Master of Arts in International Affairs and Leadership
Want to change the world?
Join a different kind of online program that will get you on your way.
About Us
The Master of Arts in International Affairs and Leadership
IAL is a flexible and innovative online degree program that equips students to be leaders in diplomacy, national security, international development, human rights, intelligence, and many other fields in the global arena.
What sets us apart? We place a high value on student-faculty interaction and on the learning of practical skills. IAL classes, taught exclusively by highly experienced foreign policy practitioners, emphasize policy debate and assignments that mimic real-world work. We offer over two dozen electives, allowing students to chart their own path to success. Students even have the option to spend a week in Washington to engage directly with faculty and a host of U.S. and international experts.
Program Highlights
Character-Driven Leadership
The MA IAL program is committed to enhancing ASU’s goal for innovation, global transformation, international impact, and cultivating a global perspective among its students and university partners. Unique among the globe’s higher education institutions, the MA IAL program is a powerful champion of preparing character-driven leaders committed to do the right thing, in the right way, for the right reasons, in America and around the world.
Washington Week
During their time in the MA in International Affairs and Leadership program, students have the option to travel to Washington, D.C. for a week’s worth of immersive training and activities. The program itself is free of charge. Students are responsible for travel and accommodations.
Participants take part in discussions covering topics in the areas of diplomacy, character-driven leadership, ethics, foreign affairs, intelligence, national security and economics, which include simulations and case studies. In addition, visit various agencies and nonprofits, tour the nation’s monuments, and engage in team building exercises with your peers.
Affordable and Flexible Education
The MA IAL offers a flexible degree to fit your needs – whether you’re a full-time student or professional. You can graduate in 1-6 years at your own pace, and there are several start dates throughout the year allowing you to get started at a time that works best.
The program also provides affordable tuition rates in comparison with other international affairs master’s degree program. In addition, ASU offer’s financial assistance while also allowing you to transfer credits from previous institutions.
MA IAL Requirements
- 30 credit (10 courses) degree program
- 4 required courses (including Capstone)
- Transfer of credits available with approval
- Flexible pacing – graduate in 1-6 years
- Several start dates throughout the year
- No prior work experience required
- Summer courses available
- Regional and thematic study groups
- Rapid responses to applications
All-Practitioner Faculty
In IAL, you learn from distinguished leaders – ambassadors, senior military leaders, current and former United Nations officials, and other senior foreign affairs professionals -- with decades of experience in the subjects they teach. Your instructors are not inaccessible figureheads: you work directly with them in small classes. All of them are committed to your success in the program and beyond.
Engage with Faculty
Small classes
We keep our classes small (15-25 students) in order to ensure a high-quality educational experience and to facilitate meaningful interactions among students and faculty.
Direct feedback
Our faculty are heavily engaged in each course, and our students receive individual feedback and advice directly from them on assignments or in one-on-one meetings.
Weekly Zoom sessions
Every IAL class features a weekly real-time Zoom session with the professor. These sessions are optional for students and are recorded for students who are unable to attend.
Mentoring and Networking
IAL faculty are committed to helping students thrive in the IAL program and afterwards. Our very approachable professors are happy to mentor students and help with professional networking.
Global Opportunities
Study abroad
Students can earn IAL degree credit by studying abroad in one of dozens of countries around the globe through ASU World Innovators Study Abroad Program.
Internships
Students engaged in internships in the U.S. or overseas that are related to international affairs can earn course credit toward their IAL degree.
Independent Study
Our students can earn degree credit by producing research papers on international topics about which they are passionate. Some students travel overseas to conduct their research.
Military Friendly
The IAL program prides itself on offering its military students a first-class experience. After all, IAL is led by practitioners who either served in or alongside the military. We understand the particular and sometimes unpredictable demands placed on our military students, and we will always go the extra mile to accommodate your needs.
Approximately 20% of our students are on active duty in the U.S. military, and another 20% have military experience. We treasure the priceless perspectives you bring to our virtual classrooms.
Whether you are seeking an M.A. to become a Foreign Area Officer, earn a commission, bolster your promotion prospects, deepen your knowledge, or pursue some other goal, we stand ready to help get you on your way.
Courses
With over 30 IAL classes to choose from and just four core courses, IAL students have the flexibility to develop their own pathway to academic and career success. Our courses cover regional and thematic topics that are necessary for today’s foreign affairs professionals – e.g., human rights, international law, economics, diplomatic tradecraft, negotiations, conflict resolution, national security policy, science, and many more.
IAL students are also eligible to apply toward their degree up to six credits earned in other programs related to international affairs and leadership.
Who are our students?
There is no easy way to describe the incredible diversity of the IAL student community. Our students live throughout the U.S. and abroad. They range in age from recent college graduates to retirees. They work in dozens of professions. They earned their undergraduate degrees in a vast range of subjects in a vast range of universities. Their career ambitions span a huge range of fields.
This amazing mosaic of experiences and outlooks enriches the IAL experience. Student-to-student learning is a central feature of our degree program, and we see the results of that every day.
What is common about our students? They all share a desire to learn more about this complex world in which we live and are committed to making it a better place.
IAL Alums in Action
Our alumni are making a mark in many fields and organizations, ranging from U.S. Government agencies to Capitol Hill to NGOs to prominent corporations.
Our alums never truly leave IAL. We aspire to be a lifelong community in which our alumni, current students, and faculty support each other in a vibrant professional network.
- U.S. Department of Defense
- U.S. Department of State
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
- U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs
- U.S. Congress
- JET Program
- International Rescue Committee
- U.S. Global Leadership Coalition
- U.S. Small Business Administration
- Peace Corps
Hear from IAL Alumni
Contact us
Email Program Manager Ashley Wright at [email protected] with any questions.