INTLR-BA - International Relations (BA)

The Program in International Relations (IR) offers an interdisciplinary undergraduate major, minor, and honors program, allowing students to explore how global, regional, and domestic factors influence relations between actors in the modern state system. IR majors pursue a course of study in world politics that includes classes in political science, economics, history, environmental policy, languages, and other fields. IR majors may focus on various issues, including international security, international trade and finance, political and economic development, human rights and humanitarian policy, democratization, climate change, global health, and other countries’ and world regions’ politics, history, and cultures. All IR majors must spend at least one quarter studying abroad and achieve high proficiency (through second-year college level) in a foreign language. The IR major prepares students for government, non-government, and private sector careers and admission into graduate programs, including law, international policy, business, political science, economics, and journalism.

Prospective IR majors are advised to consider any introductory seminar taught by IR-affiliated faculty through Stanford Introductory Studies. Students may also want to begin foreign language study. It would also be helpful in the first and second years to complete an introductory economics and/or statistical methods/data science course, both of which are core requirements for the major.

Declaring the Major

Students interested in majoring in IR are encouraged to declare anytime during their first or second year, but you need to declare during sophomore spring if you haven’t already. You are urged to discuss your study plans with the undergraduate Student Services Officer or peer advisors as early as possible. To declare the major, students must complete the Declaration of Major in Axess, choose a faculty advisor, and submit a completed Major Declaration Packet to the IR Office or the IR Student Services Officer. You should meet with the IR capstone coordinator during the declaration process to discuss capstone requirement options. It is recommended that students meet with their faculty advisor at least once per academic year to discuss progress toward degree completion; however, quarterly meetings are highly encouraged.