Certificate in Nonproliferation Studies

Monterey Institute of International Studies
Graduate School of International Policy Studies

Monterey Institute students planning to pursue a career in the control, reduction, and elimination of weapons of mass destruction (including chemical, nuclear, and biological weapons) may earn a Certificate in Nonproliferation Studies during their course of study for the M.A. degree in International Policy Studies or other degree programs. Potential career paths in nonproliferation include:

• Government service in an agency with responsibilities for nonproliferation (including, in the United States, the Departments of State, Energy, Defense, or Homeland Security, and their counterparts in other countries)
• Diplomatic service, particularly in the area of nonproliferation and disarmament diplomacy
• Military service
• Law enforcement and public safety agencies, particularly those with responsibilities for combating terrorism with weapons of mass destruction and enforcing nonproliferation export controls
• Legislative staff with responsibilities for national and international security
• International civil service with organizations in the nonproliferation or disarmament fields, including the United Nations, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, and others
• Private policy analysis, consulting, and contracting firms working in nonproliferation, disarmament, or cooperative threat reduction
• NGOs specializing in nonproliferation, arms control, and disarmament
• Academic research and higher education in nonproliferation, arms control, disarmament, or international security

To obtain the Certificate in Nonproliferation Studies, students must complete at least 20 semester units with B or higher in each of the courses, including the following courses:

1. IP 574 Introduction to Weapons of Mass Destruction Nonproliferation (4 units)
2. One technical workshop (or short course) from any of the following:
   • WKS 532 Nuclear Weapons Technology
   • WKS 529 Chemical Weapons Technology
   • WKS 525 Biological Weapons Technology
   • WKS 524 Missile and Missile Defenses
3. One advanced four credit nonproliferation seminar from the following list of nonproliferation related seminars:
   • IP 606 Seminar: Chinese Nonproliferation and Security Policy (4 units)
   • IP 631 Seminar: Nuclear Proliferation Trends and Trigger Events (4 units)
   • IP 641 Seminar: Nonproliferation in the NIS
   • IP 654 Seminar: Security and Nonproliferation Issues in the Middle East
   • IP 658 Seminar: Terrorism and Weapons of Mass Destruction (4 units)
   • IP 667 Seminar: Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation in South Asia (4 units)
   • IP 683 Seminar: South Asia and WMD (4 units)
   • IP 684 Seminar: Chemical and Biological Weapons and Arms Control (4 units)
   • IP 685 Seminar: Cooperative Threat Reduction Process in FSU (4 units)
4. Credits from any of the following courses and workshops
   • IP 510 Security & Arms Control in Northeast Asia (4 units)
   • IP 526 Export Controls (2 units)
   • IP 531 Arms Control Simulation (4 units)
   • IP 561 Nonproliferation Organizations and Regimes (1 unit)
   • WKS 523 History of U.S. Nuclear Weapons Development (1 unit)
   • WKS 522 Iran's Nuclear Weapons Program (1 uint)
   • WKS 595 Emerging WMD Supply Networks (1 unit)

• The following courses may count toward the certificate if a research paper is written on a nonproliferation topic. Students must also have the prior approval of the professor.
  • IP 536 Comparative National Security Policy (4 units)
  • IP 651 Seminar: International Space Policy (4 units)
  • IP 657 Seminar: Technology & International Security (4 units)
  • IP 668 Seminar: Terrorism in South Asia (4 units)
  • IP 670 Seminar: Emerging Issues in International Public Health (4 units)
  • IP 584 Introduction to Terrorism (4 unit)
• The following content-based language course can count as 2 units toward the certificate:
  • CS 499, RS499, or JS 499: Contemporary Issues in Nonproliferation (4 unit Monterey Model language course taught in Chinese, Japanese, or Russian; counts as 2 units toward the nonproliferation certificate)

Students who already have an M.A. degree or equivalent work experience may earn the Certificate through a one-year program with 20 semester units with B or higher in each course. Certificate-only students must take both the required survey courses.

For more information on the Certificate in Nonproliferation Studies, please contact Dr. Jing-Dong Yuan at jing-dong.yuan[at]miis.edu.

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