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International Affairs and Diplomacy

Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs and Diplomacy Degree

Discover how you can be involved in fostering global relationships through Mount Union’s international affairs and diplomacy program. Our interdisciplinary major is customized to your career goals and explores international relations through political, historical, and economic perspectives. Cultivate your passion and shape the future on a global stage with our international affairs and diplomacy major.

 

About the Program

Mount Union’s established international affairs and diplomacy degree program offers a comprehensive look at how foreign policy and globalization impact our world. You will be immersed in the studies of comparative politics and international relations, priming you to make an impact on the world upon graduating.

From attending national conferences to securing internship opportunities with leading organizations, you will put your classroom knowledge to use in real-world settings. Our program will hone the unique strengths that suit your career goals by ensuring you minor in a foreign language and offering flexibility to double major.

 

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International Affairs Quick Facts

  • 48 credit hours within the international affairs degree program
  • 32 credit hours in the well-rounded Integrative Core
  • Intern with local or regional foreign affairs offices and government organizations
  • Minor in a foreign language or computer and network security

 

Learn more about the Degree in International Affairs and Diplomacy

Influence the global community through the Bachelor of Arts degree in international affairs and diplomacy at Mount Union. Offering personal advising from faculty and practical experiences across the world, our program is customized to your professional ambitions. Launch your rewarding career today with a degree from Mount Union.

The program features:

  • A global curriculum that covers international relations, international economics, human rights, and environmental policy.
  • Expert faculty who bring real-world experiences and cutting-edge research into the classroom.
  • Study abroad and internship opportunities with our extensive network of partners around the world.

 

  • Curriculum

     

    Students will be asked to develop a coherent plan of study in consultation with their academic advisor within one semester of declaring the major. As part of the major requirements at Mount Union, students pursuing a degree in the field of international studies must minor in a foreign language or demonstrate competence in one modern foreign language that is not their native language. Competence is defined as equivalent to two courses in the target language at the two-hundred level or above.

    Students pursuing multiple majors should be aware that only four courses taken to satisfy another major will be counted toward the international affairs and diplomacy major. Similarly, only two of the courses taken toward the major will be counted toward the international studies minor. 

    International affairs and diplomacy majors are also required to participate in either a study abroad program or in a foreign policy related internship. Students should take into consideration that a minimum GPA of 2.5 is required for participation in most of Mount Union’s study abroad programs and internships. Certain programs require a minimum of 3.0 or higher.

     

    LEARNING OBJECTIVES 

    General:

    •  Students will appropriately apply the methodology used in the respective fields.

    International Relations:

    • Students will accurately identify the major theories and dominant paradigms used in the study of international relations and foreign policy analysis including realism/neo-realism, liberalism/neo-liberalism, globalist/Marxist, and postmodernism/post-structuralism.
    • Students will identify the major actors in the international system on the macro, mezzo, and micro levels of analysis and their function and interaction in interstate relations.
    • Students will identify and describe the major processes in the international system including globalization, integration, and the causes of conflict.

    Comparative politics:

    • Students will accurately identify the major theories and dominant paradigms used in the study of comparative politics including theories on democratization, transition, and political development. 
    • Students will identify and describe different political systems and distinguish between the various forms of democracies and authoritarian systems that exist.
    • Students will describe and explain how different types of political systems in other nations function both theoretically and in application.

    View our University Catalog to learn more.

  • Experiential Learning

     

    Students who choose to major in international affairs and diplomacy at the University of Mount Union have ample opportunities to get “real-world” experience outside of the classroom. By getting involved in extracurricular opportunities, you can strengthen your skills and knowledge of international languages, cultures, affairs and policies, all of which are critical to career success in the field of international studies.

    INTERNSHIPS 

    Internships provide you with the opportunity to gain practical experience in the real world. University of Mount Union international affairs and diplomacy major students have interned at all levels of the government as well as with organizations and companies that deal directly or indirectly with the government. These organizations include:

    • Government agencies
    • Local attorneys and judges
    • Interest groups
    • The Washington Center Program (assignments in the Washington, D.C. area) 

    STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

    Pre-Law Society is a student-led organization on Mount Union’s campus.

    Model United Nations (MUN) is a student-led organization on Mount Union’s campus which aims to promote a better understanding of the United Nations and provide the grounds for an active simulation of the United Nations. A primary goal of the organization is have students actively participate in Model United Nations conferences and tournaments.

    Sigma Iota Rho is the International Studies Honor Society. It founded in 1984 with the mission “to promote and reward scholarship and service among students and practitioners of international studies, international affairs, and global studies and to foster integrity and creative performance in the conduct of world affairs". Mount Union is the Gamma Eta chapter (the 79th chapter in the nation) and was founded in 2006.

    Pi Sigma Alpha is the Political Science Honor Society. It was founded in 1920 at the University of Texas at Austin. Its mission is to promote high academic achievement in Political Science.  Mount Union’s chapter was founded in 2005.

    College Republicans is a student-led organization on Mount Union’s campus.

    College Democrats is a student-led organization on Mount Union’s campus.

  • Careers

     

    There is no doubt that we live in an inter-connected world, and that today’s youth are members of the first truly global generation. Technological advances, foreign policy and a reliance on the goods and services of others have connected our world in ways we could have never imagined just a few decades ago. That’s why it is absolutely imperative that we develop the knowledge and understanding to live in this increasingly interdependent reality. 

    With a solid foundation in political science, history, economics and foreign languages, our international affairs and diplomacy major will prepare you to be a leader in today’s global world. As part of the major requirements you will explore the concepts of international relations as well as comparative politics and area studies. From international affairs and the interactions between domestic and international affairs of nations to the political, historical and economic perspectives and the interactions between domestic and international affairs of nations, you’ll develop the skills and understanding that is critical to career success in a number of fields in international studies.

     

    RECENT EMPLOYERS

    Japanese Mission to United Nations
    The Association of Old Crows
    Department of Homeland Security
    US Air Force
    Department of Justice

     

    COMMON CAREERS

    International public service
    Diplomacy
    Travel and tourism
    Business and law
    Academics
    Market Analyst

Program Spotlights