restrictions: (1) seven of the nine courses must be on the CIR-approved course list, (2) at least three courses must be within the Division of Social Sciences, and (3) three courses must be taken in two of the four possible fields of study.

Fields of study

* International Security, Conflict Studies, and Contentious Politics * International Political Economy and Development * Comparative Studies in Political Institutions and Identity * Human Rights, Environment, and International Law * Research Methods in the Social Sciences

MA thesis

CIR students must also complete a

thesis A thesis (: theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: D ...

under the guidance of their preceptor and a faculty adviser of their choosing. Students will be aided by the two required MA thesis workshop classes in the Fall and Winter quarters. Each thesis is expected to be between 35–45 pages in length and below 14,000 words.

MA with specialization

CIR students who wish to pursue a particular research topic in greater depth than is possible in one year may pursue the second-year specialization program. Specialization is best designed for students who plan to continue with graduate studies in a Ph.D. program at the University of Chicago or elsewhere. Specialization is competitive; on average 10–12 students apply, and 2–4 are accepted.

Joint degrees

CIR offers joint degrees with different programs and schools at the University of Chicago. * BA/MA – offered only to current University of Chicago undergraduates entering their senior year * MA/MA – with the Harris School of Public Policy Studies * MBA/MA – with the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business * JD/MA – with the

University of Chicago Law School The University of Chicago Law School is the Law school in the United States, law school of the University of Chicago, a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. It employs more than 180 full-time and part-time facul ...

Notable faculty

* Bruce Cumings * John Mearsheimer * Robert Pape * Eric Posner * Bernard Wasserstein * Charles Lipson * Dali Yang

References

External links

CIR Website

AM/MA-CIR
- Dual Degree Committee on International Relations (CIR) {{Authority control University of Chicago Schools of international relations in the United States Realist think tanks 1928 establishments in Illinois