How do I become an International Relations (IR) Honors Major at NYU?
If you want to be a regular IR major, you can just declare through the Politics Department. Students traditionally declare their major as IR during their sophomore year after taking at least POL-UA 700 and an Economics courses. As of 2021, applications to the IR Honors Major are accepted on March 1st of junior year. Criteria for admission includes a strong academic record at NYU (G.P.A. of 3.65 or better); completion of two of the four required core courses (International Politics POL-UA 700 and either Economics I or II). It's preferred also that you have POL-UA 850 done and have made some progress on your IR Environments and foreign language. You can not go abroad senior year if you do the honors program so you should be currently abroad when you apply or have already completed your semester abroad.
What is the difference between an IR and a Politics degree at NYU?
IR is an interdisciplinary major. This means that it is comprised of courses taken from the fields of Politics, Economics, Area Studies and Foreign Language. While there is some overlap with the Politics major, students of IR are also expected to have a strong grasp of economics, foreign language, and the culture and politics of a particular region of their choice.
What options would be available to me as a graduate of IR?
Graduates of the IR major have gone on to pursue a wide variety of interests including: law school, positions with international finance groups and multinational corporations, work with non-governmental organizations (NGOs), investment banking, federal programs such as Peace Corps and Teach for America, as well as graduate school programs in International Affairs, Politics, Public Policy, Urban Planning, Economics and Development.
If I am an international student can I waive the study abroad requirement?
All IR students must study abroad for a full fall or spring semester. 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 http://www.nyu.edu/admissions/study-abroad.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 advisor 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.
If English is my second language can I waive the language requirement?
You still need to take two advanced level language courses. 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 taught entirely in the foreign language of the student's fluency (this doesn’t have to be a language course necessarily). In either case, the student would have to take the two courses past the intermediate level.
How can I learn more about the IR Honors Major?
If you think you might be interested in being an IR major please contact Emily Mitchell-Marell (emm9@nyu.edu) and read up more about the major here: http://cas.nyu.edu/academic-programs/bulletin/departments-and-programs/major-in-international-relations/program-of-study-cas-bulletin.html