Home

The Ibrahim Abu-Lughod Institute of International Studies offers an interdisciplinary MA, which is earned through the study of its four cognate fields of international history, politics, economics, and law. The degree program is an academically unified one, and it is also timely, serving fulltime graduate students but also professionals in the public or private sector, the schools and universities of Palestine. It is valuable to anyone, of any age, who may be interested in addressing Palestine’s evolving relationship with the international system from a theoretical or a practical standpoint. The students' individual perspectives are thus improved, and through them, those of the nation that they are serving.

The knowledge and skills they acquire through the program enable these individuals (who as of early 2002 number close to 200, between alumni and currently enrolled students) to pursue careers with a deeper understanding, and greater mastery of their working environment. Alternatively, graduates of the program are competitive candidates for Ph.D. programs in a range of fields at universities abroad. The foremost scholars in the field living in Palestine teach in the IALIIS; this is one of the reasons why demand for admission to the Master’s program in international studies always far exceeds the number of places available.

This program is composed of 36 credit hours, leading to the MA in International Studies, from Birzeit University. It generally takes the students, most of whom are employed and therefore unable to follow a full time course of study, between a year and a half and two years to complete the degree.

Students take thirty hours (ten semester courses) in the four sub-fields: international history, politics, law and economics. At the end of their course work, they either:

• Write a Master's thesis; or
  
• Take two research seminars as well as doing an internship in an organization active in the international field, whether intergovernmental, governmental or private; and pass a general examination.

• Applicants must have a first university degree (i.e. BA) from a university recognized by Birzeit University.

• It is preferred that applicants be specialized in Social Sciences, History, Economics, Development, or Law.

15 credit hours that are obligatory for all students enrolled in the program.

• Methodology and Thesis Preparation (630)
  
• Theory of International Relations (631)
  
• International Relations since 1914 (634)
  
• Principles of International Economics (637)
  
• Principles and Application of International Law (731)

Choosing 15 credit hours from the following courses:

• Comparative Politics (632)
  
• Public Administration (633)
  
• The Diplomatic History of Palestine in the 19th and 20th Centuries (635)
  
• The Arab World and the West (636)
  
• The Political Economy of Development (638)
  
• Comparative Foreign Policy (730)
  
• International Organizations (732)
  
• Jurisdiction and Implementation in International Law (733)
  
• Special Topic (735)

Courses : Click here

The Comprehensive Oral Exam:

When a student fulfils all the required courses (obligatory and elective), s/he is exposed to a Comprehensive Oral Exam. The aim behind this exam is to evaluate the student's knowledge in the topic of international studies. The exam is held twice a year and is supervised by a special committee. The first session would be with the end of the first semester and the second would be with the end of the second semester. Besides, there might be a third session held with the end of the summer course or the beginning of the first semester if necessary and if possibilities are available.

The Practical Internship:

Each student who chooses Track B must work as trainee for two months in one of the governmental, non-governmental, or international organizations inside or outside Palestine. However, that requires the acceptance of the program's council. With the end of the internship, the student must submit a detailed report about this experience as a trainee. Furthermore, the direct oversight individual in the institution will be asked to write a report on the student’s adherence and how s/he is benefited from the training. To fulfill the condition of having a practical internship, a student must have a positive evaluation from the program's Council. The evaluation will make use of the two aforementioned reports. The program's council might exempt a student from the practical internship if s/he receives an appropriate internship through his/her work before or after joining the program.