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International Relations

The International Relations program is offered at the undergraduate level as a major or minor in the Bachelor of Arts. Students who wish to study International Relations at UBC at the graduate level can do this as part of their program within an established department (e.g., the departments of History or Political Science).

Students who want to go on to graduate work in International Relations after completing their Bachelor of Arts are advised to consider the special Honours programs in History (with International Relations) and in Political Science (with International Relations) or to make sure they have at least 24 credits of 300- and 400-level courses in one of the core disciplines (economics, history, political science).

Major in International Relations

Admission to the Major requires that a student has completed at least 54 credits applicable to the Bachelor of Arts. Admission is not automatic, and space is limited. Most students are admitted based on average standing, but a small number of spaces are reserved each year for consideration based on a combination of grades and supplemental materials. In recent years the entrance average has been as high as 80%, and may be higher if demand increases. Students interested in the major who have an average below 80% should consult the International Relations Program website for information about submission of supplemental materials to support their application.

The Major in International Relations is a 60-credit interdisciplinary program that is made-up of 15 lower-level credits, 12 credits of coursework in one language other than English at any level, and 33 upper-level credits.

Average is determined based on the average grade obtained for all post-secondary coursework attempted, with the exception of 12 credits which may be excluded from the calculation. All courses taken in International Relations and any course taken toward the Arts writing component cannot be excluded from the average calculation.

To be eligible to apply to the IR program students need to have completed one of the following IR lower division requirements:

  1. ECON_V 101 and 102
  2. HIST_V 102 or 103
  3. POLI_V 260

It is strongly recommended that students complete all of these courses before applying to the program. Students may complete their language requirements in their third or fourth year. Arts One students can only count their English credits toward the IR program. They will, therefore, need to fulfill all of the lower division requirements.

Application forms will be available after February 1 online.

Completed online applications are due by May 15 prior to registration for third year.

Applicants will be notified by June 15 whether they have been accepted, rejected, or put on a waiting list.

Lower-level Requirements

Students are recommended to complete the following during their first 60 credits.

  • ECON_V 101 and 102 (or ECON_V 310 and 311)
  • HIST_V 102 (6) or 103 (6)1
  • POLI_V 260

While it is advisable to complete all of these requirements prior to the third year, it is permissible to complete some of them in the third year.

1Arts One does not satisfy this requirement.

Language Requirement

IR major students are required to complete 12 credits of coursework in one language other than English. The language courses can either be at the upper or lower-level, including any coursework completed prior to admission to the major. These credits must be completed by all IR major students and cannot be waived based on prior language study or an existing language competency.   

Courses taken to complete the IR language requirement can also be used to fulfil the Language as Meaning Breadth Area of the Bachelor of Arts’ Ways of Knowing Breadth Requirements.   

If a student has prior experience in a language other than English prior to entering UBC and wishes to continue studying the same language at a higher level, they should consult the administering department to confirm the procedure for placement. 

Upper-level Requirements

A minimum of 33 credits in International Relations. These 33 credits must include the following:

  • ECON_V 3551 or ECON_V 356
  • HIST_V 425, HIST_V 432, or HIST_V 408 and 409
  • One of POLI_V 360, 361, 362, 364, 367, 369, 371, or 378
  • In the last 30 credits, one of the required International Relations seminars: ECON_V 457, HIST_V 403, POL_VI 464, or one of the other seminars that may be designated by the chair of the program2
  • 18 credits from the lists below (of these 18 credits, at least 9 credits must be from List A or 9 credits must be from List B; the remaining 9 credits can be from Lists A, B, or C). Not all courses are offered every year.

1The prerequisite for this course is ECON_V 101 and 102, or ECON_V 310 and 311.

2A list of designated seminars for the following year will be available from the International Relations Program Office in the spring. These seminars are not available to third-year students. Students should only take one IR Seminar unless they have received approval from the program to do otherwise.

For the purposes of the International Relations Major, no course can be double-counted, i.e., used to satisfy two requirements (e.g., if POLI_V 360 is used to satisfy the political science requirement [see above], it cannot be counted as part of these 18 credits).

