The Bachelor of Arts in International Relations (IR-B.A.) is designed for students who wish to develop a deep understanding of today’s complex international politics. The IR-B.A. major offers a broad range of courses on conflict, political economy, international development, international organization, comparative institutions, identity, and regional politics in East Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East, among other topics. Many of the most pressing challenges currently facing the world, including climate change, pandemics, and economic crises, involve international relations and require international cooperation to address. The Bachelor of Arts in International Relations prepares students to understand and interpret research on international relations and comparative politics.

There are five major components of the IR-B.A. major: Benchmark courses, Foundational courses, Methods Requirement, GVPT Courses of Choice, and the Skills requirements. All major requirements must be taken under the regular grading method and must be completed with a grade of C- or higher.  Additionally, at least 12 upper-level GVPT credits (4 upper-level Courses of Choice) must be completed in-residence at UMD.

Every student must also complete their General Education requirements as well as 120 total credits to graduate with a degree in GVPT. Please reference the following major card:

Students Matriculating to the University of Maryland Fall 2025 or Later: General Education IR-BA Major Card

International Relations, B.A. Benchmark Requirements

Students must complete the following four courses within two semesters of entering the major:

  • GVPT170 American Government with a grade of C- or higher
  • One 200-level GVPT course with a grade of C- or higher (may not be experiential learning)
  • One of STAT100, MATH107, MATH113, MATH115, MATH120, MATH135, MATH136, or MATH140 with a grade of C- or higher
  • Academic Writing with a grade of C- or higher

Note: At least one of the GVPT courses must not be from AP/IB/CLEP credit.

Foundational Courses

All students must complete the following foundational courses (9 credits total):

  • GVPT200 International Political Relations (3 credits)
  • GVPT280 The Study of Comparative Politics (3 credits) or GVPT282 The Politics of Global Development (3 credits)
  • GVPT241 The Study of Political Philosophy: Ancient and Modern (3 credits)

Courses used to satisfy the Foundational Courses requirement cannot be double counted as GVPT Courses of Choice (see requirement category below).

Methods Requirement

  • GVPT201 Scope and Methods for Political Science Research (3 credits). This course cannot be double counted as a GVPT Course of Choice (see requirement category below).

GVPT Courses of Choice - 7 GVPT courses (6 upper-level)

Students must complete 7 additional three-credit GVPT courses (21 total credits), with at least 6 of the courses (18 total credits) taken at the upper-level (300/400).

  • 1 GVPT Course of Choice any level (100/200/300/400), any subfield
    • The 200-level Benchmark course may be used to satisfy the any-level GVPT Course of Choice.
  • 1 GVPT Course of Choice upper-level (300/400), any subfield
  • 5 GVPT IR/Comparative Courses of Choice, upper-level (300/400) from list of approved courses

GVPT Courses of Choice Policies:

  • No more than 6 experiential/non-traditional GVPT credits may apply towards the GVPT major requirements. Experiential/non-traditional courses include approved internship programs (GVPT377 [previously GVPT388W], Federal/Global Fellows Fall seminar courses), GVPT research and independent studies (GVPT388), the GVPT Undergraduate TA program (GVPT386/389), Mock Trial (GVPT217 and 317), and Moot Court (GVPT439L, GVPT439M, and GVPT439N). No course that is taken pass/fail may apply towards the GVPT major requirements.
  • At least 12 upper-level GVPT credits (4 upper-level Courses of Choice) must be completed in-residence at UMD.
  • All GVPT Courses of Choice must be satisfied by 3-credit courses.

Skills Requirement

The skills category has four components:

  1. ECON200 Principles of Microeconomics
  2. Entire level of elementary foreign language
  3. Quantitative skills course
  4. One Intermediate-level foreign language course 

Students may not apply courses used to fulfill the skills category toward any other major requirement. 

