The MIA curriculum combines and integrates perspectives from political science, economics, business administration, and law.
Moving beyond the classic distinctions of the four core disciplines and promoting integrated thinking, critical analysis and holistic learning, our multi-disciplinary programme is centred around four arenas, in which change-making individuals meet and decisions are taken. Through innovative graduate courses, you will be prepared for your role as future leaders in these arenas.
The MIA programme is structured along three pillars, i.e. thematic, methodological, and professional, and comprises six compulsory subjects, covering central concepts, issues, and skills in International Affairs.
The MIA offers a diverse and flexible range of elective core courses that allow you to pursue your personal interests and develop your own academic and professional profile. The MIA’s courses electives (24-36 ECTS) are again structured along the three pillars and serve to deepen the thematic, methodological and practice-oriented subjects taught in the compulsory courses.
The independent electives (up to 8 ECTS) can be fulfilled with courses from other Master’s programmes or with additional MIA core electives.
The two core courses combine theory and empirical research with a focus on investigating challenges in international affairs. They are designed to provide you with a common scholarly orientation in the four arenas Polities, Markets, Firms, and Courts.
| Course | ECTS | Lecturer | Language | Semester |
| International Politics and Market Economy Lecture + Tutorials | 6 | Prof. James Davis, PhD. Prof. Dominik Sachs, PhD. | EN | Autumn |
| International Law and Business Strategy Lecture + Tutorials | 6 | Prof. Winfried Ruigrok, PhD. Prof. Dr. Thomas Burri | EN | Autumn |
This course offering corresponds to the current planning status. You can find the entire course offering in the official Course Catalogue Online.
The two core courses cover social science research techniques (qualitative and quantitative) and teach relevant data science tools. You acquire critical expertise regarding their relevance and the quality of data used.
| Course | ECTS | Lecturer | Language | Semester |
| Data Analytics and Causal Inference Lecture + Tutorials | 6 | Prof. Beatrix Eugster, PhD. | EN | Autumn |
Strategies of Social Science Inquiry | 6 | Prof. Dr. Patrick Emmenegger | EN | Spring |
This course offering corresponds to the current planning status. You can find the entire course offering in the official Course Catalogue Online.
The two core courses focus on the practical application of the material studied in the first two pillars. They combine academic and practitioner perspectives and help you make connections between disciplines. With case-based and problem-oriented teaching, you develop skills in analytical and integrated thinking as well as reflective judgment.
Workshops offered in the format of the «MIA Mornings» allow you to gain specific skills and competences, closing potential disciplinary, methodological and professional gaps. Examples of workshop topics include “Legal Thinking”, “Data Handling” or “Foundations of Project Management”.
| Course | ECTS | Lecturer | Language | Semester |
| Cases in International Affairs | 4 | Prof. Elsa Massoc, PhD. | EN | Spring |
| 2 | various | EN | Autumn & Spring |
This course offering corresponds to the current planning status. You can find the entire course offering in the official Course Catalogue Online.
This cluster focuses on traditional International Affairs topics such as conflict prevention, peace enforcement, nuclearization, trade wars, humanitarian intervention, international criminal tribunals, and refugee crisis management but also on foreign policy of nation-states and external action of regional or international organizations. Topics such as diplomacy but also the (global) private security market and cybersecurity are included, too.
