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Accelerate Your Impact on Global Policy

CIR offers an interdisciplinary, customizable curriculum for those ready to shape international affairs now — not years from now.

The University of Chicago’s Committee on International Relations (CIR) offers an intensive, one-year MA program that fast-tracks students to turn insight into global impact.

Each year, a select cohort builds advanced research skills, engages with global issues through an interdisciplinary lens, and customizes their path toward career goals.

Whether pursuing roles in policy, diplomacy, consulting, or academia, CIR graduates leave equipped to shape global outcomes — immediately and meaningfully.

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Why CIR at UChicago

Personalized Mentorship

Benefit from our small cohorts and close faculty/preceptor advising. This fosters direct engagement and flexibility to tailor your studies

OUR GRADUATE PROGRAM

Interdisciplinary Excellence

Dive deep into international relations through an adaptable curriculum spanning the social sciences, tailored to your unique interests.

EXPLORE OUR CURRICULUM

Global Experiential Learning

Gain invaluable real-world experience through our Politics and International Relations Treks to global centers like Washington D.C. and Taiwan, connecting theory with practice.

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR TREKS

Global Impact & Strong Career Trajectories

From policy-making to academia and consulting, our graduates forge impactful careers worldwide, supported by a vast alumni network.

VISIT STUDENT OUTCOMES

CIR by the Numbers

90%+

Placement Rate

Most of our graduates are employed full-time or pursuing PhDs within 9 months of graduation.*
(Based on 2020–2023 cohorts, with an average 90% response rate)

Career Sectors

CIR alumni pursue careers across more than seven major sectors, including government, NGOs, international organizations, consulting firms, and leading research institutions.

30+

Countries Represented

Students in recent cohorts come from more than 30 countries, creating a dynamic, globally minded academic community.

Students per Cohort

CIR maintains small cohort sizes to support personalized advising and seminar-style engagement.

Fields of Study

Students explore five key areas of International Relations as part of the distribution requirement.

1 Year

Completion

The CIR MA program is designed for completion in just one year of full-time study.

New rankings place UChicago’s CIR in the top 15

Life at CIR: Beyond the Classroom

CIR offers a dynamic graduate experience that extends well beyond lectures and assignments. Students participate in immersive treks abroad and within the U.S., attend rigorous academic workshops, and join a tight-knit cohort that fosters community and collaboration.

Asian International Relations Seminar

Each year CIR takes a group of students over spring break to meet policymakers, journalists, analysts, scholars, and others who offer insight into IR in a crucial part of the world.

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DC Career Trek

In this two-day trek, participants visit a number of CIR alums at their respective office locations and have the opportunity to explore organizations where their academic skills can be leveraged.

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Where our Graduates Excel

Government & International Organizations:

United Nations (Advisor-Intern, Associate Political Affairs Officer)
U.S. Department of the Treasury (Analyst)
U.S. Department of Defense (Political/Military Analyst)
UK Government (Policy Officer)
Congressional Research Service (Analyst)

Research & Academia:

University of Chicago (Research Assistant, Lecturer, Teaching Fellow)
Yale University (Pre-doctoral Fellow, PhD Student)
Stanford University (Research Assistant)
Center for Strategic and International Studies (Research Associate, Junior Fellow)
The Stimson Center (Junior Fellow)

Consulting & Private Sector:

McKinsey & Company (Analyst, Business Analyst)
Bain & Company (Associate Consultant)
Morgan Stanley (Investment Banking Analyst)
Deloitte Consulting (Senior Consultant)
Google (Policy Advisor, Account Strategist)
PIMCO (Product Strategist)
Jane Street International (Strategy and Product Team)

See Where Our Alumni Go

Alumni Conversations

Learn more about the CIR experience through these in-depth alumni stories:

Kiana Ashtiani, CIR’13

“UChicago alumni are renowned for their sharp problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, which are highly valued in any workplace”

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Ajah Sias, CIR’24

“I chose CIR because of the opportunity to study different fields like international law, or humanitarian rights and because it's a well-known program that many professionals in the field of international politics and law recognize.”

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Guido (Martin) Roa Gimenez, MA’24 (CIR)

“I listened to the professors, the career advancement staff, and heard them describe the resources and how they focus on students and their research. They help students develop a robust research experience, which I knew I needed”

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Message from the Chair

The Committee on International Relations at the University of Chicago is the nation's oldest graduate program in international affairs. It combines intellectual diversity, analytical rigor, and global reach.

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News

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UChicago master’s programs meet demand in evolving job market

Q&A: Professor Scott Gehlbach on the War in Ukraine and What Comes Next

Firebird Mag - Even the Forest Hums: Ukrainian Sonic Archives 1971-1996; Music r...

Jenny Trinitapoli, center, receives 2025 gordon j laing prize

Jenny Trinitapoli awarded 2025 Gordon J. Laing Prize by UChicago Press

UChicago master’s programs meet demand in evolving job market

Q&A: Professor Scott Gehlbach on the War in Ukraine and What Comes Next

Firebird Mag - Even the Forest Hums: Ukrainian Sonic Archives 1971-1996; Music r...

Jenny Trinitapoli awarded 2025 Gordon J. Laing Prize by UChicago Press