Human Security Concentration

Because the globalization process has made the world seem exponentially smaller, threats from tsunamis, earthquakes, disease and starvation are arriving faster and in more dramatic fashion than ever before. One of the most innovative, forward-thinking disciplines in international affairs today, the human security major covers a wide swath of issues critical to the safety of people worldwide.

Our Human Security program, one of the first of its kind in the United States, emphasizes the development of peacekeeping and peace-building skills. Students study threats to individuals from nongovernmental, nonmilitary sources. Examples of threats include civil wars, international migration and crime, global climate changes and natural disasters. We teach students to focus on the human condition as a planet, resulting in a new generation of leaders able to guide our global community through some of the most perilous times it has ever experienced.

Download Plan of Study beginning Fall '25 »

MPIA Core Classes (15 credits)

    Quantitative Methods
    International Affairs
    International Economics
    Skills for Global Policy Professionals
    Capstone Seminar
OR
    Thesis
Internship Requirement: All students must complete an approved internship of at least 300 hours while enrolled at SPIA. The internship must be approved by the student’s career advisor in advance. Students with at least three years of relevant full‐time work experience may petition their career advisor for a waiver of this requirement during their first semester.

Concentration Core (3 credits)

    Human Security

Human Security Concentration Courses (9 credits)

PIA 2--- Human Security Concentration Course
PIA 2--- Human Security Concentration Course
PIA 2--- Human Security Concentration Course

Elective/Minor Courses (9 credits)

PIA--- Elective/minor course
PIA--- Elective/minor course
PIA--- Elective/minor course

Below is a sample of electives that may be offered depending on the semester. Please speak with your advisor to confirm availability and create your personalized plan of study.

PIA 2117: Program Evaluation
PIA 2365: Transnational Security & Illicit Finance
PIA 2388: Sovereignty, Global & International Law
PIA 2473: Strategies of Global Inquiry
PIA 2476: Nonviolent Resistance Movements
PIA 2502: Environmental Policy: Local & Global
PIA 2508: NGO Advocacy in International Coalitions
PIA 2543: Politics of Development Countries
PIA 2553: Global Health Policy
PIA 2590: Local & Global Food Policy & Sustainability