| Course | ECTS | Language | Semester |
| From Moral to Leading Power: Contemporary India in World Politics | 4 | Kumar Manali, Dr. | Autumn |
| The Second Nuclear Age | 4 | Davis, James, Prof. PhD. | Autumn |
| Introduction to Cryptography and Cyber Security | 4 | Horlemann Anna-Lena, Prof. Dr. & Newman, Marc | Autumn |
| Foreign Policy of the European Union | 4 | Lehmkuhl Dirk, Prof. PhD. | Autumn |
| Gender and Armed Conflict | 4 | Sjoberg, Laura, PhD. | |
| The Law of the Sea | 4 | Papanicolopulu Zini, Prof. PhD. | Autumn |
| Asia Compact: Rising China in Developing Asia | 4 | Huang, Chin-Hao, Prof. PhD. | Spring |
| Power in Theory and Practice | 4 | Drezner, Daniel, Prof. PhD. | Spring |
| International Governance of Conflict Management | 4 | Smidt, Hannah, Prof. PhD. | Spring |
| Artificial Intelligence in International Affairs | 4 | Trusilo, Daniel, PhD. | Spring |
| The Law, the Economics and the Politics of Migration | 4 | Böhm, Andreas, Dr., Haidar, Mahmoud | Spring |
| Transitional Justice | 4 | Reiter, Catherine, PhD. Dr. | Spring |
| Migrationsrecht | 4 | Errass, Christoph, Prof. Dr. | Spring |
| Natural Resources and Conflict | 4 | Schaudt, Paul, PhD. | Spring |
This cluster seeks to understand the foundations of democratic and responsive decision-making at various levels, be it in the realm of politics or business. Courses tackle related topics, such as authoritarianism, corruption, digital democracy, corporate management, electoral integrity, citizenship, arms trade, and (global) justice.
This cluster addresses the complex nexus of economic conditions and trends, international and national politics and institutions, business and financial interests and civil society. It focuses on international trade relations and more specifically on the international flow of goods, services, and production factors, which capture migration and international capital flows. Public policy issues such as tax competition and evasion are also addressed.
| Course | ECTS | Lecturer | Semester |
| Business Regulation and Advocacy | 4 | Gava, Roy, Prof. PhD. | Autumn |
| Industial Policy and Sustainable Transition | 4 | Massoc, Elsa Clara, Prof. PhD. | Autumn |
| Political Economics | 4 | Hodler, Roland, Prof. Dr. | Autumn |
| Topics in Industrial Organization | 4 | Bühler Stefan, Prof. Dr. | Autumn |
| Debt and Fiscal Policy | 4 | Mankart, Jochen, PhD. | Autumn |
| Climate and Energy Governance | 4 | Rinscheid, Adrian, Prof. PhD. | Autumn |
| Managing Collaborative Innovation for Net-Zero | 4 | Zobel, Ann-Katrin, Prof. Dr. | Autumn |
| The Future of Work | 4 | Emmenegger, Patrick, Prof. Dr. | Autumn |
| Asia Compact: International Management in the New Asia Pacific | 4 | Ambos, Björn, Prof. PhD. | Autumn |
| Grand Challenge: Corporate Sustainability Management | 4 | Ströhle, Judith, Prof. PhD. | Autumn |
| Transnational Regulation | 4 | Senn, Myriam, Prof. Dr. | Spring |
| Economics of Central Banking | 4 | Kondziella, Markus, Prof. PhD. | Spring |
| Politics of Financial Regulation | 4 | Gava, Roy, Prof. PhD. | Spring |
| Blockchain Markets | 4 | Haefner, Samuel, Dr. | Spring |
| Economics in Practice | 4 | Keuschnigg, Christian, Prof. Dr. Andritzky, Jochen, Dr. Jost, Adriel, Dr. | Spring |
| Selected Topics in Swiss Public Finance | 4 | Schaltegger, Christoph, Prof. Dr. | Spring |
| Dynamics of Government and Non-Government Organisations | 4 | Schedler, Kuno, Prof. Dr. | Spring |
| Drivers and Consequences of Trust | 4 | Weibel, Antoinette, Prof. Dr. | Spring |
| Financial Business Planning and Controlling | 4 | Mitterlechner, Matthias, Prof. Dr. | Spring |
| Beyond Homo Oeconomicus | 4 | Kolmar, Martin, Prof. Dr. | Spring |
| International Macroeconomics | 4 | Wolf, Martin, Prof. PhD. | Spring |
| International Trade | 4 | Föllmi, Reto, Prof. Dr. | Spring |
| Public Policy, Taxation and Inequality | 4 | Sachs, Dominik, Prof. PhD. | Spring |
| Climate Change Course and Model UNFCCC | 5 (!) | Vuichard, Pascal, Dr. | Spring |
| International Perspectives on Corporate Social Responsibility | 4 | Choudhury, Banali, Prof. | Spring |
| The Political Economy of the Car | 4 | Rinscheid, Adrian, Prof. PhD. | Spring |
| Grand Challenge: Corporate Sustainability Management | 4 | Zsuzsa, Borsa, M.A. | Spring |
This cluster considers the economic, political, social and environmental dimensions when addressing development and sustainability issues, including (economic) growth, environmental problems such as climate change, health, fair trade, social entrepreneurship, corporate social responsibility, foreign aid, and sustainable consumption. Issues pertaining to intellectual property are viewed as an integral part of development, too.
