International Security and Law (BA)
Program Summary
100% Online
Credits: 120 total
Degree: BA
College/School: Schar School of Policy and Government
Start Date: 8/25/2025
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Program Description
The International Security and Law program prepares students to tackle security threats facing today’s world. The curriculum exposes students to the diversity of challenges to human security (economic, demographic, environmental, technological), and gives a broad overview of the legal frameworks governing international organizations and transactions. The program pairs this foundation in international security with rigorous methodological training, designed to give graduates the quantitative skills needed in the professional world. Graduates will be able to help organizations assess risk and propose policy solutions to international threats using foundational knowledge in law, quantitative analysis, and diplomacy.
Careers
Career Descriptions
The BA in international security and law prepares students for entry-level positions in government, business, and nongovernmental organizations. Examples of jobs include:
- Junior Security Intelligence Analyst, Global Expansion Intelligence and Risk
- Food Security Analyst
- Foreign Service Officer
- Multi-discipline Security Officer
- Crisis, Conflict, and Governance Program Associate
Courses
Program requirements are subject to change; please refer to the George Mason Course Catalog for the most up-to-date requirements.
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Details
Who should apply?
Students interested in the dynamic interplay between national security, international governance, human rights, and diplomacy should choose the International Security and Law major. The program is for students who want careers that assess risk and propose solutions to traditional security threats (such as war) and non-traditional threats (such as cyber attacks, migration crises, and climate change). Graduates will be able to interpret data and communicate their findings for organizations involved in ensuring domestic and international peace and security.
Financial Aid
For information on loans, scholarships, and other types of financial aid, visit the Office of Student Financial Aid.
Why choose George Mason?
- The Schar School’s security studies programs have made US News and World Report’s top ten list for five years straight, number seven in 2022.
- Faculty include former Central Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency Director Michael Hayden, former Vice Chair of the National Intelligence Council Ellen Laipson, former Deputy Director of the CIA Michael Morrell, and former Deputy Director of the FBI Andrew McCabe.
- Learn directly from experts impacting the policy conversation: in a fairly typical week, Schar School faculty were featured in the Associated Press, Reuters, the New York Times, the Washington Post, NPR, TIME, USA Today, the Hill, U.S. News & World Report, Forbes, CNN, and the BBC.
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