This major, administered within the Department of Political Science, is designed to provide students with a broad, comprehensive education in international politics by offering students options in International Relations, International Political Economy, and Security Studies. While most of the required courses are in the areas of international and comparative politics, the curriculum includes courses in economics, geography, risk analysis, and history. The major provides an opportunity to study in detail a variety of crucial contemporary issues--conflict among and within nations, democratization, economic and political globalization, regional conflicts and the emerging importance of non-state actors--as well as analysis of foreign and economic policy making and security issues in the United States and other nations.
The major also provides preparation for law and business schools and for graduate study in political science and international relations.
International Politics is an interdisciplinary major focused on how power operates within and between states in the international arena. The program combines economics, history, and political science to examine topics such as human rights, ethnic conflict, terrorism, economic and political development and globalization, the environment, foreign and economic policy making, and national security. Students have the option to concentrate in either International Relations, International Political Economy, or National Security Studies.
You are interested in learning about different cultures and political systems around the world and how their interactions create and are influenced by political and economic cooperation and conflict. This major is a good choice for students interested in national security, foreign policy, war, crime, and terrorism as well as in languages and history. International Relations is an exciting interdisciplinary major dealing with today's global problems and potential solutions.
0-3 of the 45 credits for General Education are included in the Requirements for the Major. This includes 0-3 credits of GS General Education courses.
PLSC 7N is recommended for students choosing the National Security Option.
9 of these credits must be at the 400 level. With adviser approval, all 12 credits may be below the 400 level, but must be in addition to the language proficiency for BA requirements.
The integrated undergraduate-graduate (IUG) degree program (B.A. in International Politics/M.I.A. in International Affairs) will provide an opportunity for strong students in International Politics to complete a Master’s degree with 5 total years of study.
The demand for graduate training in international affairs will grow significantly in the near future along with the burgeoning requirements for international knowledge and professional experience in commerce, humanitarian service, and public affairs. The career choices for graduates with this training will also expand sharply. The integrated degree program would prepare students for a variety of careers requiring an interdisciplinary background in politics and international affairs. Examples of types of entities hiring in these areas are federal, state, and local governments, international organizations, multinational corporations, international banking and financial institutions, media organizations and journalism, consulting firms, policy research centers, and development assistance programs and foundations.
The IUG degree in International Affairs and International Politics is both timely and consistent with the tradition of interdisciplinary studies at other schools of international affairs. It will also strengthen the School of International Affairs’ existing collaborations and interactions with the College of the Liberal Arts.
The number of openings in the integrated B.A./M.I.A. program is limited. Admission will be selective based on specific criteria set by the School of International Affairs. Students shall be admitted to an IUG program no earlier than the beginning of the third semester of undergraduate study at Penn State (regardless of transfer or AP credits accumulated prior to enrollment) and no later than the end of the second week of the semester preceding the semester of expected conferral of the undergraduate degree, as specified in the proposed IUG plan of study.
Must be enrolled in the International Politics B.A. program.
Must apply to and be accepted without reservation into The Graduate School and the M.I.A. program in the School of International Affairs. Students must complete the Graduate School application. All applicants will submit GRE scores, two letters of recommendation and a personal statement addressing their reasons for pursuing a graduate degree in international affairs and discussing their plans and goals.
Must provide written endorsement from the head of the undergraduate program/department.
Language study does not provide credits towards the degree.
The following 12 credits may be double counted toward the B.A. and the M.I.A.: PLSC 415, PLSC 441, PLSC 550, PLSC 554.
Students admitted to the School of International Affairs through the IUG with International Politics may be considered to receive financial assistance.
Students will develop substantive knowledge of the discipline of Political Science.
Students will be able to define and use the concepts political scientists employ to make and substantiate knowledge claims.
Students will be able to describe the central debates and theoretical frameworks of political science and international politics.
Students will develop knowledge about how political scientists use empirical analysis to gain insight into political and social processes, to advance political and social goals, and to evaluate the effects of programs and policies.
Students will be able to explain multiple approaches to empirical research, such as large-scale observational research, experiments, surveys, case studies, formal modeling, and elite interviewing.
Students will be able to describe both the application, and the advantages and disadvantages of different research methods in relation to particular problems.
Students will develop the ability to create coherent, persuasive, and empirically grounded oral and written arguments.
Students will be able to construct and defend logical arguments.
Students will be able to present evidence to support empirical claims.
Students will be able to communicate ideas effectively in conformity with academic standards.
Students will develop the ability to systematically analyze problems and draw evidenced based inferences. Students in different majors will accomplish this with different emphases depending on the courses they take as part of the BA/BS.
Bachelor of Arts students in PLSC and INTPL will analyze problems and draw evidence based inferences using a broad range of techniques according to programmatic focus and individual preference.
PLSC Bachelor of Science majors will analyze problems and draw inferences using various data sources and statistical tools.
PLSC SO DA majors will analyze problems and draw inferences using computational tools appropriate to large complex data sets.
Students will develop the ability to combine the substantive knowledge, modes of inquiry, and analytic skills learned in the classroom to address contemporary problems in an uncertain world.
Students will be able to draw upon political science research to construct testable explanations of novel situations.
Students will be able to weigh the arguments, evidence and inferences used to address problems under conditions of uncertainty.
Students will develop ethical reasoning and citizenship skills to participate in a global, pluralistic society.
Students will be able to trace the possible ethical implications of public policies and political structures and their consequences for democratic political values.
Students will be able to articulate the goals, conditions, and challenges of democracy and describe the roles of citizens and public officials in manifesting and preserving democratic values.
Students will be able to critically evaluate the values inherent in the exercise of power through political systems, social structures, information, and collective action.
Employment opportunities have grown steadily for international politics graduates due to the global integration of political and economic activity and the increasingly global scale of both human problems and efforts to solve them. The ability to navigate across cultures, as well as a knowledge of foreign governments, legislative processes, international organizations, terrorism and conflict, and economic development are vital to the fields of business, finance, journalism, and activism for social change at the global level. The BA in International Politics prepares people for governmental and non-governmental jobs, as well as positions in multinational corporations, banks, consulting firms, and international organizations.
Graduates of the program have pursued careers with the federal government in positions with the CIA, the military, U.S. embassies, and the Department of Commerce. Others work for international organizations such as the United Nations, UNICEF, and the Red Cross as well as in international business and legislative affairs.