| Course | ECTS | Lecturer | Semester |
| Global Environmental Politics | 4 | Hofmann, Benjamin, Dr. | Autumn |
| Industrial Policy and Sustainable Transition | 4 | Massoc, Elsa Clara, Prof. PhD. | Autumn |
| Failed States and Nation Building | 4 | Hodler, Roland, Prof. PhD. | Autumn |
| Climate and Energy Governance | 4 | Rinscheid, Adrian, Prof. PhD. | Autumn |
| The Law of The Sea | 4 | Papanicolopulu Irini, Prof. Dr | Autumn |
| Climate Change and Inequality | 4 | Rinscheid, Adrian, Prof. PhD. | Autumn |
| Debt and Fiscal Policy | 4 | Mankart, Jochen, PhD. | Autumn |
| Globalisation and the Environment | 4 | Eisenbarth, Sabina, Prof. PhD. | Autumn |
| Managing Collaborative Innovation for Net-Zero | 4 | Zobel, Ann-Katrin, Prof. Dr. | Autumn |
| Grand Challenge: Corporate Sustainability Management | 4 | Strohle, Judith, Prof. PhD. | Autumn |
| International Macroeconomics | 4 | Wolf, Martin, Prof. PhD. | Spring |
| Drivers and Consequences of Trust | 4 | Weibel, Antoinette, Prof. Dr. | Spring |
| Beyond Homo Oeconomicus | 4 | Kolmar, Martin, Prof. Dr. | Spring |
| Public Policy Taxation and Inequality | 4 | Sachs, Dominik, Prof. PhD. | Spring |
| Climate Change Course and Model UNFCCC | 5 | Vuichard, Pascal, Dr. | Spring |
| International Trade | 4 | Föllmi, Reto, Prof. Dr., Legge, Stefan, Dr. | Spring |
| Environmental Economics | 4 | Bonev Petyo, PhD. | Spring |
| Fighting Global Poverty | 4 | Caprettini, Bruno Prof. PhD. | Spring |
| Development Economics: Past and Present | 4 | Caprettini, Bruno, Prof. PhD. | Spring |
| International Perspectives on Corporate Social Responsibility | 4 | Choudhury, Barnali, Prof. | Spring |
| The Political Economy of the Car | 4 | Rinscheid, Adrian, Prof. PhD. | Spring |
| Natural Resources and Conflict | 4 | Schaudt, Paul, Dr. | Spring |
| International Enviromental Law | 4 | Prössli, Alexander, Prof. Dr. | Spring |
| Grand Challenge: Corporate sustainability Management | 4 | Zsuzsa, Borsa, M.A | Spring |
Strengthening your methodological competencies to equip you with the skills needed to thrive in an increasingly data-driven world, these courses focus on advanced data science and research design skills. You may complete up to four courses in this pillar, but there is no minimum requirement.
