Graduate Program – Departemen Ilmu Hubungan Internasional

Master Program in International Relations

General Information

Provider of the study program	Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (Fisipol), Universitas Gadjah Mada
Program website	https://hi.fisipol.ugm.ac.id/
Title of the study program	Master Program in International Relations
Degree	Master of Arts (M.A.)
Date of introduction	2002, initially co-administered under the Dept. of Politics and Government. Since 5 July 2010, the program is fully administired under the Departemen of International Relations (Rector Decree No. 437/P/SK/HT/2010
Subject field	International Politics International Peace Studies International Development and Cooperation Digital Transformation and Competitiveness
Regular study duration	3 semesters
Number of credits	60 SKS (equivalent to 90 ECTS)
Matriculation periods	July–August
Frequency of the offered program	Annual admission (once a year)
Capacity per year	75 seats of maximum capacity
Number of students currently enrolled	131 active/enrolled students (November 2024)
Average number of graduates per year	1 year and 5 months (2023–2024) 1 year and 7 months (2022–2023)
Tuition fees	IDR 12.5 million (MAIR Concentration) IDR 15 million (DTC Concentration)
Type of studies	Full-Time
Recent Accreditation	Accredited "A" by BAN-PT (Certificate Number 1674/SK/BAN-PT/Ak-PPJ/M/III/2020

The Master Program in International Relations is implementing the latest curriculum introduced in 2024. Courses offered are manifesting the state of the arts in studying International Relations with an emphasis on international politics, international peace studies, international development and cooperation, and digital transformation & competitiveness. The structure of the curriculum is designed to facilitate students to self-tailor their study plan.

The Curriculum 2024 is designed in accordance with the Ministry of Education regulation number 53/2023. This regulation dictates that a master’s program should consist of a certain number of credits, which is 54-72 SKS or 81-108 ECTS. Hence, the program has upgraded the amount of credits from 45 SKS (67.5 ECTS) to 60 SKS (90 ECTS). The credits encompass courses and a thesis that can be completed in three semesters.

Semester I comprises four core courses and two concentration-related courses with 24 SKS (36 ECTS) in total. All six courses that the students need to take are compulsory. The three core courses in semester I are 1) Perspective in Global Politics, 2) Diplomacy & Global Governance, 3) Research Methods, and 4) Global Political Economy. These 4 core courses are taught for both concentrations, the Master of Arts in International Relations (MAIR) and Digital Transformation and Competitiveness (DTC). For the MAIR concentration, two concentration-related courses are International Politics & Security, and International Peace Studies. Meanwhile, the DTC concentration has the courses of Comparative Digital Policies and Digital Transformation Strategy.

The total credits a student needs to take in the second semester is 24 SKS (36 ECTS). Semester II comprises two compulsory courses of Foreign Policy Analysis and a Workshop Leading to Thesis. The rest of the courses that the students need to take are electives up to 16 SKS (24 ECTS). At the end of semester II, students are required to present their master thesis proposal that has been prepared during the course of Workshop Leading to Thesis and has been approved by the lecturer.

Upon the completion of the master thesis proposal, the students continue to write and finalize the master thesis in semester III. The master thesis is awarded 12 SKS (18 ECTS) to complete the whole 60 SKS (90 ECTS) for the completion of the study.

Core Competences

MPIR aims to develop human capital with graduates’ core competencies that can contribute to the fields of diplomacy, academia, transnational works, and journalism. The core competencies of the MPIR graduates are identified as follows:

Diplomatic Competence. Focuses on the development of attitudes, knowledge, and expertise to support diplomatic activities, both within the scope of international relations and international organizations. Among the fields of work compatible with this competence are diplomats and officers in various ministries and government agencies, both at the central and regional levels.
Academia Competence. Focuses on the development of analytical, reflective, and theoretical formulation skills to support research and teaching activities. Among the fields of work compatible with this competence are researchers and educators.
Transnational Works Competence. Focuses on the development of the knowledge and skills to build cross-national cooperation and networks among civil society organizations, communities, and multinational enterprises. Among the fields of work compatible with this competence are civil society activists, officers at international organizations, and professionals at multinational companies.
Journalism Competence. Focuses on the development of attitudes and skills in understanding political trends and critically analyzing global developments for journalistic purposes. Among the fields of work compatible with this competence are journalists, writers, broadcasters, reporters, and many more.