A. International Diplomacy, Security, and Peace Studies

  1. APSC_V 377
  2. ASIA_V 410, 430
  3. ECON_V 485
  4. EOSC_V 340
  5. GEOG_V 316, 329, 357
  6. GRSJ_V 305, 326
  7. HIST_V 310, 311, 391, 395, 402, 405, 408, 409, 418, 425, 432, 441, 460, 484
  8. KIN_V 360
  9. POLI_V 329, 334, 351, 360, 361, 362, 363, 364, 367, 369, 370, 373, 374, 376, 377, 378
  10. SOCI_V 420, 430, 461

B. International Economy and Development

  1. ANTH_V 330, 360, 472
  2. ECON_V 312, 313, 317, 318, 319, 334, 335, 339, 341, 342, 343, 351, 355, 356, 371, 374, 387, 441, 442, 444, 455, 456, 471, 472, 487
  3. FNH_V 355, 455
  4. FRE_V 306, 340, 374, 420
  5. FRST_V 411, 439
  6. GEOG_V 310, 311, 312, 318, 321, 352, 353, 361, 362, 364, 410, 423, 424, 457, 468, 496
  7. GRSJ_V 306
  8. HIST_V 423
  9. PHIL_V 332, 335, 362, 363
  10. POLI_V 316, 329, 364, 366, 371, 372, 375
  11. SOCI_V 301, 360, 361
  12. SPPH_V 300

C. Area Studies

  1. Africa: AFST_V 351, 352, 450; ANTH_V 308, 423; GEOG_V 496; GRSJ_V 311; HIST_V 309, 312, 313
  2. Asia: ANTH_V 302, 307, 315, 350, 351, 402, 416; ASIA_V 309, 310, 313, 315, 319, 329, 330, 333, 337, 338, 339, 373, 380, 390, 393, 418, 434 , 438, 456, 484; GEOG_V 380, 481, 484, 485; HIST_V 373, 376, 380, 381, 382, 385, 386, 388, 480, 482, 483; POLI_V 321, 322, 323, 324, 330, 365, 368, 379
  3. Canada and the Americas: AFST_V 450; ANTH_V 304, 353, 401; ECON_V 336, 337; GEOG_V 395, 468, 497; GRSJ_V 311; HIST_V 302, 325, 338, 339, 357, 358, 396, 411, 412, 444, 450, 451, 453, 456, 467, 468, 469; LAST_V 301, 303; POLI_V 309, 320, 332
  4. Comparative, Cross-Regional, Global, and Varying Topics: ANTH_V 303, 403, 404, 414; FNH_V 460; GEOG_V 350, 390, 497; HIST_V 327, 334, 401, 464, 485; KIN_V 364; POLI_V 325, 335, 336; SOCI_V 303, 435; SPPH_V 409
  5. Europe and Eurasia: ANTH_V 301; CENS_V 303, 404; GEOG_V 391, 493; HIST_V 315, 318, 319, 323, 346, 349, 350, 351, 355, 356, 366, 368, 369, 370, 439; ITST_V 345; POLI_V 326, 327
  6. Middle East: GEOG_V 498; HIST_V 352, 353, 354; MES_V 300
  7. Variable Topics Courses
    1. Students interested in the courses below should contact the IR Chair prior to registering to determine into which list they fall depending on the topic of the requested session. GEOG_V 461, 328, POLI_V 333

Minor in International Relations

Students declaring a minor in International Relations are required to complete the following 15-credits of lower-level courses: 

  • ECON_V 101 and 102 (or ECON_V 310 and 311) 
  • HIST_V 102 (6) or 103 (6) 
  • POLI_V 260 

18 upper-level credits selected from the courses listed above as part of the International Relations Major are also required.

Students undertaking a Minor in International Relations do not need to apply or secure permission to declare it as a specialization.   

While there is no language requirement for the IR minor, students are encouraged to complete language courses to supplement the specialization if they have the credit space in their degree. 

Honours in International Relations

The International Relations program does not offer an honours program. However, students wishing to do an Honours degree in International Relations can do so in conjunction with the Honours programs of the Departments of History or Political Science. Students must apply directly to one of these departments for admission into the Honours program during their second year.

Students may not count more than 60 credits of International Relations courses (i.e., required courses and those on Lists A, B, and C [see above]) toward the Bachelor of Arts. (Language courses do not count as part of these 60 credits.)

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