Department of International and Strategic Studies

Department Overview

The discipline of International Relations was first introduced to the Universiti Malaya in the 1970s under the Department of History. Due to an increase in demand, the International Studies Programme (ISP) was established in 1992 under the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences auspices. Apart from the Bachelor of Arts (BA), the Department also began offering the Master of Arts (MA) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in 1992. In 1999, the ISP was upgraded to become the Department of International and Strategic Studies (JPAS). The Department had offered Postgraduate Diploma in Strategic Studies in collaboration with the Royal Malaysian Police (RMP) and the Malaysian Armed Forces Staff College (MTAT). In November 1999, the Department offered the Master Degree of Strategic and Defence Studies (MSDS). .

Today, the Department is one of the leading departments in the discipline of International Relations, where we are ranked No.1 at the national level and in terms of subject ranking in QS, we are currently at 101-150 at the global level. We are proud that excellent students from all around the world have chosen our Department for their undergraduate and postgraduate studies in the last two decades. The Department also has a student body, the International Relations Society (IRSOC), which serves as a supporting bridge between the Department and the students. We also have the IR Alumni Society, with whom we engage actively in teaching and learning of the Department. The Department also has its annual publication, the Malaysian Journal of International Relations (MJIR), introduced in 2013.

The Department has three objectives:

1. Become the core centre for International Relations studies.
2. Provide an exceptional learning environment that produces graduates with good qualities with a wide range of knowledge in diplomacy and foreign affairs.
3. Exalt the image of Malaysia at the international level as a meeting point for the students, academicians and professionals in the field of diplomacy, security and international politics.

Currently, we have four programmes, namely Bachelor of Arts International and Strategic Studies, Master of Arts (Strategic and Defence Studies), MA and PhD. The MA and PhD are research modes. Our newly revised Bachelor of Arts International and Strategic Studies offers a wide selection of speciality elective courses packages. As to our Master of Arts (Strategic and Defence Studies), has been revised and expanded to allow students to select of elective courses.

For the long-term, as in line with our three objectives, we aim to continue to grow and become the leading platform for the discourse on International Relations at the national, regional and international levels.