International relations at Penn State emphasizes the study of the causes and consequences of international and intrastate conflict (civil wars).

We also have a strong group of faculty with interests in international political economy. Our faculty leverage departmental strengths in formal and quantitative methods in their own research and in their graduate student mentoring. Additional support for graduate student research is provided by the Program on Empirical International Relations, which emphasizes training in applying scientific research methods to international relations.

In addition, the field benefits from dual degree Ph.D. programs in African Studies, Asian Studies, Social Data Analytics (SoDA), and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS).