Master of International Relations

The Coral Bell School's Master of International Relations bills itself, not unreasonably, as the only IR program in Australia that combines mainstream IR theory with sustained regional focus on the Asia-Pacific. That's a distinction that matters if a student's actual interest is China-Australia relations, Pacific Islands security, or Southeast Asian political economy rather than a generic transatlantic-flavoured IR degree imported wholesale from a US or UK textbook tradition.

Structurally it's a 96-unit, two-year program: two foundational courses, two compulsory courses, four core courses, then eight units' worth of electives drawn from a wide list across the Bell School and the broader College of Asia and the Pacific. That elective breadth means two students can graduate with quite different transcripts: one weighted toward security studies, another toward international political economy or diplomacy.

The internship pipeline is the standout practical feature: competitive, credit-bearing placements with NGOs, Australian government departments, embassies, and the private sector, on top of ANU's usual proximity advantage of having DFAT, Defence, and most foreign missions within a short drive of campus.