Mission

Basing itself on the university’s mission, the M.A. in Migration Studies program provides students with a high quality education that covers the main fields of migration studies, namely: theories of migration, migration and development, gender and migration, politics and migration, as well as research methodology in social sciences. The M.A. program prepares students for doctoral studies, and/or a variety of professional careers.

Program Objectives

1. Prepare graduates for Ph.D. Program and for migration studies related careers, locally and abroad, with a multidisciplinary broad knowledge of the migration studies field, related principles, research tools, and theories.
2. Develop graduates who are committed to long-term learning; capable of working effectively in teams and national and international organizations, including the management, regulation and advocacy of migration phenomena; and who possess good communication, research and writing skills in the various fields of migration.

Program Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the program, students shall be able to:

1. Demonstrate substantive knowledge about the facts, theories, and concepts in migration studies orally and in research and writing.
2. Demonstrate the ability to ask relevant research questions pertaining to migration studies orally and in writing.
3. Apply research skills, including research design, data analysis, and interpretation in the field in written and oral forms.
4. Apply the use of information technology for a variety of purposes: accessing national migration data bases, data gathering, the application of computer software designed for quantitative and qualitative data analysis (e.g. SPSS).
5. Interpret and apply “practical” skills such as the ability to write report and design policy recommendations, give public presentations and work cooperatively to solve problems associated with people mobility.

Admission Requirements

To enter the major, students must meet the general university requirements.

Graduation Requirements

A total of 92 credits are required to graduate, based on:

Core Requirements (12 credits)

• MIG710 / Theories of Migration (3 cr.)
• MIG720/INA852 / Research Methods/Research Methodology (equiv. to  INA813h) (3 cr.)
• MIG799 / Thesis (6 cr.)

Other Requirements (Choose 18 credits)

• MIG715/WGST815 / Gender and Migration (3 cr.)
• MIG725/INA855 / Politics of Migration (equivalent to INA813g) (3 cr.)
• MIG740/INA842 / Topics in International Law (3 cr.)
• MIG745/CLT880 / Migration, Exile and Literature (3 cr.)
• MIG750/INA820 / Citizenship, Transnationalism and Diaspora (3 cr.)
• MIG760 / Migration and Development (3 cr.)
• MIG770 / Cities and Migration (3 cr.)
• MIG780 / Topics in Migration Studies (3 cr.)
• MIG785 / Practicum: Internship or Research (3 cr.)

Study Plan

Courses are taught at least once every three semesters; some are taught once a year (usually either in the fall or spring). Not all courses will be taught at the same time. Please consult Course Offerings to see which courses are being offered in a specific semester.

Fall

• MIG710 / Theories of Migration (3 cr.)
• MIG715 / Gender & Migration (3 cr.)
• MIG725 / Politics of Migration (3 cr.)
• MIG740 / International Law (3 cr.)
• MIG760 / Citizenship, Transnationalism and Diaspora (3 cr.)
• MIG765 / Migration and Development (3 cr.)
• MIG780 / Topics in Migration Studies (3 cr.)
• MIG785 / Practicum: Internship or Research (3 cr.)
• MIG799 / MA Thesis (offered every semester) (6 cr.)

Spring

• MIG720 / Research Methods (3 cr.)
• MIG745 / Migration, Exile and Literature (based on consultation with Comp. Lit. program) (3 cr.)
• MIG750 / Globalization (3 cr.)
• MIG770 / Cities and Migration (3 cr)
• MIG780 / Topics in Migration Studies (3 cr.)
• MIG785 / Practicum: Internship or Research (3 cr.)
• MIG799 / MA Thesis (offered every semester) (6 cr.)

Extracurricular Activities

Students are required to:

1. Conduct fieldwork;
2. Join INGOs and NGOs working with migrants (refugees, asylum seekers, migrant workers and domestic workers) for a short period of time at the end of which they will be required to write a report assessing and describing the activities of the organization concerned; and
3. Engage in student exchange programs with universities abroad

Career Opportunities

The M.A. program in Migration Studies at LAU addresses a number of interests that governments and policymakers are concerned with, such as migrant labor, development, welfare, borders, citizenship, identity, integration, security, discrimination, xenophobia and so on.

Potential employers of M.A. graduates include: government agencies dealing with migrants and refugees, integration, labor and employment (both regular and irregular), public health, etc.; international organization such as International Organization for Migration, International Labor Organization, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Regional Economic and Social Commissions. United Nations Children’s Fund, United Nations Fund for Population, United Nations Development Fund for Women, United Nations Development Fund, etc,; NGO’s dealing with Development and humanitarian issues; universities and research institutions; corporations dealing with international recruitment and placement of migrant labor, or with international investment and monetary transfers.