International Studies
Broaden your global knowledge through our Master of International Studies (MIS). Develop your intercultural communication skills. Prepare for a successful career in international relations.
MIS News More Stories

MIS Program Overview
The Master of International Studies (MIS) is a professional degree program that prepares students for exciting careers in government service, international institutions and non-governmental organizations. An affiliate member of the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs, the MIS program joins distinguished universities around the world in providing global education for the 21st century.
The program combines a core curriculum with a 15-hour regional, topical, professional or technical specialization. Upon graduation, most students move into jobs in government service, nonprofit management, student services in higher education (international students, study abroad) and the private sector.
The strength of the program is its diversity of faculty from many different disciplines and small class size. The richness of the student body from many countries around the world enhances this interaction. In addition, students may take courses at other universities in the area, including UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke, through inter-institutional registration.
Degree Requirements
The MIS is a multidisciplinary, non-thesis degree program. Of the 36 credit units required, you will take 30 hours in courses at the 500 level or higher. Additionally, 15 credit hours (5 courses) must come from core courses. At least one course (3 credit hours) must come from each of the five fields listed below. For course descriptions not listed here, please refer to the NC State course catalog.
- PS 571 Research Methods
- PA 515 Research Methods
- 500-level methods course from a different department*
- Two GIS (Geospatial Information Science) courses
- You may also take a methods course in another discipline as warranted by your specialization if approved by your advisor in consultation with the MIS DGP. Examples include anthropology, communication, psychology, public administration and sociology.
INDIVIDUAL SPECIALIZATION
An individualized specialization of 12-15 hours is also required. The specialization may be in a geographical region (e.g., Latin America), an international topic (e.g., environment and sustainable development), a professional field (e.g., public administration), or a technical specialty (e.g., Geographic Information Systems - GIS). The specialization should include an appropriate research methodology course, if recommended by the chair of the student's faculty advisory committee.
International WORK OR STUDY EXPERIENCE
American students must have a significant foreign study or work experience of at least 12 weeks. This may be prior experience or one that is undertaken while enrolled in the MIS program. International students fulfill this requirement by living and studying in the United States while pursuing the program.
To meet the requirement, the activity must be one in which the student has lived abroad and had to cope with a different culture in an individualized way. Such activities may include gainful employment, internships, volunteer activities, or academic study.
Students may also receive academic credit either by completing graduate courses at foreign institutions and request a transfer of up to six credits or by enrolling for the program's internship course for up to six credit hours. More information is available at NC State's Study Abroad Office website.
CAPSTONE SEMINAR
Students nearing completion of the program are brought together in a seminar in which they explore broader issues in international studies and write a capstone paper that is presented to other students.
LANGUAGE COMPETENCY
Competency in a foreign language is also required and is certified by the foreign languages department. More information is available at the Foreign Language and Literatures Graduate Certification website.
Program Specializations
In addition to fulfilling core requirements, program specializations of 12 to 15 credit hours may be in a variety of areas. The following lists identify some of the more common options taken by students. Students may also develop their own individual specializations in consultation with their advisor.
PS
540
– Seminar
in
Comparative
Politics
PS
541
– Political
Islam
PS
542
– European
Politics
PS
543
– Latin
America
and
the
Caribbean
PS
545
– Comparative
Systems
of
Law
and
Justice
HI
518
– Fascist
Italy
and
Nazi
Germany
HI
519
– Modern
European
Imperialism
HI
520
– European
Diplomatic
History
HI
529
– 20th
Century
Britain
HI
539
– History
of
the
Soviet
Union
and
After
PS
542
– European
Politics
FLS
525
– Poetry
and
Politics
in
Latin
America
FLS
592
– Seminar
in
Hispanic
Studies
HI
467
– Modern
Mexico
HI
553
– U.S.-
Latin
American
Relations
Since
1823
HI
569
–
Latin
American
Revolutions
in
the
Twentieth
Century
PS
543
– Latin
America
and
the
Caribbean
HI
465
– Oil
and
Crisis
in
the
Gulf
HI
477
–
Women
in
the
Middle
East
HI
507
– Islamic
History
to
1798
HI
578
– Islam
and
Christianity
in
Sub-Saharan
