Yes, electives are allowed. Some program offerings offer concentrations in international regions, defense and intelligence gathering, policymaking, development, conflict resolution, diplomacy, comparative issues, and many more.
TIP: Look for elective courses (or programs that offer these courses as part of the required core) that tackle relevant and controversial global issues such as:
terrorism,
cybersecurity and cyber terrorism,
human trafficking,
the business and technology of war,
or the regional, religious, and cultural bases of conflicts, armed and non-armed conflicts, diplomacy, and many more.
These courses are a good measure of the program's relevancy and resonance to current times and issues. This was also one of the criteria for compiling this list.