Undergraduate Curriculum Overview

The International Relations and Politics Program offers undergraduate programs, including a major and a minor in Global Politics, a major in International Relations (offered as a second major only, see details below), and a minor in International Relations. This page provides brief program overviews and links to the detailed curriculum requirements for each program.


Global Politics Undergraduate Curriculum Overview

Students majoring in Global Politics will become conversant in the theoretical underpinnings of the study of international relations. They will also be trained to apply analytical tools such as rational choice theory, political history, economic analysis, and theories of behavioral decision-making to enduring problems in the global system.

Available as a primary major, additional major, or minor, Global Politics is an initiative of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, offered through the Department of Social and Decision Sciences. It is expected that students will have studied at least one foreign language (available through the Department of Modern Languages) through the 200-level; this will be especially important for students planning to study abroad.

• View the Global Politics major requirements
• View the Global Politics minor requirements

International Relations Undergraduate Curriculum Overview

With the launch of the Global Politics major, International Relations is available only to those students who began at Carnegie Mellon during or before spring semester 2008; students entering the university during or after fall semester 2008 should instead refer to the Global Politics major.

International Relations is available exclusively as an additional major or minor to be pursued in conjunction with a disciplinary major in H&SS or another college. International Relations is jointly offered by the departments of Social and Decision Sciences, History, and Modern Languages. All students in the program are encouraged to complete one semester of study abroad.

The International Relations program provides a set of core competencies in history, politics, social science analysis, foreign language, and cultural analysis. Students concentrate in the social science aspects of international relations, gaining knowledge in a range of theories and methodologies, or in the cultural aspects of the field, examining the role of beliefs, culture, religion, and race in interstate and intra-state behavior.

• View the International Relations major requirements
• View the International Relations minor requirements