The Department of International Relations at Quaid-i-Azam University is Pakistan's premier institution of higher learning in the discipline of international relations. Established in 1973, it offers internationally accredited M Sc, M Phil and Ph D degrees to a diversified student body. With an internationally acclaimed faculty, the Department offers an interdisciplinary approach to study of international relations, and its curricula include a wide spectrum of courses; i.e., Theories of International Relations, Research Methodology, Security and Strategic Studies, Foreign Policy Analysis, Diplomacy, International Organizations, International Law, Comparative Politics, and International Political Economy. In addition to classroom instruction and other course-related activities, the Department runs a seminar series, in which students' participation is highly encouraged. Special emphasis is given to the promotion of advanced level research at MPhil and Ph D levels.
Twice a year, the Department of International Relations admits M Sc, M Phil and Ph D students on regular quota system and self-financed basis as per admission policy of the University. As of spring 2010, the number of students enrolled in its M Sc programme was 172, while those of M Phil and Ph D was 73 and 28, respectively. Until then, the Department's 13-member permanent faculty included two Professors, three Associate Professors, four Assistant Professors and four Lecturers. The visiting faculty offering elective courses varies by semester. The IR faculty is highly productive in academic research, each year publishing several articles in refereed journals, chapters in edited books and books published nationally and internationally. The Department of International Relations also has the distinction in the University's Faculty of Social Sciences for having a faculty which proactively participates each year in several national and international conferences, seminars and workshops to offer Pakistan's perspective on crucial issues facing the country in the foreign policy domain and confronting South Asia in security and non-security arenas.