INTLRL:BA - Bachelor of Arts in International Relations
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Admissions Requirements for Bachelor of Arts (BA) in International Relations
See general university admissions requirements at admissions.fiu.edu.
Academic Progression Requirements
Students admitted to the university are admitted directly to their chosen major. Students are expected to make satisfactory progress based on critical indicators, such as GPA in specific courses or credits earned. In cases where students are not making satisfactory progress, a change of major may be required. Advisors work to redirect students to more appropriate majors when critical indicators are not met.
Admissions Requirements for the Combined BA in International Relations to Master of Arts (MA) in International Studies Accelerated Degree Pathway
To be considered for admission to the BA/MA accelerated degree pathway, students must have completed at least 75 credits in the bachelor’s degree program at FIU and meet the admissions criteria for the graduate degree program to which they are applying. Students need only apply once to the accelerated degree pathway, but the application must be submitted to Graduate Admissions before the student starts the last 30 credits of the bachelor’s degree program. A student admitted to the accelerated degree pathway will be considered to have undergraduate status until the student applies for graduation from their bachelor’s degree program. Upon conferral of the bachelor’s degree, the student will be granted graduate status. Only 5000-level or higher courses, and no more than the number of credits specified by the program catalog, may be applied toward both degrees.
To be accepted into the BA/MA accelerated degree pathway, students must submit an MA program application by March 15 in their junior year (to apply, students must already have completed 75 credits in their undergraduate degree program). A complete application requires:
-- Current enrollment in the BA program in International Relations at FIU
-- GRE scores
-- Minimum GPA of 3.5
-- 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 Politics and International Relations Department website for a more comprehensive discussion of admission requirements. Students in the BA/MA accelerated degree pathway must apply for their undergraduate degree as soon as possible after having satisfied the degree requirements.
Lower Division Preparation
Common Prerequisites: There are no common prerequisites for this degree. For information about state-approved common prerequisites and alternatives for other programs, visit https://cpm.flvc.org.
In addition to the core requirement course, students must take at least one course (3 credits) from each of the following four divisions in Group I. (Note: consult course descriptions to identify which courses fulfill the first three divisions.)
A. International Law/International Organizations (IL)
B. Foreign Policy/Security Studies (FP)
C. International Political Economy (IPE)
D. A fourth course
Students can take an additional Group I course with an INR prefix, or a fourth course from among the following:
Students must also take at least four courses (12 credits) in Group II, including at least one from each of the divisions in Group II. Consult “Course Descriptions” to identify which courses fulfill the first three divisions.
A. Area Studies (AS)*
B. Issues and Problems in International Relations (IP)*
C. A second Area Studies (AS) or Issues and Problems in International Relations (IP) course
D. A fourth course
A second Area Studies (AS) or Issues and Problems in International Relations (IP) course. (Please refer to the courses listed above).
Note: course may count as the fourth Group II course as long as the student has completed one course from each of the three divisions above. All internships must be approved at least six weeks before the start of the semester in which a student intends to intern, and are by permission of instructor only.
Students must take the following two courses. Please note the prerequisites for each course. Students may not take INR 4013 until they have completed INR 2001 and at least nine (9) credits in INR courses. Students must take INR 4013 before they take INR 4603. The following two courses may not be taken concurrently.
Students are encouraged to double major or pursue a minor in related fields such as political science, economics, geography, modern languages, history, sociology, anthropology, geography or business. We recommend students take introductory courses in economics and gain fluency in at least one foreign language. Students may also consider appropriate academic certificates such as those in Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Asian Studies, African and African Diaspora Studies, and European Studies.
Graduation Requirement
Students must complete a minimum 36 credits of course work in the department with a grade of "C" or better. Students should be mindful of the further requirement of the Green School that a minimum of 48 upper division (3000 level and above) credits is necessary for graduation. Students also need to pass 9 credits of upper division courses outside International Relations and must satisfy the Green School Foreign Language Requirement. In addition to INR 2001, students must complete the Core Requirement (3 credits), four Group 1 Courses (12 credits), four Group II Courses (12 credits), and two Group III Courses (6 credits).
Other Curricular Offering: Combined BA in International Relations to MA in International Studies Accelerated Degree Pathway
The BA/MA accelerated degree pathway allows highly qualified undergraduate students to pursue an accelerated MA degree in International Studies. Students accepted into this pathway will be able to complete the MA degree as much as one year sooner than would otherwise be possible.
The program gives students the opportunity to take up to 9 credits of graduate coursework in their senior year that will count towards both the BA and the MA degrees. Successful completion of the BA/MA accelerated degree pathway will therefore require a total of 147 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:
Undergraduate Junior Year
Apply to the program (March 15 deadline)
Undergraduate Senior Year
--Fall Semester – take 12 credits, including one 5000-level course
--Spring Semester – take 12 credits, including two 5000-level courses
Graduate Program
--Summer – take 3 graduate credits (5000-level or higher)
--Fall – take 9 graduate credits (5000-level or higher)
--Spring – take 9 graduate credits (5000-level or higher)
--Summer – take 6 graduate credits (thesis or comprehensive examination preparation)
Students in the BA/MA accelerated degree pathway must complete all other requirements for the MA in International Studies degree (please consult the Politics and International Relations Department’s online graduate handbook).
There are no majors associated with this program.