International Relations Program
IAS International Relations Program
Department Information:
Scott Cooper, International Relations Faculty Coordinator
Brigham Young University
215 HRCB and 762 KMBL
Provo, UT 84602
Telephone: (801)-422-4053
scott_cooper@byu.edu
Advisement Center:
273 HRCB
801-422-3548
kennedy_advisement@byu.edu
Programs
The Discipline
The International Relations (IR) major sits at the intersection of international politics, economics, history, and geography. It emphasizes political and economic relations between countries and peoples, as well as comparisons across different political and economic systems. International Relations students must also study history, geography, and a foreign language to enable them to better understand the world.
Because International Relations is an interdisciplinary degree, students must learn the core concepts and tools of multiple fields. As a result, the IR degree is more difficult and more time consuming than most single-discipline degrees. IR majors are expected to gain substantial scholarly proficiency in both economics and political science, along with the major methods of both fields. IR majors must also master a foreign language and complete a capstone learning experience.
For many students interested in the study of international affairs, an IR degree may not provide the best training. BYU students have many other excellent options, including:
• Social science majors with a strong international component, such as Political Science, History, Geography, and Economics.
• Area studies majors, including Latin American, Asian, European, and Middle East studies.
• Language majors.
• Other majors combined with a minor in one of the above areas.
Career Opportunities
The International Relations major gives students a strong liberal arts education with substantive expertise on governments, history, geography, and relationships between states. Because it requires students to master the skills of multiple disciplines, the major is very skills-focused: IR students will achieve high proficiency in statistics, quantitative analysis, critical reading, qualitative reasoning, persuasive writing, oral communication, and a foreign language.
That training prepares students for a wide variety of career paths–including government, law, business, and international organization. Graduates find jobs in internationally oriented businesses, international and non-governmental organizations, development agencies, diplomatic services, intelligence agencies, and other government offices. Some, but not all, of those paths may require graduate-level training such as law school, business school, or master’s degrees in foreign affairs. With or without graduate training, the IR degree is designed to give students crucial skills and knowledge that will enable them to find and pursue their own specialized interests.
