Year Two: School of International Service, American University
During your year at AU, you will follow the International Studies track of the Master of International Service (MIS)Link opens in a new window at the School of International Service (SIS). This track offers students the opportunity to gain additional academic training in an applied international affairs concentration. Concentrations offered by SIS include:- United States Foreign Policy
- International Peace and Conflict Resolution
- Social Enterprise
- International Economic Relations
- International Communication and International Media
- International Development and Development Management
- Global Governance, Politics, and Security
- Ethics, Peace, and Global Affairs
- Global Environmental Policy
- Natural Resources and Sustainable Development
- Comparative and Regional Studies
The curriculum connects a rigorous academic education in theory, methodology, and economics to practical experiences. You will find that many faculty members are also practitioners, with a wealth of knowledge in theory and practice that they are eager to share.
On the MIS programme, you will also be afforded many practical opportunities to apply the knowledge learned in the classroom. For example, the popular practicum series conveys real world experience in project management and consulting, you can attend professional development workshops in skills institutes, and the Career Services team is available to give advice and guidance on planning your next career move. Additionally, you can apply to do an internship after completing your studies through the Optional Practical Training scheme.
The Joint Dissertation or Capstone Project
Year 2 at American University
Your Double Degree will culminate in a capstone project where you will synthesise the knowledge and methodologies learned from both universities into one piece of unique research.
It is the student’s responsibility to consult with both AU supervisor and PAIS advisor to an adequate extent, though your AU supervisor should be considered your primary supervisor since you will complete the dissertation in Year 2 at the partner. The extent to which you consult with the Warwick advisor during this 2nd year can be agreed between you and your advisor but the expectation is that the majority of advising in Year 2 will be conducted by the AU supervisor. You should adhere to dissertation/capstone requirements at AU in terms of deadlines and submission. A copy should be submitted both to AU and to Warwick (the latter via Tabula). PAIS will match the deadline set at AU.
While the scope of the dissertation is similar at our partner universities and the University of Warwick, it is your responsibility to incorporate the guidelines of both institutions into the work. This may concern formatting, referencing etc. The length of the Joint Dissertation is to be no more than 15,000 words excluding abstract, footnotes, bibliography, and any appendices. There may be some exceptions to this rule depending upon the partner institution - please adhere to the rules and regulations of the partner while completing your dissertation there in Year 2 but inform the PAIS PG Team and PAIS Double Degrees Course Director of any deviation from the usual word limit.
If you take the Practica option as the Double Degree capstone/joint dissertation, you will be assessed by SIS in the usual way and will receive the AU grade on your transcript as the capstone project for the AU Master's in International Service. For the Double Master's to be awarded, however, and for you to complete the MA at Warwick, we will require an additional reflective piece of writing to be submitted to PAIS. This 7,500 word exegesis or reflective essay will support the practicum final project and will be submitted in lieu of the Joint Dissertation at Warwick.