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Undergraduate Catalog 2024-2025
International Relations, B.A.
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 Return to: College of Arts and Sciences
Description
The major is designed to give students the opportunity to engage in a multidisciplinary study of the variety of subjects concerned with international affairs. International Relations is the study of interactions among the various actors that participate in international politics, including states, international organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and multinational corporations.
What careers can this major prepare you for?
The major offers a number of advantages to students seeking entry placement in domestic and overseas private-sector firms, and nongovernmental organizations where a premium is placed on knowledge of economic and political practices in other cultures. It also provides an excellent foundation for more specialized graduate study in international studies, and for taking entry-level examinations into international service. Examples of careers in International Relations: Government, Think Tanks, Global Business, Nongovernmental Organizations, CIA Employee, Entrepreneur, Journalist, Plans and Review Officer, USA, Press Officer, US Embassy, Foreign Service Agent, Teacher, Policy Analyst.
What skills are developed within this major?
International Relations majors learn how to: Carefully and accurately analyze texts and ideas; apply qualitative and quantitative methods to real world problems; think critically about complex issues; research, digest, and utilize data from a variety of sources; communicate ideas clearly and effectively in writing and speech; engage with other viewpoints in a balanced and nuanced manner; understand and engage with a variety of nations and cultures from around the world.
Language Competence
Students must demonstrate mastery in a major world language of relevance to their concentration comparable to that obtained from two years of college-level instruction. Competence may be demonstrated by examination.
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Admission to Major
No requirement other than good academic standing in the College of Arts and Sciences. Double majors are encouraged.
Hours Required for Degree
Minimum hours required for degree: 120
Minimum hours required for major: 33 credit hours - 12-hour introductory core with 9 hours of political science courses and 3 hours in economics, 18 hours in a selected International Relations concentration that includes political science and other courses in the social sciences, humanities, and arts, or in business, depending on the specific concentration, and a 3-credit-hour political science senior seminar as a capstone course.
College Requirements
See college page for college requirements.
Major Requirements
Cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher in the major is required. The curriculum for the International Relations major consists of an introductory core, a concentration, and a capstone course. The following courses represent the introductory core required of all International Relations majors:
The Concentration:
(18 hours all at the 300-level or above, except for either PSC 221 - Comparative Politics or PSC 274 - Introduction to the Middle East , but not both.)
The purpose of the concentration is to enable students to pursue an in-depth study of one area of international studies corresponding to their intellectual and/or career interests. Courses in the concentration may be chosen from among a variety of courses in different disciplines of arts and sciences and from the College of Business. All courses selected for the concentration must be approved by the student’s adviser or by the director of the International Relations major. Students can select from among the three concentrations listed below, or may create their own concentration with the approval of their adviser. Courses listed below for each concentration are indicative and may not all be available as needed. Students should see their advisers to work out their specific set of concentration courses.
An internship or study abroad program may be applied to any of these concentrations.
1. Concentration in International Business and Economics:
Every student needs to achieve and demonstrate the equivalent of a two-year academic competence in a language relevant to the area of International Business the student is concentrating in. International Relations majors in this concentration are encouraged to focus on either a Marketing (MKT) track or a Management (MGT) track.
Note(s):
Students will not be allowed to submit both MKT 301 and MGT 301 for the concentration. If they take both, one will count for major credit and they may submit a mixture of MKT and MGT courses toward their concentration.
2. Global Studies
Students must demonstrate mastery in a world language of relevance to their concentration comparable to that obtained from two years of college-level instruction. Competence may be demonstrated by examination.
Note(s):
- *Requires instructor’s permission
3. Area Studies Concentration
No more than one course in the disciplines of Art, Religion, and Communications may be applied toward the concentration.
Cannot take both PSC 221 and PSC 274 .
Students must demonstrate mastery in a world language of relevance to their concentration comparable to that obtained from two years of college-level instruction. Competence may be demonstrated by examination.
Study-Abroad
The International Relations program encourages all students to include a study abroad experience as part of their curriculum if it is at all practical. We are willing to accept any CSU-approved study abroad courses to fulfill concentration requirements, provided that the subject matter is in the Social Sciences or Humanities (or, in the case of the international business concentration, Business Administration), and is directly relevant to the region represented by the concentration. Capstone Course
All International Relations majors will be required to conclude their major with a 3-credit-hour capstone course. The capstone experience in International Relations is to complete a political science senior seminar. To take a senior seminar the International Relations major must have completed the Introductory Core and at least one 300- or 400-level courses in their concentration, or permission of the instructor.
Transitional Policy
The International Relations major frequently changes when new courses are added or when old courses are dropped, or when the department revises the curriculum. Any student has the right to complete the requirements as they existed at the time the student declared his/her IR major, or may decide to adhere to subsequent requirements. Copies of previous IR major requirements are available from the Department of Political Science.
Honors Program Requirements
The University Honors Program in International Relations requires the completion of:
- An Honors Contract version of the Capstone seminar, in which the student will be expected to do a high-quality paper and present it to a faculty panel
- Three (3) additional Honors contract courses in International Relations, chosen by the student in consultation with a departmental advisor.
All courses count toward the regular major. No additional credits beyond the regular International Relations major are required.
University Scholars Requirements
The University Scholars Program in International Relations requires the completion of:
- Three (3) Honors contract courses in International Relations, chosen by the student in consultation with a departmental advisor.
- The Seminar MAY NOT be one of these
All courses count toward the regular major. No additional credits beyond the regular International Relations major are required.
Accelerated 3+3 Degree
The CSU College of Law 3+3 program permits a student who has completed three years of undergraduate study to be admitted to the College of Law to begin J.D. studies. The undergraduate degree will be awarded upon successful completion of the first full year of the J.D. curriculum, thus permitting the student to graduate with both an undergraduate and law degrees in six rather than seven years of full-time study (or its equivalent). In effect, the first year of law school completes the fourth year of the undergraduate degree (serving, in effect, as undergraduate elective courses) and serves as the first year of law school. This arrangement saves both time and money for the student.
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Return to: College of Arts and Sciences
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