Online Master of Arts in International Relations and Global Security (MA)

This general concentration allows you to select from dozens of different concentration courses offered within this program, enabling you to create your own focused area of study.

Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:

• Apply accounting knowledge into any branch of the accounting profession including public, corporate, governmental, and not-for-profit accounting.
• Identify accounting concepts, standards, and regulations in preparing, auditing, and analyzing financial statements.
• Analyze financial planning, budgeting, and interpretation of financial results.
• Apply accounting principles for non-accounting fields and personal life.

Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:

• Define problems, requirements, stakeholders, and resources.
• Use tools to process data in various fields such as operations, finance, marketing, and management.
• Build complex data models through the compilation of a portfolio of templates.

Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:

• Apply a cross-functional approach to integration of AI applications in business.
• Implement best practices for integrating AI responsive to legal requirements and ethical practice, operational workflows, R&D innovation, and analytics-driven decision-making.
• Identify key decision points and strategies for high level decision makers tasked with implementing workplace change in a rapidly changing technological business environment.

Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:

• Evaluate how to properly monitor a project.
• Articulate why a project needs to align with the organization’s strategic plan.
• Analyze the project costs and actuals.
• Create a risk management plan.
• Build a project schedule that integrates the various parts of the project to define the critical path.
• Integrate the various parts of the project to determine the health of the project through cost/schedule metrics.
• Articulate the ethical and legal aspects of project management.
• Analyze the various business tools used to define quality control and quality assurance.

Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:

• Develop strategies and plans for security architecture consisting of tools, techniques, and technologies to detect and prevent network penetration, and to design effective cybersecurity countermeasures.
• Analyze network designs, topologies, architectures, protocols, communications, administration, operations, and resource management for wired, wireless, and satellite networks that affect the security of the telecommunications within a business environment.
• Compare and contrast various Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery Planning models.
• Assess vulnerabilities in telephony, short messaging service (SMS), cellular data networks, and in Voice over IP (VoIP).
• Assess the application of data mining and artificial intelligence techniques in intrusion detection and prevention.

Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:

• Analyze the fundamentals of defense systems acquisition management.
• Evaluate the diverse, interrelated and changing nature in the different disciplines of defense systems acquisition management.
• Analyze the regulations and governing structures of defense systems acquisition management.
• Define the role of projects and project management.
• Create a project charter, a scope statement, a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM).
• Explain key elements of a communication plan to keep stakeholders abreast of progress, problems, and controls.
• Describe the steps required to plan a project.
• Explain the key features of an Executive Program Manager’s role in today’s workforce.
• Demonstrate the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities to be a successful executive in today’s government contracting and acquisition organizations.
• Create an Executive level action plan for practical and measurable government contracting and acquisition policy and procedures changes.
• Create explain the role and pitfalls of ethics in executive decision making.

Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:

• Structure an event plan that identifies goals and objectives as well as potential challenges and security risks.
• Develop a budget for an event to maximize return on investment (ROI)
• Apply best practices of successful companies to an event plan.
• Identify potential risks for an event and develop a mitigation plan.

Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:

• Apply skills and expertise in various financial areas, such as risk management, portfolio construction, financial statement analysis, new venture financing, and global finance.
• Demonstrate a deep understanding of international finance, global currencies, market data, cross-border transactions, and investment opportunities.
• Evaluate financial data and present information in an effective manner for organizational financial decision-making.

Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:

• Explore the intricacies of digital transformation on a global scale, including use of digital technologies, their impact on various industries, and the challenges and opportunities they present for businesses operating in different parts of the world.
• Analyze the strategies employed by multinational corporations and global startups to navigate the complexities of the digital landscape, considering factors such as market entry strategies, finance, digital marketing approaches, and supply chain optimization in a global context.
• Examine the ethical implications, legal frameworks, and challenges of transactions and management of cultural diversity in the international business environment, including digital business practices relating to intellectual property rights, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, personnel management, corporate social responsibility, and sustainability in an increasingly digitally connected world.
• Explore best practices for operational management in global digital environments, including supply chain management, logistics optimization, and cross-cultural collaboration, to enhance efficiency and competitiveness in the global marketplace.
• Apply theories of international finance to construct strategies for mitigating financial risk and maximizing return for businesses operating in different parts of the world.

Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:

• Demonstrate an overall knowledge of different supply chain management areas, including capacity planning, demand management, order management, warehouse management, and transportation.
• Identify global supply chain management best practices.
• Explain how to improve the operational efficiencies of a supply chain.
• Classify supply chain solutions using problem-solving risk management analysis.

Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:

• Explain the elements of cost in overhead.
• Explain the FAR requirements.
• Explain the general treatment of unallowable costs.
• Analyze the fundamentals of defense systems acquisition management.
• Identify the provision of the New Acquisition Regulations.
• Debate whether contract reforms have increase competition.
• Interpret the nature of and justification for the professional military ethic.
• Investigate the basic ethical problems that defense contract managers must solve.
• Demonstrate the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities to be a successful executive in today's government contracting and acquisition organizations.
• Create an Executive level action plans for practical and measurable government contracting and acquisition policy and procedures changes.
• Demonstrate how executive decision making is conducted for complex major military equipment developments.
• Define the role of projects and project management.
• Assess major schedule, cost, and performance risk elements for managing risks.
• Create a project charter, a scope statement, a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), and Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM).

Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:

• Assess strategies for creating efficient and effective organized delivery systems.
• Create budgets for the purpose of planning.
• Compute costs, prices, and profit margins.
• Use proper techniques for gathering and analyzing healthcare performance measurement data.
• Analyze key metrics to monitor operations.

Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:

• Evaluate various laws, rules, regulations, and policies affecting human capital in today’s global workforce.
• Recommend strategic initiatives involving the human resources department that align with the strategic direction of the organization.
• Differentiate individual and group behavior in organizations to increase awareness of the problems and opportunities in managing human resources.

Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:

• Evaluate various System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) models.
• Examine strategies to apply technology to enhance productivity in organizations.
• Assess and mitigate risk in Information Technology initiatives.
• Appraise technologies, policies, and practices to assure security in information systems.

Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:

• Analyze e-commerce business opportunities and formulate business strategies.
• Analyze global and electronic marketing strategies.
• Develop product and pricing strategies.
• Analyze supply chain management.
• Develop business plans for successful entry to business areas.
• Formulate, execute, and manage global business plans.

Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:

• Gain valuable insight on how businesses/organizations can be better prepared to face crises and challenges.
• Evaluate the stages of a crisis management plan and the effectiveness of sustainable initiatives.
• Articulate why any management plan needs to align with the organization’s strategic plan.
• Determine if an organization has the necessary technology and processes in place to ensure the continuity of the business in case of a crisis or disaster.
• Research policies and initiatives and develop performance goals that are strategic and ambitious.
• Build an awareness of AI and sustainability programs already in place within the company.
• Learn how public relations and media sources play a critical role in the crisis response formulation.
• Explore ethical and legal issues included in an organization’s crisis management plan.
• Conduct a post-crisis review when the crisis is no longer the focal point but still requires attention.
• Create an e-portfolio that is representative of the skills learned or enroll in comprehensive exam, to be chosen at the student’s discretion.

Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:

• Gain valuable insight on how businesses/organizations can make better decisions with technology.
• Evaluate the various types of technology that can help with decision-making.
• Articulate how artificial intelligence assists with data-mining.
• Determine if an organization has the necessary technology and processes in place to further the decision-making process.
• Evaluate effective business presence on the web.
• Conduct a technology review of your organization.

Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:

• Illustrate managerial leadership theories and practical concepts utilized by sports industry professionals in leadership positions.
• Critique sport marketing strategies, economic decision making, and finance theory and concepts relevant to the sport industry.
• Analyze ethical and legal practices in today’s global sports industry.

Upon successful completion of this concentration the student will be able to:

• Evaluate the potential for conflict in a specific region based on existing theories of causation.
• Apply the approaches to peace through coercive power, nonviolence, world order, personal and community transformation in a specific geographic region.
• Understand the concepts and theories of comparative analysis of different political regimes.
• Determine the significant political, economic, security, diplomatic, and social challenges facing a selected region - individually as separate nations and collectively as a region.

Upon successful completion of this concentration the student will be able to:

• Evaluate the potential for conflict in a society/state/region based on theories of causation.
• Assess the approaches to peace through coercive power, nonviolence, and world order constructs.
• Reconstruct the phenomenon of peace through examples and case studies.
• Synthesize the rationale for negotiation versus historical tendencies toward coercion.
• Evaluate the development of multiparty mediation and assess the value of such an approach.
• Analyze the complexity and limitations of negotiating across cultures and historical divides.

Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:

• Construct a theory about the distinct nature of conflict in the post-Cold War era.
• Assess the norms and purposes of international structures and regimes.
• Critique the various manifestations of globalization and the impact on various political, economic and social systems.

Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:

• Assess the evolving theory and practices of United Nations Peacekeeping operations.
• Evaluate the role of UN and regional peacekeeping initiatives in specific peace-building, peace-making, and peace-keeping operations in conflict areas.