International Affairs and Development: Master's Year 1

Students in the first year of the Master's degree in International Affairs and Development take courses in three main areas: Economics, Sustainable Development, and Peace Studies The Master's offers students an interdisciplinary education in economics, sociology, political science, finance, and law. There are required and elective courses in each area. Courses are also open to students specializing in other areas.

Program objectives:

• Gain technical competence in areas such as econometrics, modelling, and optimization;
• Gain a solid understanding of the key issues in International Affairs;
• Specialize in Sustainable Development, Peace Studies, or International and Development Economics.
• Understand and know how to implement the tools and methods of the chosen discipline.

Economics Major: the goal of this major is to train students for two types of international career, one in areas pertaining to research and study and the other in more operational areas pertaining to business, and geopolitical, human, ecological, and environmental concerns in international corporations and organizations.
Students gain a solid education through a combination of practical apprenticeships and an introduction to research through a requirement to conduct research. The first year of the Master's programs provides students with a solid and consistent selection of core courses in microeconomics, macroeconomics, and econometrics; methods and programming courses in R, SAS, and Stata, and more specialized courses in international economics and the economics of development. Electives introduce students to key issues such as health, education, poverty and inequality, the job market, microfinance, and conflict in low- and medium-income countries.

Sustainable Development Major: this major aims to educate future executives who will specialize in sustainable development and CSR. The program is interdisciplinary in nature and provides students with skills in four disciplines: management, economics, sociology, and law. The aims of the program are to help students: (1) Understand the interplay between actors, organizations, and regulation related to security and the environment, (2) Develop holistic expertise in law, economics, accounting, and finance, (3) Learn about the impact of sustainable development policies and Corporate and Social Responsibility (CSR) practices, (4) Gain the skills to advise and support companies wishing to create change strategies that incorporate CSR.

Peace Studies Major: Conflict situations, the result of increased tension between and in nations, have become increasingly complex all over the world. The reasons for these conflicts vary from economic to social to religious to ethnic.
The demand for expertise in international monitoring and regulation, on the one hand, and increased intervention from international organizations and charities capable of putting pressure on national and international governments on the other is also growing.
The Peace Studies program is a response to this ever-increasing need for skills in conflict management and resolution. Through its interdisciplinary, professionally-oriented, research-informed curriculum, the program is contributing to the manifold efforts to prevent violence and work towards a lasting peace.

Students have the option of applying for a gap year after each of the majors.