Master of Arts in International Affairs

Brief programme outline

• The 2019-20 MAIA programme will accept applications for admission from 1 October 2018.
• The Master of Arts in International Affairs (MAIA) is hosted by the Department of Political Science: http://www.ln.edu.hk/polsci/. The MAIA programme aims to provide postgraduate education and training in international affairs with a political science emphasis.
• Two modes of study will be offered under this MA programme:
  1) One-year, two terms, full-time degree
  2) Two-years, four terms, part-time degree
• The MAIA programme requires the completion of a total of 24 credit hours, including 4 compulsory courses (12 credits) and 4 elective courses (12 credits).
• The classes would be conducted in the form of a seminar with a high expectation of a close interaction between students and instructor. Students are expected to undertake responsible self-study, doing weekly required readings and making presentations in classes. A research term paper as part of the assessment is also a norm.
• Tuition for 2019-20: full-time: HK$99,000; part-time: HK$49,500, with several student scholarships available in the forms of half-fee and/or quarter-fee tuition waiver to academic outstanding applicants.
• For overseas and Mainland Chinese students who aim for high-quality English language Master degree education, our MAIA programme should be a very good choice with its high degree of internationalization and relatively low costs for tuition and living in Hong Kong. Our teaching staff all obtained Ph.D. degree at major universities in the United States, Britain, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

The MAIA programme aims to:

• design around a series of courses that cover both fundamental theoretical underpinnings as well as detailed analysis of important international and Asia Pacific issues;
• provide students with a deeper understanding of international and regional affairs, helping students in upgrading their professional abilities and equipping necessary conceptual tools to comprehend the rapidly-changing global and regional forces that shape our world;
• provide advanced training for students to strengthen their analytical abilities, help them develop the capacity to conduct original research, and bolster their presentation, debating and writing skills;
• broaden students’ horizons and enhance their learning experiences from the programme;

On completing the MAIA programme, students will be able to:

• understand and apply theories, methods, concepts and background knowledge in political science, particularly in international relations and comparative politics to the study of current issues and affairs;
• describe and explain the motives and actions of key state and non-state actors in shaping contemporary world politics and domestic and foreign policies of countries;
• critically synthesize and evaluate media or official reports, governmental and non-governmental policy statements, and academic literature on international politics and policymaking in contemplating solutions to problems;
• comprehend and exercise our rights and duties as responsible national and global citizens in enhancing peace, stability, prosperity, and welfare.

Possession of an MAIA degree would help one to develop a career in being a civil servant, journalist, corporation executive, diplomat, political and economic analyst, teacher and NGO worker, just to name a few among different careers that require a deeper understanding of international and regional affairs.

Others might want to further their studies with a Ph.D. degree after the MAIA.