Master of Arts in Migration Studies
Mission
The M.A. in Migration Studies 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 program prepares students for doctoral studies and/or a variety of professional careers.
Program Objectives
- 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; and
- 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:
- Demonstrate substantive knowledge about the facts, theories, and concepts in migration studies orally and in research and writing;
- Demonstrate the ability to ask relevant research questions pertaining to migration studies orally and in writing;
- Apply research skills, including research design, data analysis, and interpretation in the field in written and oral forms;
- 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); and
- 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.
Curriculum
A total of 30 credits are required to graduate, as per the following:
- Core Requirements (12 cr)
- Other Requirements (18 cr)
Core Requirements (12 cr)
- MIG710 Theories of Migration (3 cr)
- MIG720/ INA852 Research Methods/Research Methodology (equivalent to INA813H) (3 cr)
- MIG799 Thesis (6 cr)
Other Requirements (18 cr)
Choose from the following
- MIG715/ WGS815 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 offered at least once every three semesters. Some are offered once a year (in the fall or spring 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:
- Conduct fieldwork;
- 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
- 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.; NGOs 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.