Bachelor of Arts in International Relations – Transfer Roadmap
This roadmap is a suggested plan of study and does not replace meeting with an advisor. Please note that students may need to adjust the actual sequence of courses based on course availability. Please consult your Degree Planner and an advisor for further guidance.
To avoid taking additional units, it is recommended that you meet the SF State Studies (AERM, GP, ES, SJ) requirements within your GE or major.
This is a suggested path of study for students transferring into the International Relations program. This path of study assumes that all lower-division GE courses have been fulfilled.
| First Semester | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| I R 104 | Introduction to International Relations: Politics, Economics, Environment, and People (Major Core, GE 4, ES, GP, SJ) | 3 |
| I R 310 | U.S. Foreign Policy (Major Core, GE 4UD, AERM, GP) | 4 |
| Major Electives (18 units) 1 | 3 | |
| GE Area 5UD or 2UD: Upper-Division Sciences or Upper-Division Mathematical Concepts | 3 | |
| Complementary Studies or SF State Studies or University Elective 2 | 3 | |
| Units | 16 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| I R 208 | Fundamentals of International Relations Theories, Issues, and Perspectives (Major Core) | 4 |
| I R 312 | Introduction to International Political Economy (Major Core) | 4 |
| Major Electives (18 units) 1 | 3 | |
| GE Area 3UD: Upper-Division Arts or Humanities | 3 | |
| Units | 14 | |
| Third Semester | ||
| I R 309 | International Relations Writing Workshop (Major Core) | 1 |
| I R 309GW | International Relations Analysis and Application - GWAR (Major Core) | 3 |
| Major Electives (18 units) – Take Two 1 | 6 | |
| Complementary Studies or SF State Studies or University Elective - Take Two 2 | 6 | |
| Units | 16 | |
| Fourth Semester | ||
| I R 550 | Senior Thesis in International Relations (Major Culminating Requirement) | 6 |
| Major Electives (18 units) - Take Two 1 | 6 | |
| Complementary Studies or SF State Studies or University Elective 2 | 3 | |
| Units | 15 | |
| Total Units | 61 | |
- 1
Major Electives (18 Units)
Students are required to complete 18 elective units related to international relations. At least 12 units of coursework must be upper-division I R courses (300-level or above) or be cross-listed with I R. Six additional units may be taken outside of the department upon the approval of a major advisor. Lower-division language courses taken in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures and 200-level IR courses can be used for these 6 units; otherwise, upper-division courses are required.- 2
Complementary Studies
12 units of Complementary Studies are required of all candidates for the Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations. These units must come from courses bearing a prefix other than I R, and not cross-listed with I R.International Relations majors are offered several pathways toward completing this requirement, each of which is designed to facilitate graduation in a timely manner. International Relations majors may, with the approval of an International Relations advisor, elect to apply 12 units in a single foreign language of their choosing, courses taken in an approved study abroad program (e.g., CSU Study Abroad), courses taken as part of a second major, a minor or a certificate, and courses in a related discipline. Related disciplines typically include: political science, sociology, anthropology, environmental studies, geography, global health, or journalism.
Up to six units of a single language or six upper-division units of Complementary Studies may, with the approval of a departmental advisor, also be counted as International Relations electives in fulfillment of major requirements.