Major in International Relations
Students may begin taking courses in the Department at any time and may declare their intention to major in International Relations after completing 24 semester hours of the University core curriculum requirements. To qualify for admission to the program, FIU students must have met all lower division requirements including CLAS, 60 semester hours, and a minimum 2.0 grade point average.
Degree Program: 120 Credits Required
International Relations Major: 36 Credits Required
All courses meeting major requirements must be passed with a grade of "C" or higher.
Combined B.A. in International Relations/M.A. in International Studies (the "4+1" Degree Pathway)
The combined BA in International Relations and MA in International Studies degree pathway allows highly qualified undergraduate students to pursue an accelerated MA degree in International Studies. Students accepted into this degree pathway will be able to complete the MA degree as much as one year sooner than would otherwise be possible. Students accepted into the International Relations Honors Track are particularly encouraged to apply for this degree pathway.
To be accepted into the combined BA/MA degree pathway, students must submit an online MA program application through their FIU Student Portal by March 15 in their junior year. The link is available by navigating to the Admissions Tile on the student dashboard.
A complete application requires:
- Current enrollment in BA program in International Relations at FIU
- Completion of 75 credits of undergraduate coursework
- GRE
- GPA of 3.5 or above
- Two letters of recommendation
- Statement of purpose discussing research interests
All components of the application must be complete by the March 15 application deadline. Students should consult the graduate catalog and the Politics and International Relations Department website for a more comprehensive discussion of admission requirements. If the application is approved, students will be admitted into the combined BA/MA degree pathway once they have successfully completed 90 credits in their undergraduate degree program. Students in the combined BA/MA degree pathway must apply for their undergraduate degree as soon as possible after having satisfied the degree requirements.
The degree pathway gives students the opportunity to take up to 9 credits of graduate coursework in their senior year that will count toward both the BA and the MA. Successful completion of the BA/MA degree pathway will therefore require a total of 147 unduplicated credit hours. Students will take three 5000 level graduate courses in their senior year and follow the regular MA curriculum after they earn their BA degree. A typical course of study is as follows:
Minor in International Relations
A student majoring in another academic discipline earns a Minor in International Relations by successfully completing approved course work of 18 semester hours in the Department of Politics and International Relations with a grade of ‘C’ or better.
This program must include:
1. INR 2001 Introduction to International Relations (3)
2. One "outside INR major" course to be taken from among (3):
- GEA 2000 World Regional Geography – GL
- CPO 2002 Introduction to Comparative Politics
- REL 3308 Studies in World Religion – GL
- SYP 3456 Societies of the World
- ECS 3003 Comparative Economic Systems
- WOH 2001 World Civilization
- EVR 1017 Global Environment & Society
3. A second ”outside INR major" course to be taken from the same list (3)
4. One Group 1 course with an INR prefix (3)
5. One Group 2 course with an INR prefix (3)
6. Any other course with an INR prefix offered by the Department (3)