MA in International Affairs
Rome, Italy
MA
DURATION
3 semesters
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Aug 2026
TUITION FEES
USD 22,000 *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* USD 22,000 for U.S. citizens, permanent residents of the United States, or Canadian citizens / EUR 20,000 for citizens of countries other than the United States or Canada
Key Summary
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The Master of Arts (MA) degree in International Affairs at John Cabot University provides students with the training and skills to succeed in a professional career in global affairs. Taught by internationally renowned faculty and practitioners, the MA program draws on John Cabot’s strengths as a globally-oriented American liberal arts university in Rome. Dynamic, small-class-size seminars, mentorship by dedicated faculty, a vibrant multicultural student body, and a genuine English-speaking learning environment are all hallmarks of JCU’s educational approach and represent an ideal setting for graduate students to grapple with the big questions facing 21st-century policymakers.
JCU’s MA degree in International Affairs is also designed to take advantage of its unique location in Rome and the city’s intellectually vibrant past and present. The program and its faculty reflect the political character of the city itself, which is the birthplace of the Roman Republic and the European Union, the United Nations hub for food security and development, and the home to diplomatic missions to both Italy and the Holy See. All of this makes Rome one of the region’s major centers for policymaking, one which joins the worlds of Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Atlantic. Students in the MA program will directly engage with the city’s rich confluence of global policy networks, complete a professional internship with a leading international institution in Rome, and take courses that will guide them for work in the field.
The MA in International Affairs, thus, aims to train students in practical policy skills and site-specific learning seldom accessible at the MA level. They will graduate with a strong foundation for further advanced academic study and professional policy work.
The MA seeks a diverse and multicultural pool of applicants eager to pursue rigorous graduate study in an international environment while benefitting from the many opportunities for intellectual and professional growth available in Rome. Applications are welcome from holders of an undergraduate degree from an accredited university. Students are encouraged to have completed some coursework in political science and international affairs as part of their undergraduate degree and the equivalent of at least one year of university-level coursework in a foreign language. Applicants from different or interdisciplinary backgrounds and a strong academic record are also welcome to apply to the degree program. Seminars and courses are conducted in English and admittance to the program require a high-level proficiency in the English language, both spoken and written.
John Cabot University helps dedicated and deserving students meet their educational goals through a focused, merit-based scholarship program that assists selected students of limited means and/or extraordinary academic achievement to experience the high quality of education that JCU offers. Financial Aid at JCU comes in various forms such as loans, scholarships, and other resources.
All applicants to JCU’s graduate programs will be automatically considered for the following forms of financial assistance (a separate funding application is not required):
- Full Presidential Graduate Tuition Grants (1-2 merit-based awards per year for each degree)
- Partial Graduate Tuition Grants
Applicants to JCU’s MA in Art History will be automatically considered for the following scholarship:
- Regina A. Lee Scholarship
Applicants to JCU’s MA in International Affairs will be automatically considered for the following scholarship:
- Frank J. Guarini Scholarship
JCU alumni admitted to the MA receive a tuition discount of 10%. This alumni discount also applies for students who have studied abroad at JCU for a semester or summer. Alumni are also eligible for the financial assistance outlined above; however, the Alumni Discount is not applicable to those who receive full tuition fellowships.
Student Loans
John Cabot participates in the Title IV Federal Direct Loan Programs for graduate students who are US citizens or Permanent Residents of the US. Graduate students also have to option to apply for private loans to help finance their studies at JCU.
Veteran & Military Family Education Benefits
John Cabot University welcomes U.S. Veterans and dependents of Veterans! We are grateful to you and your family for your military service and are committed to providing the support you need to study abroad or earn a degree from a U.S.-accredited university in Rome, Italy. John Cabot is proud to certify VA benefits for graduate students enrolled in the Master's Program in Art History, which offers tuition assistance, and housing and book stipends.
JCU’s MA program in International Affairs will formally launch with the 2024-2025 academic year with an inaugural cohort of students beginning coursework in the Fall of 2024.
Degree Program
The degree program can be completed in three semesters of full-time study (Fall-Spring-Fall). It unfolds in three phases:
- A structured Foundation Year
- A Comprehensive Exam in international affairs
- A Capstone Term
Seminars and courses take place at John Cabot University’s campuses in the centrally-located Trastevere district of Rome. The curriculum of the MA is designed to provide students with the courses, training, and skills necessary for either an academic, research-oriented career or a professional, policy-making one. Before advancement to the thesis, students must take eight courses, including two foundation courses in International Relations and Comparative Politics, one International Political Economy course, a Political Science Research Methodology class, and four graduate seminars. Following the Foundation Year, students must pass a comprehensive exam in international affairs. In their final Capstone Term, students take an International Affairs Research Practicum, complete a professional internship or research assistantship, and write a policy-oriented MA thesis. They also must demonstrate proficiency in at least one foreign language relevant to their research area.