Africa
Since
the
19th
Century
PS
437
– U.S.
National
Security
Policy
PS
541
– Political
Islam
REL
408
– Islam
in
the
Modern
World
SOC
520
– Sociology
of
Religion
PS
541
– Political
Islam
HI
575
– History
of
the
Republic
of
South
Africa
HI
576
– Leadership
in
Modern
Africa
HI
578
– Islam
and
Christianity
in
Sub-Saharan
Africa
HI
579
– Africa
(Sub-Saharan)
in
the
Twentieth
Century
PS
502
–
The
Legislative
Process
PS
506
–
United
States
Constitutional
Law
PS
507
–
Civil
Liberties
in
the
United
States
PS
545
–
Comparative
Systems
of
Law
and
Justice
HI
544
– US
Constitutional
History
Since
1870
HI
552
– Recent
America
HI
554
– History
of
U.S.
Foreign
Relations
1900-present
PS
463
– Public
Choice
and
Political
Institutions
PS
437
– U.S.
National
Security
Policy
PA
522
–
Intergovernmental
Relations
in
the
United
States
PS
431
– UN
and
Global
Order
PS
531
– International
Law
PS
532
– Seminar
in
Global
Governance
PS
533
– Global
Problems
and
Policies
PS
536
– Global
and
Environmental
Law
and
Policy
PS
545
– Comparative
Systems
of
Law
and
Justice
PS
534
– Politics
of
Human
Rights
PHI
520
– Global
Justice
ECG
548
– International
Economics
EAC
540
– Foundations
of
Higher
Education
and
Student
Affairs
EAC
541
– Administration
and
Finance
of
Student
Affairs
EAC
795
– International
Higher
Education
EAC
517
– Current
Issues
in
Higher
Education
ECD
525
– Cross-Cultural
Counseling
COM
523
– International
&
Intercultural
Communication
PA
531
– Human
Resource
Management
in
Public
and
Nonprofit
Orgs
PA
536
– Management
of
Nonprofit
Organizations
PA
538
– Nonprofit
Budgeting
and
Financial
Management
PA
539
– Fund
Development
Elective
courses
(3-6
hours)
for
Non-profit
certificate
PA
510
– Ethics
and
Professional
Practices
PA
514
– Management
Systems
PA
532
– Contract
Negotiation
and
Mediation
in
the
Public
and
Nonprofit
Sectors
PA
535
– Problem
Solving
for
Public
and
Nonprofit
Managers
PA
542
– Public
Information
Technology
PA
546
– Seminar
in
Program
Evaluation
PA
598
– Special
Topics
in
Public
Administration
PA
640
– Grant
Writing
COM
546
– Nonprofit
Marketing
and
Public
Relations
PA
507
– The
Public
Policy
Process
PA
509
– Applied
Political
Economy
PA
510
– Ethics
and
Professional
Practice
PA
511
– Public
Policy
Analysis
PA
512
– The
Budgetary
Process
PA
513
– Public
Organization
Behavior
PA
514
– Management
Systems
PA
515
– Research
Methods
and
Analysis
PA
516
–
Effective
Communication
for
Public
Administrators
PA
521
– Government
and
Planning
PA
522
– Intergovernmental
Relations
in
the
United
States
PA
525
– Organizational
Development
and
Change
Management
PA
530
– Financial
Management
in
the
Public
Sector
PA
540
–
Grant
Writing
for
Public
Administrators
PA
546
– Seminar
in
Program
Evaluation
COM
566
– Seminar
in
Crisis
Communication
HI
465
– Oil
and
the
Gulf
Crisis
HI
551
– The
Vietnam
War
HI
553
– U.S.
–
Latin
American
Relations
1823
HI
554
– History
of
U.S.
Foreign
Relations
1900-present
PS
437
– U.S.
National
Security
Policy
PS
533
– Global
Problems
and
Policies
PS
598
– International
Security
SOC
432
– Violence,
Terrorism,
and
Public
Policy
ANT
531
– Tourism,
Culture
and
Anthropology
ANT
533
– Anthropology
of
Ecotourism
and
Heritage
Conservation
ECG
540
– Economic
Development
GIS
510
– Introduction
to
Geographic
Information
Science
NR
571
– Current
Issues
in
Natural
Resource
Management
PS
533
– Global
Problems
and
Issues
PS
536
– Global
Environmental
Law
and
Policy
PRT
795
– Sustainability,
Poverty
and
Tourism
PS
431
UN
and
Global
Order
PS
531
International
Law
PS
532
Seminar
in
Global
Governance
PS
533
Global
Problems
and
Policy
PS
534
Politics
of
Human
Rights
PHI
520
Global
Justice
PA
536
The
Management
of
Non-Profits
HI
568
Slavery
in
the
Americas
PHI
575
Ethical
Theory
SOC
755
Global
Institutions
and
Markets
COM
562
Communication
and
Social
Change
Internships and Professional Development
As part of the Master of International Studies program, you are encouraged to complete an internship and earn academic credit with an organization relevant to your studies and career interests. Our internship director, Dr. Tracy Appling, will work with you to identify the best placement for you. MIS students have interned across the country and around the world.
Professional development workshops offer opportunities to learn about internships, fellowships and careers. Experts share experiences working in a variety of organizations including the U.S. Foreign Service and other government agencies, international NGOs, the private sector, government contractors, research institutions and others.

MIS Alumni Spotlight More

The whole graduate program helped boost my academic knowledge and research skills to a higher level, which made me the best candidate for my job.
Elmas Hasanovic (2018)
Career Options
Your career opportunities will be strengthened by the area of specialization you choose within our program. Our most popular career tracks are in these four general areas:
- government service at the state and national levels
- nonprofit organization administration and outreach
- higher education administration in international students services and study abroad
- international business - primarily trade and marketing