Curriculum
The Master of Arts in International Migration and Refugees (MIMR) program is a 36-credit degree that includes core courses, concentration courses and electives.
You’ll participate in hands-on learning through the required summer practicum and final semester capstone. To graduate, you must also achieve competency in a foreign language and have a 3.0 GPA.
Course sequence
You will complete the MIMR program in three semesters (fall, spring, fall) and one summer.
Sample schedule
Year 1
| Semester | Course | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Global Overview on Trends in International Migration | 3 |
| Research Methods | 3 | |
| Concentration Course | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Language Course | 0 | |
| Spring | Environmental Displacement | 3 |
| Migration Policy | 3 | |
| Concentration Course | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Language Course | 0 | |
| Summer | Practicum | 3 |
Year 2
| Semester | Course | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Capstone | 1.5 |
| Concentration Course | 3 | |
| Electives | 4.5 | |
| Language Course | 0 |
Required courses
Core courses (12 Credits)
- Global Overview of Trends in International Migration (3 credits)
- Methods in Refugee and Migration Studies (3 credits)
- Refugee and Migration Policy: Local, National and Global (3 credits)
- Environmental Migration and Displacement (3 credits)
Concentration courses (9 credits)
You may choose to concentrate in Migration Analytics or Humanitarian Practice. You will take three required courses in your concentration.
Migration Analytics concentration courses
- GBUS 401: Big Data in Business, Economics and Society (3 credits)
- ISIM 6648: Migration and Development (3 credits)
- ISIM 601: Economics of Migration (3 credits)
Humanitarian Practice concentration courses
- ISIM 6698: Introduction to Humanitarian Crises (3 credits)
- ISIM 6694: Seminar on Refugees and Humanitarian Emergencies (3 credits)
- GHDP 622: Humanitarian Action in Practice (3 credits)
Practicum
To gain international migration and/or refugee work experience, you will complete an in-person practicum during the summer between your first and second year. The practicum can be with any international or U.S. organization that works on refugee and/or migrant issues. The program provides you with financial assistance to support your practicum experience.
Capstone
The 1.5-credit capstone is a written project designed and implemented by each student working closely with an international migration or refugee agency in the U.S. or in another country all while under faculty supervision. Faculty will assist in finding organizations you can work with for the project. The organizations will identify major questions for which further work is needed, such as how to measure when displacement ends or how U.S. policy on temporary agricultural workers compares with other countries.
You will meet with other students biweekly to support each other and to raise and answer questions arising from project work. Students will discuss their specific approaches, how they plan to structure the final capstone project and receive feedback from peers and faculty.
Language proficiency
To complete the program you must pass an oral proficiency exam in a language other than English before graduation. You will be provided with language scholarships for one class per semester until you pass your exam. Please note that language courses are not included in the 36 credits required to graduate from the MIMR program.
Georgetown University offers a number of languages for students to take, however, your language of proficiency is not limited to these. For more detailed information about the languages offered at Georgetown and the oral proficiency exam, visit the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics.
Electives
You will also take nine credits of elective courses and can choose from many different courses across Georgetown University. A number of 1.5-credit courses may be taken to pursue particular migration issues or to acquire specific skills.
Sample electives
- ARST 5523: Displacement in the Arab World
- HIST 4484: Inventing the Illegal Alien
- ISIM 5502: Gender and Migration in Europe
- ISIM 5575: Politics of African Migration
- ISIM 5572: Migration in the Americas
- ISIM 4467: Migration and Human Rights
- ISIM 6520: Advocacy on Refugees and Migrants (1.5 credit skill course, seven weeks)
- ISIM 6520: Project Management (1.5 credit skill course, seven weeks)
- LAW 440: Refugee Law and Policy
- LAW 037: Immigration Law and Policy
- MSFS 5548: Human Rights, Humanitarian Crises and Refugees: Ethical and Religious Responses
Grade point average
You must achieve a 3.0 GPA to graduate.
Request more information
Becoming a graduate student at Georgetown University provides you with the skills and knowledge you need to accelerate your career.
Complete this form for more information about the Master of Arts in International Migration and Refugees Program.