Chair's Welcome

The International Relations major is an interdisciplinary area of study, focusing on the interaction between people, private groups, and sovereign governments. The main level of analysis states, that significant attention is paid to a wide range of increasingly significant non-state actors, including non-governmental organizations, banks, corporations, environmental groups, aid agencies, lobby groups, religious and ethnic-nationalists movements, and violent non-state actors.

At the University of Sharjah, our undergraduate students learn to analyze relations between different actors across international boundaries, bearing in mind the multiple environments—ideology, culture, religion, demography, geography, and technology—that influence the ways in which these actors think and operate. Our students have the opportunity to participate in field trips around the world, to help bridge the gap between theoretical study and the “real world" within which International Relations is practiced. On campus, students will get to meet a wide range of decision-makers and governmental representatives, including diplomats and high-ranking UN and GCC personnel, who share their analytic skills and practical experiences in regular departmental and college seminars.   

Our goal is to prepare students with the analytical and technical skills they need to achieve their career goals and contribute to the prosperity of the countries they come from or live in. Our duty is to ensure that they enjoy their academic experience at the University of Sharjah and benefit from every course we offer.

My colleagues and I take pride in our current students, who now number over 400, impressive growth for a program that began with only 11 students in the 2015-16 academic year. We are particularly proud of the IR student society, which is run by our senior students and gives students an opportunity to interact with university staff and outside practitioners and to develop their communication and leadership skills.

We welcome all current and new students to the Department and are always ready to provide them with the help and support that they need to succeed in their studies. We will also continue our contact with students after their graduation via the Alumni Association and other fora, and welcome any feedback that will help us to continue to develop and improve the International Relations program.​