About IR/PS
Mission Statement
Founded in the mid-1980s in response to the needs of California businesses, the University of California's only School of International Relations and Pacific Studies has become a new blueprint for international affairs and international management education.
Today's professionals operate in a global context and therefore need to know how management, public policy, and international interaction shape strategic decision making. Courses offered at IR/PS are designed to foster interdisciplinary understanding with special attention to the Pacific region (the Americas and Asia). IR/PS offers a Master of Pacific International Affairs (MPIA) degree, a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and Master of International Affairs (BA/MIA) degree, Master of Advanced Studies in International Affairs (MAS-IA) degree, and a Ph.D. degree in politics and international affairs. In addition, IR/PS offers the Global Leadership Institute (GLI), an executive program designed for working professionals seeking additional exposure to the fields of international relations and management, and comparative public policy.
IR/PS is recognized internationally for its innovative programs, superb faculty, and outstanding students. It now stands among the world's top graduate schools of international relations and is the established leader in its focus on the Pacific region. Since its founding, IR/PS has trained more than 1,700 global students who now hold positions of leadership in business, government, and nonprofits throughout the world.
Our Vision and Mission
Collectively, the nations of the Pacific region include the largest population and economic centers, the most advanced technology, and the largest concentration of natural resources and agriculture in the world. The region is also home to many of the world's political and economic challenges. Our vision is to mold the forces of economic growth, technological innovation, and environmental and security challenges into positive instruments of peace, prosperity and democracy. The mission of IR/PS is to help build a Pacific community by creating ideas, training leaders and providing networks.
Our Program
Why is IR/PS unique? We believe that the educational program should reflect our larger mission while adhering to strong scholarly values. IR/PS strives to 1) deliver an education dedicated to training new generations of leaders equipped with skills in management and public policy to address the challenges of the Pacific region and the globe; 2) conduct research to create new ideas to organize this community's common interests and cope with its conflicts; and 3) use the reputation, strengths, and scope of the UC system to create new networks that link people of goodwill throughout the region.
Our Plan
Like any great university, we will build for the century, not just for the season or the year. The first goals are 1) to strengthen our foundation in research and teaching while growing enough to make a decisive impact and 2) to effectively relate our insights to the communities we study and serve.
IR/PS is embarking on a major initiative to increase its leverage at the local, national, and international levels and to expand community outreach and education. We are launching an unprecedented effort to attract and invite new financial and academic resources to affirm our standing among the world's top graduate schools of international relations and as an established leader throughout the region. We invite you to visit IR/PS, meet our faculty, professional staff, and committed students, and discover first-hand the opportunities IR/PS offers in the enormously dynamic and increasingly integrated Pacific region.
