Curriculum & Courses

The MIA programme is worth 120 ECTS credits that are earned in four consecutive semesters: 90 credits for coursework and 30 credits for the final dissertation (mémoire). In principle, a two-hour weekly class for the duration of a semester is worth 6 credits. The workshops are worth 3 credits each. The interdisciplinary seminars are worth 9 credits. The typical course load is five courses (30 credits) per semester.

You will find below information on the six major components of the programme and a description of the courses offered in the current academic year (2009-2010). You can also consult the MIA study plan.

1|First-year Compulsory Courses (36 credits)

MIA students come from different academic backgrounds, and with a different awareness of international issues. To transform this diversity into a common strength, we specifically designed “unifying” classes that are taken in the first two semesters of the programme.

These three courses are compulsory for first-year students:

First-year students must also take one Statistics course. They can choose Stats I or Stats II, depending on their prior knowledge:

First-year students must also choose two courses from the following list of four graduate-level disciplinary foundation "introduction to" courses. These aim to complete the student's previous education and to provide a strong foundation for subsequent courses at the Institute:

2|Concentrations (24 credits)

The programme is composed of three concentrations: 1) Global and regional integration; 2) Security and conflict management; and 3) Global society. Given the programme's overarching goal of multidisciplinarity, students must take four courses from at least two different concentrations in the list of courses. Some concentration courses can be taken as of the first semester, although most are open only in the second semester, once students have completed their foundational courses.

3|Electives (12 credits)

Electives are optional courses that students can take over the course of their studies. They must choose 2 electives from the list of courses. Some electives are open to students as of the first semester; see those indicated "dès semestre 1".

4|Second-year Workshops (9 credits)

Effective participation in world affairs requires not only sound analytical abilities but also basic professional skills such as communication, negotiation or project management skills. Second-year students must choose 3 out of the 4 workshops. They can also substitute one workshop for an internship (see ETUNET).

5|Second-year Interdisciplinary Seminars (9 credits)

Building on the interdisciplinary tools developed during the first year, students must take one topical interdisciplinary seminar co-taught by two Faculty members from different disciplines. The topics vary yearly, but include issues such as the environment, international finance, major international peace settlements and the fight against terrorism. The seminars must be taken for 9 credits of course requirements.

6|Dissertation

The MIA dissertation, worth 30 credits, is a piece of personal research. Given the multidisciplinary nature of the MIA programme, the first and second readers of the mémoire must be from two different academic units. Information on the dissertation and deadlines can be found here.