Structure of Curriculum

The program can be completed in 3 semesters with the structure as follows:

Semester I consists of 24 SKS (36 ECTS) of compulsory courses.
Semester II consists of 24 SKS (36 ECTS) which are divided into 8 SKS (12 ECTS) of compulsory courses and 16 SKS (24 ECTS) of elective courses.
Semester III consists of 12 credits (18 ECTS) for the thesis completion.

Curriculum 2024 Flowchart

Semester I (24 SKS/36 ECTS)	Credits
Perspective in Global Politics	4 SKS (6 ECTS)
Diplomacy and Global Governance	4 SKS (6 ECTS)
Research Methods	4 SKS (6 ECTS)
Global Political Economy	4 SKS (6 ECTS)
MAIR Core Concentration Courses
International Peace Studies	4 SKS (6 ECTS)
International Politics and Security	4 SKS (6 ECTS)
DTC Core Concentration Courses
Comparative Digital Policies	4 SKS (6 ECTS)
Digital Transformation Strategy	4 SKS (6 ECTS)

Semester II (24 SKS/36 ECTS)	Credits
Workshop Leading to Thesis	4 SKS (6 ECTS)
Foreign Policy Analysis	4 SKS (6 ECTS)
Elective Course	4 SKS (6 ECTS)
Elective Course	4 SKS (6 ECTS)
Elective Course	4 SKS (6 ECTS)
Elective Course	4 SKS (6 ECTS)

Semester III (12 SKS/18 ECTS)	Credits
Thesis	12 SKS (18 ECTS)

Available Elective Courses	Concentration	Credits
Cosmopolitanism and International Norms	MAIR	4 SKS (6 ECTS)
Politics of International Law	MAIR	4 SKS (6 ECTS)
Gender in Global Politics	MAIR	4 SKS (6 ECTS)
Human Security	MAIR	4 SKS (6 ECTS)
International Humanitarian Action	MAIR	4 SKS (6 ECTS)
Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution	MAIR	4 SKS (6 ECTS)
Global Environmental Politics	MAIR	4 SKS (6 ECTS)
Politics of Global Competitiveness	MAIR	4 SKS (6 ECTS)
International Development Studies	MAIR	4 SKS (6 ECTS)
Contemporary Topics of International Relations	MAIR & DTC	4 SKS (6 ECTS)
Industry and Innovation System	DTC	4 SKS (6 ECTS)
Digital Economy and E-Commerce	DTC	4 SKS (6 ECTS)
Ethics in Digital Innovation	DTC	4 SKS (6 ECTS)

Thesis

The final assignment for the completion of the study is thesis writing. Students will be able to proceed with the thesis writing only after completing the Workshop Leading to Thesis and Thesis Proposal Seminar. The requirements for the thesis are as follows:

The length of the thesis is 15,000-20,000 words (including footnotes).
Written in Times New Roman size 12 with 1.5 space.
The manuscript contains at least the following components: (a) abstract; (b) introduction; (c) methods; (d) analysis and findings; (e) conclusion; and (f) bibliography.
The structure of the thesis and the chapters are subject to consultation with the academic supervisor.

The details of the technical provisions are available in the thesis writing guidelines provided by the Department and the UGM Postgraduate School.

Students can graduate under the condition of achieving a minimum GPA of 3.00 (of 4.00) and obtaining a minimum B for the thesis grade. The maximum length for completing the program is 6 semesters (3 years).