Major in International Affairs

Degree Requirements (current pathway):

There is a total of 31 credit hours of 5/6000 coursework required.

Within the 31 credit hours, you must complete:

  • CORE coursework (7 credits):
    • INS 5938 – Seminar in International Affairs (3) – fall only
    • INS 5934 – Colloquium (1) – fall only
    • INS 5009 – Problems of Globalism (3) – spring only
    • INS 5019 – Careers in IA (0) – spring only
  • DEVELOPING WORLD coursework (6 credits):
    • These are courses focusing on the developing or post-communist world
      • (i.e. outside of the United States, Canada, Western Europe, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.)
  • DEPARTMENTAL coursework (9 credits):
    • You must choose a departmental concentration from one of the participating departments
      • At least nine (9) – but no more than eighteen (18) – hours in one of the participating departments.
  • ELECTIVE coursework (9 credits):
    • Students will choose their electives from the approved course list published each semester.
  • PASS COMPREHENSIVE EXAM, COMPLETE A DIRECTED INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH (DIR) COURSE, OR SUCCESSFULLY DEFEND THESIS

Outside of the 31 credit hours, all students must satisfy the foreign language requirement for the MA degree, even if they choose to graduate with an MS degree.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE requirement:

  • Coursework through the 2000 level, including CLEP. (i.e. SPN 2220, FRE 2220, GRE 2220)
  • Above intermediate level on the FSU Placement exam (Min scores: Spanish (46), French (48) German (44))
  • 12 semester hours in a single foreign language, with an average grade of at least 3.0
  • 4 years of a single language in high school
  • Passing the Graduate Reading Knowledge Exam (GER 5069, ITA 5069, POR 5069, RUS 5069, SPN 5069)
  • If the first language is not English: minimum scores on TOEFL (80) or IELTS (6.5)

Degree Requirements (new pathway):

There is a total of 31 credit hours of 5/6000 coursework required.

Within the 31 credit hours, you must complete:

  • CORE coursework (7 credits):
    • INS 5938 – Seminar in International Affairs (3) – fall only
    • INS 5934 – Colloquium (1) – fall only
    • INS 5009 – Problems of Globalism (3) – spring only
    • INS 5019 – Careers in IA (0) – spring only

  • Methods Coursework (6 credits):
    • Students are required to take two research methods courses from a list of approved courses, either offered by the program or by affiliated departments.

  • AREA OF CONCENTRATION coursework (12 credits):

Students will choose one of the following three areas of concentration and take four courses approved under the concentration:

  • Intel and national security
  • Emergency Management
  • International economics and development
  • Other – students can build their own concentration from the master course list with the approval of the program director
  • ELECTIVE coursework (6 credits):
    • Students will choose their electives from the approved master course list published each semester.
  • PASS COMPREHENSIVE EXAM, COMPLETE A DIRECTED INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH (DIR) COURSE, OR SUCCESSFULLY DEFEND THESIS

Outside of the 31 credit hours, all students must satisfy the foreign language requirement for the MA degree, even if they choose to graduate with an MS degree.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE requirement:

  • Coursework through the 2000 level, including CLEP. (i.e. SPN 2220, FRE 2220, GRE 2220)
  • Above intermediate level on the FSU Placement exam (Min scores: Spanish (46), French (48), German (44))
  • 12 semester hours in a single foreign language, with an average grade of at least 3.0
  • 4 years of a single language in high school
  • Passing the Graduate Reading Knowledge Exam (GER 5069, ITA 5069, POR 5069, RUS 5069, SPN 5069)
  • If the first language is not English: minimum scores on TOEFL (80) or IELTS (6.5)