Overview

The M.A. in Migration Studies at LAU addresses a number of interests that governments and policymakers are concerned with, including migrant labor, development, welfare, borders, citizenship, identity, integration, security, discrimination, xenophobia and so on. Students are prepared to work for a variety of employers, including but not limited to government agencies dealing with migrants and refugees, international organizations such as the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, NGOs dealing with development and humanitarian issues, universities and research institutes, and corporations dealing with international recruitment or international investment and money transfers.

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 Educational Objectives

The M.A. in Migration Studies seeks to:

1. Prepare graduates for Ph.D. programs 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.

Student 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.

Curriculum

A total of 30 credits are required to graduate, distributed as follows:

• Core Requirements (12 credits)
• Other Requirements (18 credits)

Core Requirements (12 credits)

• MIG710 Theories of Migration (3 cr.)
• MIG720 Research Methods (3 cr.)
• MIG799 Thesis (6 cr.)

Other Requirements (18 credits)

Students must choose from the following:

• MIG715 Gender & Migration (3 cr.)
• MIG725 Politics of Migration (3 cr.)
• MIG740 Topics in International Law (3 cr.)
• MIG745 Migration, Exile & Literature (3 cr.)
• MIG750 Globalization (3 cr.)
• MIG760 Citizenship, Transnationalism and Diaspora (3 cr.)
• MIG765 Migration & Development (3 cr.)
• MIG770 Cities & Migration (3 cr.)
• MIG780 Topics in Migration Studies (3 cr.)
• MIG785 Practicum: Internship or Research (3 cr.)

Recommended Study Plan

Year One

Fall (6 credits)

• Elective (3 cr.)*
• Elective (3 cr.)*

Spring (9 credits)

• MIG710 Theories of Migration (3 cr.)
• MIG720 Research Methods (3 cr.)
• Elective (3 cr.)*

Year Two

Fall/Spring (15 credits)

• MIG799 Thesis (6 cr.)
• Elective (3 cr.)*
• Elective (3 cr.)*
• Elective (3 cr.)*

* Electives are listed as “Other Requirements” in the curriculum

Extracurricular Activities

In addition to their coursework, 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
3. engage in student exchange programs with universities abroad