Launch your career in global security through a unique focus on addressing the challenges posed by domestic and international terrorism, weapons of mass destruction (WMD), and financial crime.
Our Master of Arts in Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies (NPTS) gives you specialized knowledge and skills that will distinguish you from other graduates. Gain professional experience through real-world projects with this STEM-designated, four-semester degree.
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Start Term |
Credits |
Duration |
In-Person |
Online |
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| Fall or spring | 60 | 4 semesters | Monterey, California | Live |
June 8 at 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time
Join our admissions team as they guide you through the application process, give you tips on financing your education, and clarify why starting your program this spring may make sense for you! Sign up today.
Join us on July 14 for our summer Preview Day in Monterey, California, and experience firsthand how our in-person and online master’s programs will transform your global career. Our expert discussion will feature Dr. Jeff Langholz speaking on The Future of Water—Closer and Better Than You Think. Sign up today.
Earn your master’s online or in person at our Monterey, California, campus. The admission requirements, faculty, curriculum, and per-credit cost are the same for both formats so you can switch between the two experiences as your personal and professional needs allow. You may start and complete your entire degree program remotely, but please keep in mind your time zone as you will attend many of your online courses live (synchronously).
[Jeff Knopf, Program Chair:] The subjects that we focus on in Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies keep us interested. They’re important problems with big real-world implications. We want to make sure that there’s never a nuclear war, that new states don’t get chemical or biological weapons, that we find effective strategies for fighting back against terrorism.
[Professor speaking in class:] Conflicts and strife within the Muslim community, the Middle East communities from the very beginning. And then of course when Mohammed died, it was more conflicts over the succession.
[Jeff Knopf:] And all I have to do is read newspaper headlines in the morning when I get up and I know I have an important job and an important mission to help educate our students to work professionally in these fields.
[Student speaking in class:] We’ve really sort of been left on our own to defend ourselves. And do you think, is this the moment Jacob to be open about the fact that we have a nuclear weapon?
[Professor speaking in class:] The IDF is not the custodian of nuclear materials.
[Sarah Bidgood, student:] I’ve been able to take my Russian language skills that I came to the program with, and really build them so that I can use them in a professional setting. So now I feel like I can actually talk about real-life problems, talk about arms control issues in this very specific context here at the Institute.
[Student speaking in class:] We call all seats in the region to declare the Middle East to be a region free of nuclear testing even for those states who have not signed or ratified.
[Francisco Pareda, student:] The NPT simulation is a class where you simulate the negotiation of the nonproliferation treaty. It’s a really interesting class, you learn a lot about your country. It’s a lot of work, but the fun part is that you are interacting all the time. You’re representing a different state and representing different interests that you may or may not align with.
[Farah Al-Mousrawi, student:] It made me confident that I was able to accomplish such projects. And that I can go into the workforce loaded with the knowledge that I needed.
[Sarah Bidgood:] For me that felt like a class where I was able to take everything I’ve learned in my introductory courses that far and apply them to real-life problems. And after I completed that course, I had the chance to then go and serve as an intern at the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs in New York, where we were working on that exact treaty. So I took the skills that I learned in that seminar and applied them directly to supporting the secretariat in that endeavor.
[Jeff Knopf:] Every time I take a trip to Washington, DC, I bump into one of our alums who’s working in DC at the State Department, the Treasury Department, the Defense Department, for Congress, I mean, really have students working just all throughout the U.S. government.
[Sarah Bidgood:] The greatest thing about the Middlebury Institute is that it combines not only excellent academics but also professional opportunities.
[Jeff Knopf:] What we do is pretty unique. We have a very specialized niche. And if what we’re doing is what interests you and it’s what can help you get launched on the kind of career you want. Then I think it’s very hard to do better than to come here.
We integrate your career and academic advising, making sure your coursework aligns with your career goals. The same advisor will guide you from course registration to preparing for interviews and negotiating new career opportunities.
Our graduates are often hired before they complete their program, leveraging real-world projects from their classes and internships to showcase their relevant experience.
