The BA in International & Global Studies (IGS) offers students a flexible and accessible pathway to degree completion. The program is available in both fully online and traditional in-person formats, allowing students to choose the modality that best fits their individual needs, whether they are remote learners, working professionals, or campus-based students. Designed as an interdisciplinary program, the IGS degree requires students to pursue a minor in a complementary field, enabling deeper specialization and broader academic engagement. Through a curriculum focused on global issues, international relations, and cultural dynamics, students are prepared for careers in diplomacy, international development, global business, and related fields. The program’s structure supports diverse learning preferences while maintaining academic rigor and relevance to today’s global workforce.
Degree Requirements
- Students who change degree programs and select this major must adopt the most current catalog.
- Co-op or internship credit cannot be used in this major without prior school approval.
- Students should regularly consult with their Academic Success Coach (ASC) and the School's program advisor.
- School Residency Requirement consists of at least 21 semester hours of regularly scheduled courses taken from the Â鶹ӳ»´«Ã½ School of Politics, Security, and Int'l Affairs.
- All prerequisites of courses taught within the College of Sciences will be enforced.
- Most courses designated in the General Education Program (GEP) and Common Program Prerequisites (CPPs) are usually completed in the first 60 hours.
Double major/dual degree policy in Political Science programs and minors:
- Students who double major/degree in any Political Science track and International and Global Studies shall not count more than two courses toward both programs, with the exception of:
- POS 2041 - American National Government
- POS 3703 - Scope and Methods of Political Science
- Students who major in International and Global Studies, and minor in Political Science, shall not count more than one course toward both programs, except for the following course.
- POS 2041 - American National Government
- The myKnight Audit cannot capture overlapping courses between two or more programs; therefore, students should have their program reviewed by your Academic Success Coach (ASC) or the School before filing for graduation.
International and Global Studies (B.A.) may be completed fully online, although not all elective options or program prerequisites may be offered online. Newly admitted students choosing to complete this program exclusively via Â鶹ӳ»´«Ã½ online classes may enroll with a reduction in campus-based fees.
Degree Requirements
Core Requirements: Basic Level
3 Total Credits
- Complete all of the following
- Basic core is met by completing POS2041 in the GEP as well as the following:
- Complete the following:
- INR2002 - International Relations-Theory and Practice (3)
Core Requirements: Advanced Level
15 Total Credits
- Complete all of the following
- Complete the following:
- CPO3103 - Comparative Politics (3)
- GEO3471 - World Political Geography (3)
- INR4008 - Global Perspectives (3)
- INR4603 - International Relations Theory (3)
- POS3703 - Scope and Methods of Political Science (3)
- POS4961 - Exit Course
- Note: POS4961 is taken in the graduating semester.
Restricted Electives
18 Total Credits
- Complete all of the following
- Students must meet all prerequisites before taking these classes.
- Other courses may be substituted with school approval.
Regional- Complete at least 3 of the following:
- CPO3034 - Politics of Developing Areas (3)
- CPO3104 - Politics of Western Europe (3)
- CPO3132 - Canadian Politics (3)
- CPO3403 - Politics of the Middle East (3)
- CPO3614 - Politics of Eastern Europe (3)
- CPO4101 - Politics of the European Union (3)
- CPO4123 - Government and Politics of Great Britain (3)
- CPO4303 - Comparative Latin American Politics (3)
- CPO4400 - Kurdish Politics: Identity, Violence, and Democracy (3)
- CPO4514 - Politics of East Asia (3)
- CPO4541 - Chinese Politics (3)
- CPO4553 - Politics of Japan (3)
- CPO4643 - Government and Politics of Russia (3)
- CPO4710 - Women in Comparative Politics (3)
- INR3250 - Politics of Pan-Africanism (3)
- INR3253 - International Politics of Africa (3)
- INR4224 - Contemporary International Politics of Asia (3)
- INR4243 - International Politics of Latin America (3)
- INR4274 - International Politics of the Middle East (3)
- CPO4406 - Minorities and Majorities in the Middle East (3)
Functional- Complete all of the following
- Complete at least 3 of the following:
- CPO3057 - Contemporary Revolution and Political Violence (3)
- CPO4062 - Comparative Judicial Process (3)
- CPO4074 - Political Economy (3)
- CPO4731 - Politics of Democratization (3)
- CPO4754 - Comparative Political Institutions (3)
- CPO4784 - Political and Economic Inequality in Comparative Perspective (3)
- CPO4731 - Politics of Democratization (3)
- INR3016 - Global Political Issues (3)
- INR4011 - Politics of Globalization (3)
- INR4030 - Diplomacy (3)
- INR4035 - International Political Economy (3)
- INR4054 - Global Politics of Energy (3)
- INR4060 - Causes of War (3)
- INR4063 - The Cold War (3)
- INR4074 - Immigration Policy (3)
- INR4075 - Human Rights Policy (3)
- INR4076 - Global Drug Policy (3)
- INR4084 - Politics of International Terrorism (3)
- INR4085 - Women, Gender, and Globalization (3)
- INR4102 - American Foreign Policy (3)
- INR4104 - Topics and Cases in American Foreign Policy (3)
- INR4114 - American Security Policy (3)
- INR4115 - Strategic Weapons and Arms Control (3)
- INR4225 - The Vietnam War (3)
- INR4304 - Issues in International Public Policy (3)
- INR4335 - Coercion in International Politics (3)
- INR4350 - Global Environmental Politics (3)
- INR4351 - International Environmental Law (3)
- INR4363 - Intelligence Analysis and Reporting (3)
- POS4407 - The Intelligence Community (3)
- INR4401 - International Law (3)
- INR4404 - Space Law (3)
- INR4502 - International Organizations (3)
- INR4714 - Politics of International Trade Policy (3)
- INR4743 - Military Power and Effectiveness (3)
- INR4744 - Militaries in World Politics (3)
- INR4764 - Cyberwarfare Policy (3)
- INR4765 - Emerging Space Powers (3)
- INR4774 - Military Space Policy (3)
- POS3733 - Designing Political Science Research (3)
- PUP4503 - Government and Science (3)
- PUP4510 - Space Policy (3)
- INR4942 - Intelligence Studies Capstone (3)
- INR4084H - Honors Politics of International Terrorism (3)
- Internship (INR4941) may also be used as an elective in the Functional area.
