The Department of International Relations at the University of Dhaka, having its beginnings in 1947, takes pride and finds inspiration in being the first independent academic Department in the entire South Asian region to conduct teaching and research in the field of International Relations. Over the past seven decades, the Department’s educational goals, programs, services, and research activities have flourished and expanded considerably. The Department is now strong and well-positioned, having a dynamic and accomplished community of faculty members, students, scholars, and alumni studying, exploring, investigating, and conceptualizing complex and pressing issues, developments, and discourses in international affairs.
The academic curricula of the Department combine a blend of courses in the diverse areas of International Relations that include international relations theories, security studies, diplomacy, foreign policy, international political economy, international law and institutions, gender, development and governance, environment, migration, human rights, and an array of area and country studies, concentrating on South Asia, East and Southeast Asia, Africa, Middle East, Europe, Russia and Central Asia, and North and South America. The faculty members evince a strong interest in developing thematic and area studies, and promoting methodological expertise.
The Department’s degree-awarding programs include Bachelor of Social Sciences (BSS) with Honors, Master of Social Sciences (MSS), Master of Philosophy (MPhil), and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). For the last one and a half decade, the Department has been offering four-month Post-Graduate Diploma in International Relations (PGDIR) for graduates from different academic and professional backgrounds who seek to earn additional graduate credentials. This has been a part of the Department’s endeavor to go beyond the regular degree programs in order to respond to growing demands of IR knowledge from non-IR graduates and professionals. With the goal of expanding its academic mission, the Department launched the Professional Masters in International Relations (PMIR) program four years ago. This eighteen-month degree-awarding program is geared to working professionals who intend to gain knowledge and skills in the discipline of International Relations.
In keeping with student-centric vision, the Department provides a supportive academic setting where students can thrive and meet their full potentials. The Department’s highly qualified and dedicated faculty members with expertise in a wide span of areas provide outstanding mentoring and engaging experiences to students. Intimate and informal student-faculty interactions and collaborations are a hallmark of the Department.
Dr. ASM Ali Ashraf
Professor and Chairman
Department of International Relations
University of Dhaka