How you decide courses to take

Sample Course Plans

Student A was interested in: The impact of cultural and economic factors on conflict resolution in Africa

Thinking that the role of international politics is crucial in conflict resolution in Africa, ‘A’ mainly took courses related to the theories of International Politics and conflict resolution in the Global Governance cluster, while taking other courses such as Race and Ethnicity, or International Economics from the other clusters to develop a comprehensive analytical angle.

1st semester 2nd semester 3rd semester 4th semester
Advanced Seminar Advanced Seminar Advanced Seminar Advanced Seminar
Theories of International Relations Conflict resolution and Peace building International Organizations Local and Regional Development
African Studies International Security Non-Traditional Security
Professional Training;
International Cooperation		 Quantitative Research Methodology International Political Economy
Academic Writing(E) I Academic Writing(E) II Race and Ethnicity

Student B was interested in: Bilateral diplomacy with renewable energy

With an ambition to become a professional practitioner of renewable energy diplomacy, along with Japanese and statistics courses, ‘B’ mainly took courses dealing with the environment along with economics-related courses from the Sustainable Development cluster; this prepared her to be ready for work in the field.

1st semester 2nd semester 3rd semester 4th semester
Advanced Seminar Advanced Seminar Advanced Seminar Advanced Seminar
Introduction to Microeconomics Introduction to Macroeconomics International Economics
Development Economics Environmental Policy Policy Evaluation
Public Diplomacy Quantitative Research Methodology Professional Training;
International Cooperation
Research Training Academic Writing(E) II East Asian Studies
Academic Writing(E) I


Student C was interested in: Middle Eastern migrants in Europe

Concerned with the effect of media on the issue of migration, ‘C’ took courses in the Culture, Society and Media cluster. In order to develop a methodological framework for understanding the issue in a multi-dimensional way, he took European Studies, Middle Eastern Studies and International Politics.

1st semester 2nd semester 3rd semester 4th semester
Advanced Seminar Advanced Seminar Advanced Seminar Advanced Seminar
Cultural Theories Global Sociology International Human Rights Globalization and Gender Issues
Politics in Developing Countries Media Studies Globalization of religion
Migration Studies Qualitative Research Methodology Race and Ethnicity
Middle Eastern studies European Studies Research Training

Schedule for Two-Year Master’s Program in International Relations

Use the below horizontal scroll bar to view all the schedule.

Support for Individual Research (Master’s thesis)

Students receive comments and feedback from professors at the regular presentations prior to the submission of their Master’s thesis. Student questionaires show a high degree of satisfaction with our guidance.

Degree Requirements

Students must be enrolled for two or more years and earn the necessary credits listed below. In addition, students must submit a Master's thesis and pass an oral defense.

Coursework requires students to take necessary credits from Core Course, Advanced Course, Advanced Seminar and Area Studies.

To successfully complete the program, a student needs to earn 30 credits in total, which should at least have 4 credits from Core Course, 12 credits from Advanced Course, 2 credits from Area Studies, and 4 credits from Advanced Seminar.

Coursework Number of credits required
Core Course 4
Advanced Course 12
Advanced Seminar 4
Area Studies 2
Total 30

Ritsumeikan Guide to Guides for Academic Writers

The electronic version of the "Ritsumeikan Guide to Guides for Academic Writers" is available online for your reference.

Ritsumeikan Guide to Guides for Academic Writers