Because the international relations program is an honors major, it is expected that students will maintain a G.P.A. of 3.65 or better throughout their time as a major and complete an honors thesis in their senior year. As the program is demanding, the number of students who can be admitted is limited to 25 to 30 per year. Therefore, interested students need to submit a formal application, by October 15 of their sophomore year. Application forms can be found at the Program in Inter-national Relations Web site: www .nyu.edu/fas/program/ir/index.shtml.
Criteria for admission include a strong academic record at NYU (G.P.A. of 3.65 or better); progress toward or completion of the foreign language requirement; and commitment to the field. By the time of application, students should also have finished at least two of the required core courses, one of which must be the International Politics course V53.0700. Commitment to the field can be demonstrated by a research paper, summer job, or other work in international relations that shows an ongoing interest in the topic.
All majors must complete a set of classes in seven areas. They must complete four core courses, three courses on the international relations environment, and an additional international relations elective. Students must also demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language, take two courses in a regional specialization, and complete a semester in a study abroad program. Finally, students must complete the two-course senior honors sequence. In the junior or senior year, students are also encouraged, but not required, to take an internship at one of the many international institutions or agencies located in New York City. Students can only receive academic credit for internships in their junior or senior year. They can pursue internship possibilities through the Department of Politics, the Program in Metropolitan Studies, and the NYU Office of Career Services.
Transfer Students
We cannot consider applications to the IR honors major for students outside of NYU until the student is formally enrolled at NYU. Students transferring from another college within NYU may apply up until the fall of their junior year in certain cases. Permission to apply in the fall semester of their junior year is approved on a case-by-case basis by the program director. Students must have taken and received grades in at least two of the required core courses at NYU, one of which must be the International Politics course (V53.0700), before applying in the fall of junior year. Once at NYU, students interested in IR should meet with the IR undergraduate student adviser (in the Department of Politics) to get their records reviewed and to receive a preliminary assessment of their prospects of being admitted to this major.
