The present invention provides strategies for making cyclic triamines. Reactant media including certain precursors and/or certain types of catalysts can be converted into cyclic triamines with improved conversion and selectivity. The strategies can be incorporated into reactions that involve transamination schemes and/or reductive amination schemes. In the case of transamination, for instance, using transamination to cause ring closure of higher amines in the presence of a suitable catalyst leads to desired cyclic triamines with notable conversion and yield. In the case of reductive amination, reacting suitable polyfunctional precursors in the presence of a suitable catalyst also yields cyclic triamines via ring closure with notable selectivity and conversion. Both transamination and reductive amination methodologies can be practiced under much milder temperatures than are used when solely acid catalysts are used. Preferred embodiments can produce reaction mixtures that are generally free of salt by-products.