| Course | ECTS | Lecturer | Semester |
| Big Data Analytics | 4 | Heiniger, Sandro | Autumn |
| Data Handling: Databases | 4 | Venturini, Marco, PhD. | Autumn |
| Introduction to Methods and Thinking of Law | 4 | Riznik, Donald, Dr. | Autumn |
| Introduction to Web Mining for Social Scientists | 4 | Matter, Ulrich, Prof. Dr. | Autumn |
| Foundations in Data Science and Machine Learning | 4 | Guillot, Malka, Prof. PhD. | Spring |
Courses in this pillar are designed in the innovative format of a "Consultancy Course" and allow you to work on real-life problems and translate your disciplinary knowledge into practice while cooperating with relevant practitioners and potential future employers. You attend between one and three professional courses.
| Course | ECTS | Lecturer | Semester |
| Rebuilding Security in Europe | 4 | Hänggi, Heiner, Prof.Dr., Greminger, Thomas, Dr. | Autumn |
| Energy in Transition - Challenges and Opportunities in the Gulf Region | 4 | Frei, Christoph, Prof.Dr., Schaller André, Dr. | Autumn |
| How Journalists Combat Fake News in Conflict | 4 | Smidt, Hannah, Prof. PhD. | Spring |
| Course | ECTS | Lecturer | Semester |
| Political and Regulatory Monotoring with AI | 4 | Gava, Roy, Prof. PhD. | Autumn |
| Innovative Service Models im öffentlichen Sektor | 4 | Guenduez, Ali, Prof. PhD. | Spring |
| Digintal Finance and Public Policy | 4 | Gava, Roy, Prof. PhD. | Spring |
| Course | ECTS | Lecturer | Semester |
| Political and Regulatory Monotoring with AI | 4 | Gava, Roy, Prof. PhD. | Autumn |
| Economic Crisis and Crisis Management | 4 | Andritzky, Jochen, Dr. | Autumn |
| Climate Friendly European Travel | 4 | Wüstenhagen, Rolf, Prof. Dr. Hamp, Nina, Prof. Dr. | Spring |
| Innovative Service Models im öffentlichen Sektor | 4 | Guenduez, Ali, Prof. PhD. | Spring |
| Nature - related risks for the Swiss financial sector | 4 | Stünzi, Anna, PhD. Carella, Carolin, M.A. | Spring |
| Digital Finance and Public Policy | 4 | Gana, Roy, Prof. PhD. | Spring |
| Social Start-up Creation | 4 | Stroe, Silvia, Prof. Dr. | Spring |
| Course | ECTS | Lecturer | Semester |
| Economic Crisis and Crisis Management | 4 | Andritzky, Jochen, Dr. | Autumn |
| Energy in Transition - Challenges and Opportunities in the Gulf Region | 4 | Frei, Christoph, Prof.Dr., Schaller André, Dr. | Autumn |
| Nature - related risks for the Swiss financial sector | 4 | Stünzi, Anna, PhD. Carella, Carolin, M.A. | Spring |
| Climate Friendly European Travel | 4 | Wüstenhagen, Rolf, Prof. PhD. Hamp, Nina, Prof. Dr. | Spring |
The Contextual studies complements your specialized studies and is compensated with 18 ECTS credits.
The Contextual studies is another strong factor of the programmes' curriculum. It integrates knowledge across disciplinary boundaries and strengthens the social and cultural competencies of our students in a special way. They will holistically "think outside the box" and take courses in focus areas as well as in the skills area. The contextual studies also teaches skills such as presentation and negotiation techniques or programming languages. The cross-cultural and cross-social science programme courses offered in the focus areas are extremely diverse and can be tailored to the MIA degree programme. In the skills area, you will learn complementary competencies and practical skills for success in the public and private sector.
The MIA is taught in English.
The MIA is designed as a full-time programme with a standard duration of three semesters. The study time can be extended up to eight semesters. In doing so, you will acquire a total of 90 ECTS credits. The study programme can be taken up exclusively in the fall semester.
Economics
Executive programme director