  1. Microeconomics: All students must complete ECON 200 Microeconomics.
  2. Elementary Foreign Language
    • Students must complete a foreign language through the entire elementary level. The entire elementary level of a language can be 4-12 total credits, depending on the language. If the entire elementary level of the language is comprised of multiple courses (e.g. Arabic, Chinese, Russian, etc) students must complete all courses in the elementary sequence to satisfy this requirement, not just the first.
    • Click here for a list of foreign language courses offered at UMD that satisfy the entire elementary level of the language.
    • It is possible for students who have completed level 3 of a language in high school or who are proficient through the elementary level of a language to exempt from this requirement. Please see “Foreign Language Exemption” at the bottom of the page for more information.
  3. Quantitative Skills Requirement
    • Students must choose a quantitative skills course from the approved list found here.
    • This course cannot be the same course that was used to satisfy the math benchmark requirement.
    • When selecting a course please refer to the course description on the Schedule of Classes to ensure any prerequisites/restrictions have been met and the course is not a duplicate of something previously completed. 
  4. Intermediate Foreign Language
    • Students must complete an intermediate level foreign language course.
    • To take an intermediate foreign language course, students may need to first complete an elementary level course, depending on proficiency with the language. Language placement is determined by the World Language Placement Exam. 
      • Click here for a list of approved intermediate-level foreign language courses offered at UMD.
      • If the intermediate level of the language is comprised of multiple courses, students only need to complete the first course in the sequence to satisfy this requirement (although we strongly encourage students to complete both).
    • It is possible for students proficient through the intermediate level of a foreign language to be exempt from this requirement. Please see "Foreign Language Exemption” at the bottom of the page for more information.

 

Foreign Language Exemption:

Students proficient in a foreign language may exempt from the elementary and/or intermediate foreign language requirement(s) via the options below. Please contact a GVPT Advisor with questions.

a. High School Proficiency - Elementary only

Students who have completed the full level 3 of a foreign language in high school (e.g. Spanish 3, French 3) with a “C-” or higher may be exempted from the Elementary Foreign Language skills requirement. To request this exemption, students should email GVPTAdvising [at] umd.edu with their name and UID.. If UMD does not have a high school transcript on file, students can bring an official sealed copy of their transcript to the GVPT Advising office, or request their high school mail an official copy to: ATTN GVPT Advising, 3140 Tydings Hall, 7343 Preinkert Drive, College Park, MD 20742

*Note: Exemption from the Elementary Foreign Language requirement does not guarantee placement into the intermediate or advanced level of the language. Students who wish to complete a language while at UMD should take the Foreign Language Placement Test through the College of Arts and Humanities and will need to complete whichever course they place into before moving onto more advanced language classes.

b. Completion of an intermediate level course (or higher)

Students who complete or bring in transfer credit for an intermediate language course will be waived from the Elementary Foreign Language requirement. Example: if a student receives credit for AP Spanish in the form of SPAN203, or places directly into and completes SPAN203, that course will be applied to the Intermediate Foreign Language/Additional Skills requirement and Elementary Foreign Language will be waived.

Students who complete or bring in transfer credit for a language course higher than the intermediate level will be waived from the Elementary Foreign Language and Intermediate Foreign Language/Additional Skills requirements. Example: if a student places directly into and completes SPAN204 or higher, both Elementary and Intermediate Foreign Language/Additional Skills requirements will be waived as SPAN204 is a level higher than Intermediate Spanish.

Equivalencies for prior learning credit, such as AP and IB credit, can be reviewed here.

c. Demonstrating Proficiency

Students proficient through the elementary or intermediate level of a foreign language may seek an exemption from one or both requirements by identifying a testing center or submitting official documents as evidence. If UMD offers the language, one option is to take the proctored in-person Foreign Language Placement exam. Students who place into the intermediate level will be waived from the Elementary requirement. Students who place higher than the 1st intermediate level will be waived from the Elementary and Intermediate/Additional Skills requirements.

If UMD does not offer the language, an option for native/heritage speakers to be exempt from the Elementary and Intermediate requirements is an oral interview through ACTFL; please see the following document for specific instructions (there is a fee for this service). The other option is to submit a letter or documentation from a non-family member testifying to the student’s language speaking abilities. Letters or documentation can be from religious or cultural leaders, government agents, ambassadors, etc. Such individuals can e-mail GVPT advisors directly or provide the student with a sealed letter to drop off at the GVPT advising office.

For questions or to discuss other options for demonstrating proficiency, please speak with a GVPT advisor.