Because this is an honors major, it is expected that students will maintain a GPA 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 International Relations website.

Criteria for admission include a strong academic record at NYU (GPA of 3.65 or better), completion of International Politics (POL-UA 700) and either Economic Principles I (ECON-UA 1) or II (ECON-UA 2), and commitment to the field.

All majors must complete a total of fourteen 4-point courses (56 points). They must complete four core courses, plus four courses in the international relations environment. 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. Internships do not count directly toward the IR major. Internship credit is given as general College of Arts and Science credit. Students can pursue internship possibilities through the Department of Politics, the Department of Social and Cultural Analysis, the NYU Wasserman Center for Career Development, and internship opportunities posted on the International Relations website.

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 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 have their records reviewed and to receive a preliminary assessment of their prospects of being admitted to this major.

Foreign Language

Students may satisfy this requirement by completing two courses beyond the intermediate level. It is recommended that the language be related to the regional specialization and/or the study abroad site (but not, for example, if the site is London), but it is not required. We encourage students who are already fluent in English and another language to study an additional language at the advanced level. If a student considers himself or herself fluent in a foreign language, he or she can 1) complete the requirement with a third language or 2) take two advanced courses (literature or advanced translation) in the foreign language of the student's fluency. In either case, the student would have to take the two courses past the intermediate level.

Regional Specialization

Majors must complete two 4-point courses focusing on a particular world region in a variety of disciplines, including economics, history, politics, sociology, and area studies. These courses are normally taken during the term abroad. Whether taken at NYU or abroad, both courses must be approved in advance by the director or the undergraduate adviser for IR.

Study Abroad

Students must spend a semester at an NYU program abroad or at one of the universities around the world with which NYU has an exchange agreement. For the most up-to-date information on study abroad opportunities, please see www.nyu.edu/global.html. Permission to study at any other site must be petitioned in advance in the Office of the Associate Dean for Students (Silver Center 909, 212-998-8140), after approval by the IR program. Students may study abroad for an entire year, so long as the year abroad will still permit the student to complete the necessary requirements for the major. The student should consult the undergraduate adviser for IR to discuss the possibility of an entire year abroad. Due to the yearlong senior honors sequence, students will not be able to study abroad in their senior year.

Senior Honors

The major constitutes an honors track with emphasis on quantitative methods and techniques, and students must complete the requirements for departmental honors by taking the Senior Seminar and Writing A Thesis (INTRL-UA 990, 991).

IR Briefing Session

A briefing session on the IR honors major takes place every September. Freshmen and sophomores wishing to apply to the IR honors major should attend the briefing session to learn more about the application process and requirements.