The Foundation Year
During the Foundation Year students complete twenty-four credit hours of coursework:
- Two Foundation Courses (six credit hours total) in International Relations and Comparative Politics. Both courses are advanced survey courses taught by core faculty in the department. They are designed to serve as the academic foundation for the MA program.
- One Political Science Research Methodology course (three credit hours) and one International Political Economy course (three credit hours)
- Four Graduate Seminars (twelve credit hours in total). Students choose from a range of dedicated, graduate-level electives.
The Foundation Year also includes a public lecture attendance component: each student will attend and review at least two scholarly lectures, conferences, workshops, or other approved events over the course of each academic semester. This can include participation in the MA program’s High-level policy speaker series. Rome is especially rich in opportunities for intellectual expansion thanks to its unique wealth of embassies, international organizations and institutions, foreign scholarly academies, centers, universities, and ministries, each with its own public programming. Students must also demonstrate proficiency (at the B2 level) in a second language other than English.
The Summer Term
Following the first year of study, students sit for a Comprehensive Exam in International Affairs (administered once a year). The Master’s exam requires a high-level synthesis of international relations and political science concepts and theories coupled with policy-driven, problem-solving analysis. The remainder of the summer (mid-May through late August) can be devoted to coursework, thesis research, research-related travel, internships in or outside of Rome, supplementary language training, or other professional or educational activities. MA Students have access to JCU’s Frohring Library and other university facilities throughout the summer.
The Capstone Term
The degree culminates in the completion of a Master’s thesis (six credit hours) during the Capstone Term. The thesis is typically based on a research project initiated during the Foundation Year in the context of a graduate research seminar or elective. Students will sign up for a small-group thesis course for the semester with a designated faculty member which includes a colloquium component meant to accompany and structure the thesis-writing experience. Colloquium participants present and discuss their research in progress; invite prominent guest professors to speak and critique their work; and prepare and deliver public presentations of their theses. Students may register for the Master’s thesis course upon fulfilling all requirements of the Foundation Year and receiving a passing grade on the Master’s exam. The thesis is expected to be policy-oriented, the result of scholarly research, and of a publishable length for an academic journal article.
During this final semester (or the preceding summer), MA candidates also complete an International Affairs Practicum (two credit hours) taught by a senior practitioner in the field, a short Professional Development Course (one credit hour), and a Research Assistantship or Professional Internship (three credit hours total). Students interested in pursuing an academic career are encouraged to pursue a research assistantship with one of JCU’s research active faculty. Students interested in pursuing a professional career in international affairs are encouraged to pursue a professional internship.
The University currently has internship agreements with a range of international organizations and governmental entities in Rome, including the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) and High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Foreign Embassies to Italy and the Holy See, the Italian Institute of International Affairs (IAI), SOS Méditerannée, Jesuit Refugee Service and the Italian Carabinieri’s Center of Excellence. JCU students in international affairs have previously held internships with the US Embassy to Italy, the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), the International Food and Development Bank (IFAD), as well as major Human Rights organizations and law firms, Vatican institutes, and Italian state ministries.
Courses and Degree Components
Graduate Seminars are research-intensive colloquia focused on specialized themes devised to stimulate original student research. They begin with the reading of a discrete body of scholarly sources and the examination of source material and proceed to the development of a focused research project, presentation, and paper by each seminar participant. Weekly seminar meetings are devoted to analyzing readings and presenting and discussing the results of individual research.
Political Science Research Methodology is required of all MA students. This course provides a systematic understanding and critical appreciation of alternative approaches, methodologies, and paradigms of political science research. Students will learn techniques to interpret and analyze data. The tool-driven training will enable students to think through how they can use their knowledge and skills of advanced qualitative and quantitative methods in different contexts and apply them to a variety of problems; and, progressively, to identify their own needs for research.
The Practicum in International Affairs provides a hands-on introduction to policy work in the field of global affairs. Practicums will feature participation by high-level practitioners from the field with experience in areas like the United Nations, Foreign and Defense Ministries, and international advocacy organizations. The course is designed to introduce students to the professional world of international affairs and engage with the networks of policymakers present in the city of Rome.
Proficiency in a Foreign Language: Given the international nature of policy-making as well as John Cabot’s traditional identity as a hub for intercultural relations, MA students must demonstrate proficiency in a second language beyond English at the B2 (upper intermediate) level or higher in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). This component can be satisfied by passing a language exam administered by the John Cabot University Foreign Language Resource Center or by presenting a B2-level certificate from an approved language school or testing service (CILS, DELF/DALF, etc.). John Cabot offers multiple language resources through its library and Foreign Language Resource Center to help students work towards this requirement. JCU also regularly offers language instruction in Italian, French, and Spanish and MA students may audit JCU language courses as schedules permit.
The MA in International Affairs degree is designed to serve as a foundation for pursuing careers in international affairs. Students will graduate equipped to begin work in international governmental organizations; International non-governmental organizations; Governmental Foreign and Defense Ministries; international consulting, finance, and legal firms; as well as public service and civil society organizations. Students will also be prepared for further graduate and post-graduate scholarly work.