You’ll be prepared to work at international organizations; government agencies, including the intelligence community (IC), think tanks, and NGOs; and a range of private-sector employers, including those in the nearby Silicon Valley tech industry. Our graduates find meaningful careers at organizations like the U.S. Department of State, INTERPOL, the International Atomic Energy Agency, Google, and Deloitte.
One Year After Graduation
Our interdisciplinary curriculum covers international security, science and technology, history, and regional studies, along with language studies and significant real-world opportunities to apply your learning. Build your expertise in these areas:
See curriculum for more details.
Our faculty are regularly featured in the media for their groundbreaking work. They are active in international diplomatic forums, interact with government officials on current policy issues, conduct policy-oriented research, and develop new tools to monitor global threats.
While other graduate schools rely on teaching assistants, you will have direct access to faculty, collaborating with them on research papers and projects sponsored by government agencies, think tanks, and foundations. They are genuinely committed to your success and will become your mentors and colleagues throughout your career. Meet your faculty.
Meet some of your faculty below and learn about their recent successes, often in collaboration with our students.
Professor Jeffrey Lewis serves on the International Security Advisory Board, which advises the Secretary of State on critical issues including arms control. He is a leading authority on North Korea’s nuclear program and together with a team of students, he detected the Russian invasion of Ukraine using Google Maps.
Professor; Director, East Asia Nonproliferation Project
Meet Jeffrey Lewis
Financial Crime Management program head Professor Moyara Ruehsen serves on an international task force aimed at combating money laundering. As a leading voice in the field, she also consults for the U.S. government, multilateral organizations, and the private sector on threat financing.
Professor, Financial Crime Intelligence
Meet Moyara Ruehsen
Jason Blazakis directs the Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism (CTEC) at the Middlebury Institute. CTEC is partnering with Meta and the White House to engage in groundbreaking research to help communities combat radicalization through social media and the resulting violent extremism.
Professor of Practice; Director of CTEC
Meet Jason BlazakisOur flexible curriculum means you can customize your degree:
Check out the program details for your options.
Build valuable professional experience while earning your degree through paid graduate research assistantships and events at our world-renowned research centers and initiatives:
CNS is the leader in training the next generation of nonproliferation specialists. It is at the cutting edge of using open-source information to track proliferation in countries such as North Korea and Iran. CNS is headquartered in Monterey and has offices in D.C., and Vienna, Austria. Visit CNS.
CTEC focuses on crucial areas like threat finance and sanctions, extremist messaging and terrorist use of the Internet, and the use of special operations forces to counter violent actors. A recent $2 million gift will fund expansion of the center. Visit CTEC.
More than 95 percent of students who request scholarship consideration receive institutional support. You may receive merit, need-based, partner, and external scholarships and financial aid, which are available to both U.S. and international students.
Your personal enrollment advisor can help you think through financing this important investment in your career development.
Students admitted to our MA in Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies are guaranteed a full scholarship (covering tuition, housing, and food) for a summer language program at the Middlebury Language Schools. Learn more.
This select group of Middlebury Institute students will focus on the ways that conflict transformation manifests in diverse contexts. Fellows will receive numerous benefits including a maximum $10,000 scholarship per academic year. Learn more.
We take a holistic approach when considering your application, looking at your academic background, international exposure, professional experience, and career goals. We welcome applicants with or without work experience, and our program has numerous opportunities for you to gain professional experience before you graduate. This approach aligns with the Institute’s core values of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
We do not require GRE or GMAT scores for our master’s programs but competitive scores may strengthen your application and positively influence scholarship decisions.
The gift will support staff positions and senior research scholars, giving CTEC the flexibility to recruit and retain an exceptional team, and positioning the center to identify and address threats to national security.
| by Jason Warburg
As the sun broke through the clouds, 284 Middlebury Institute graduates from 33 homelands were celebrated by family, friends, faculty, staff, and alumni.
| by Mark Anderson
When they enter the workforce, students will be more prepared to integrate with first response at all levels of government, thanks to a new hands-on course designed by a faculty member who was a former EMT and a current student who is also a firefighter.
Our graduates find rewarding careers promoting the reduction and elimination of weapons of mass destruction and countering threats of terrorism.
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