Major Requirements

Requirements for the major include either 33 or 36 credits in international relations plus demonstrated proficiency in a contemporary spoken language other than English. Credits for internships in international relations, including internships abroad and IRP 471 - Global Internship  in Washington, D.C., may be counted toward the major upon prior approval by the International Relations Program.

To be Eligible to Declare the Undergraduate Major in International Relations

To be eligible to declare the undergraduate major in International Relations, students must achieve a grade of ‘B’ or better in at least one (1) of the three required introductory courses taken for the major at Syracuse University.

Of the 33 or 36 credits in the major, 21-24 credits must be in courses numbered 300 or above. Eighteen (18) of these credits are devoted to two concentrations within the major: 3 courses/9 credits are taken in a geographic region concentration in either Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, or the Middle East and North Africa, and 3 courses/9 credits are taken in a topic concentration in either Intercultural Communication (ICC), International Security and Diplomacy (ISD), International Law and Organizations (ILO), or International Political Economy (IPE).

The remaining 6 credits must include one social science research methods course and an advanced seminar in which the student designs and implements a capstone research project. The methods course must be approved by the International Relations Program and should be appropriate to the student’s capstone research project.  The capstone research project must provide an original analysis of primary sources on an appropriately international theme, combining the student’s topic and region concentrations, subject to approval by the faculty of the International Relations Program.

In addition to the 33 or 36 credits required in courses in international relations, each student major must demonstrate proficiency in a contemporary spoken language other than English. This language should be spoken in the geographic area chosen for the student’s region concentration. Proficiency must be demonstrated by coursework to at least the level of Course IV (202) taught by the Syracuse University Department of Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics - http://lang.syr.edu or the equivalent. We strongly encourage students to continue language study to an advanced level of literacy and fluency. Students for whom English is a second language must complete ENL 211  and ENL 213 .

Graduation with a Bachelors of Arts degree in international relations requires an overall grade point average of 2.0 or higher in 24 credits of upper-division courses for the major, including a grade of ‘C’ or better for work undertaken to fulfill the senior capstone requirement.

Additional Program Opportunities

International relations majors are expected to study abroad during their undergraduate program. Syracuse University Abroad (SU Abroad) offers a rich variety of courses that can be applied to the International Relations major requirements. Please see http://suabroad.syr.edu.

Participation in the Maxwell-in-Washington International Relations Semester, a 15-credit seminar and internship program, is recommended for all majors. For more information on this program, please contact the International Relations Programs office and see our webpage at http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/IR_Maxwell_in_DC/

Co-curricular activities, such as the International Relations Learning Community, a residential program for students new to Syracuse University, as well as our International Relations Honor Society Sigma Iota Rho, Model United Nations Club and Team, International Relations Club, Conversations in International Relations speakers series, colloquia, and related activities, are available. Please see our webpage for more information. http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/ir/

The International Relations Program also offers minors in Global Political Economy and Global Security Studies. For more information, please see our “Affiliated Minors” webpage under “Academics” at http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/IR_affiliated_minors/

Beginning in 2015-2016, students majoring in International Relations who meet the eligibility requirements will be invited to participate in the Distinction Program by the faculty of the International Relations Program. The Distinction Program enables students majoring in International Relations to engage in an enhanced research and mentoring experience. Working closely with a faculty member, Distinction candidates produce a research project of substantially greater depth than the capstone research project required of all International Relations majors. As with the capstone, the Distinction research project must combine the student’s topic and region concentrations. In addition, the Distinction Program provides young scholars the skills and support needed to produce a project suitable for presentation at an academic conference or for publication in an undergraduate social science academic journal. For more information, please see http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/ir/