Grand Total Credits: 36
Total Undergraduate Credit Hours Required: 120
Electives
- To fulfill the 120 hours required of this degree, complete a required minor (see below) and select primarily from upper level courses after meeting with an Academic Success Coach (ASC) in consultation with the School’s program advisor. Courses may be outside the school.
- Internship Program: For students who excel, a limited number of internships may be available each semester.
- Credit for Honors in the Major, Independent Study, and Internship may be counted toward the major in International and Global Studies, provided that no more than 3 hours of either area is covered by such credits.
- Students who qualify for Senior Scholars Program may enroll in graduate level courses to satisfy major requirements to take area courses.
Foreign Language Requirements
Graduation
- Proficiency equivalent to four semesters of college instruction in a foreign language taught by the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures or Judaic Studies. Standardized examinations for foreign languages may be used to meet the requirement
Required Minors
- Students are required to complete a minor in language or area studies.
- No more than one course may be used to fulfill both this major and the minor; students may not utilize the International and Global Studies minor to complete the degree requirements for the BA in International and Global Studies.
- The language and area studies minor requirement will be waived for students who double major in French, Latin American Studies, or Spanish.
- Select from the following (other minors may be substituted with the program coordinator's approval):
- Aerospace Studies Minor
- Africana Studies Minor
- Anthropology in Multicultural Studies Minor
- Asian Studies Minor
- Diplomacy Minor
- Diversity and Social Inequality Minor
- Economics Minor
- European Studies Minor
- French Minor
- Global Peace and Security Studies Minor
- Human Communication Minor
- Humanities and Cultural Studies Minor
- Intelligence and National Security Minor
- International Business Minor
- International Engineering Minor
- Italian Minor
- Judaic Studies Minor
- Latin American Studies Minor
- Middle Eastern Studies Minor
- Military Science Minor
- Religion and Cultural Studies Minor
- Russian Studies Minor
- Spanish Minor
- Terrorism Studies Minor
- World Comparative Studies Minor
Program Exit Requirements
- Students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2. 0 in all courses used to satisfy major requirements.
- Students will be required to take the standard Exit xam during their graduating semester.
University Minimum Exit Requirements
- A 2.0 Â鶹ӳ»´«Ã½ GPA
- 48 semester hours of upper division credit completed
- 30 of the last 39 hours of course work must be completed in residency at Â鶹ӳ»´«Ã½.
- A maximum of 45 hours of extension, correspondence, CLEP, Credit by Exam, and Armed Forces credits permitted.
- Complete the General Education Program, the State Writing and Math Requirement, and nine hours of Summer credit.
High Impact Learning Experiences
- High Impact Learning Experiences are available to all students. Interested students may select from the following options:
- POS 3940 Internship*
- POS 3955 Study Abroad*
- POS 4903H Honors Directed Reading I*
- POS 4904H Honors Directed Reading II*
- POS 4912 Directed Independent Research*
- POS 4941 Internship*
- POS 4955 Study Abroad*
- POS 4970H Undergraduate Honors Thesis*
- Any course designated as Research Intensive
- Any course designated as Service Learning
- Any course designated as an Integrated Learning Experience
* These courses may also be taken with an INR, CPO, PUP, or POT prefix.
Honors Undergraduate Thesis
- Application and admissions through The Burnett Honors College. More information about Honors Undergraduate Thesis (HUT) can be found at honors.ucf.edu/research.
- Interested students who meet the requirements are encouraged to participate in the HUT program. Contact the school for information about the program and the HUT coordinator.
Related Programs
- Anthropology (B.A.)
- Economics (B.S.)
- History (B.A.)
- Diplomacy Certificate
- Intelligence and National Security Certificate
- Anthropology Minor
- Anthropology in Multicultural Studies Minor
- Diversity and Social Inequality Minor
- Economics Minor
- European Studies Minor
- Global Peace and Security Studies Minor
- History Minor
- Philosophy Minor
- Psychology Minor
- Sociology Minor
- Terrorism Studies Minor
Advising Notes
- Students should consult with their Academic Success Coach (ASC) and the School’s program advisor.
- Contact your ASC in the College of Sciences Advising Services (COSAS) office (CSB 250) for more
information about overall progress toward your degree, GEP and other university requirements, academic probation, special problems as well as general academic advising. - No more than 9 credits of a combination of Honors in the Major, Independent Study, and Internship may be counted toward the major in Political Science, provided that no more than 50% of an Area be covered by such credits.
Transfer Notes
- Lower division courses do not substitute for upper division courses.
- Courses transferred from private and out-of-state schools must be evaluated for equivalency credit. The student must provide all supporting information.
Program Academic Learning Compacts
- Program Academic Learning Compacts (student learning outcomes) for undergraduate programs are located at: http://www.oeas.ucf.edu/alc/academic_learning_compacts.htm
Equipment Fees
- Part-Time Student: $5 per term
- Full-Time Student: $10 per term
