Bachelor of Science in International Affairs
The Bachelor of Science in International Affairs (BS INTA) program includes instruction in international affairs, foreign languages, ethics and philosophy, social and natural sciences, and computer science. Upper-division coursework provides training in four substantive areas:
- technology, and scientific analysis, and ethics;
- international security and diplomacy;
- comparative politics, cultures, and societies; and
- international political economy.
Graduates of the BS INTA program are prepared for advanced graduate and professional study and are ready for employment in internationally oriented firms, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations.
International Affairs majors are expected to enhance their education through participation in the International Plan, study abroad programs, internships, and a host of on- and off-campus programs. In addition to the numerous opportunities afforded through Georgia Tech's Office of International Education, the Sam Nunn School sponsors rigorous summer study abroad programs in the European Union (GT Europe and Brussels), East Asia (Japan), South Asia (Cambodia, Singapore, Thailand), Latin America (Argentina and Brazil), and Iberia (Portugal and Spain). Recognizing the importance of professional experience in enhancing a student's education, the Sam Nunn School encourages majors to pursue an internship or participate in the Cooperative Plan in their field of interest. In addition, students are strongly encouraged to get involved in a range of extracurricular activities, including Model United Nations; AIESEC; Sigma Iota Rho (the International Affairs honor society); the Center for International Strategy, Technology, and Policy; the International Affairs Student Organization; and student conferences. Students are actively involved in the guest lecture series and participate in the biennial Sam Nunn/Bank of America Policy Forum.
INTA Undergraduate Information| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Wellness Requirement | ||
| APPH 1040 | Scientific Foundations of Health | 2 |
| or APPH 1050 | The Science of Physical Activity and Health | |
| or APPH 1060 | Flourishing: Strategies for Well-being and Resilience | |
| Core IMPACTS | ||
| Institutional Priority | ||
| CS 1315 | Introduction to Media Computation | 3 |
| Mathematics and Quantitative Skills | ||
| MATH 1712 | Survey of Calculus | 4 |
| or MATH 1552 | Integral Calculus | |
| Political Science and U.S. History | ||
| HIST 2111 | The United States to 1877 | 3 |
| or HIST 2112 | The United States since 1877 | |
| or INTA 1200 | American Government in Comparative Perspective | |
| or POL 1101 | Government of the United States | |
| or PUBP 3000 | American Constitutional Issues | |
| Arts, Humanities, and Ethics | ||
| Modern Languages 2 | 6 | |
| Communicating in Writing | ||
| ENGL 1101 | English Composition I | 3 |
| ENGL 1102 | English Composition II | 3 |
| Technology, Mathematics, and Sciences | ||
| Lab Science | 4 | |
| Lab Science | 4 | |
| MATH 1711 | Finite Mathematics | 4 |
| or MATH 1551 & MATH 1553 | Differential Calculus and Introduction to Linear Algebra | |
| Social Sciences | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Economic Analysis and Policy Problems | ||
| The Global Economy | ||
| Principles of Macroeconomics | ||
| Principles of Microeconomics | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Europe Since the Renaissance | ||
| Revolutionary Europe: 1789-1914 | ||
| Twentieth Century Europe: 1914 to Present | ||
| History of Islamic Societies | ||
| History of the Modern Middle East | ||
| Traditional Asia and Its Legacy | ||
| Asia in the Modern World | ||
| Ancient Greece: Gods, Heroes, and RuinS | ||
| Ancient Rome: From Greatness to Ruins | ||
| Medieval Europe: 350 to 1400 | ||
| European Labor History | ||
| Modern European Intellectual History | ||
| Medieval England | ||
| Britain from 1815-1914 | ||
| Britain Since 1914 | ||
| The French Revolution | ||
| Modern France | ||
| Modern Spain | ||
| Modern Germany | ||
| Nazi Germany and the Holocaust | ||
| Science, Politics, and Culture in Nazi Germany | ||
| Women and the Politics of Gender in the Middle East | ||
| Modern China | ||
| Modern Japan | ||
| Outposts of Empire: Comparative History of British | ||
| History of Global Societies | ||
| Revolutionary Movements in the Modern World | ||
| Modern Cuba | ||
| INTA 1110 | Introduction to International Relations 2 | 3 |
| Field of Study | ||
| INTA 2010 | Empirical Methods 2 | 3 |
| INTA 2040 | Science, Technology, and International Affairs 2 | 3 |
| Select nine hours of INTA electives: 2 | 9 | |
| INTA electives | INTA 1000/2000-level courses | |
| Select one of the following: 4 | 3 | |
| Introduction to Bioengineering Statistics | ||
| Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems | ||
| Introduction to Computing | ||
| Introduction to Media Computation | ||
| Representing Structure and Behavior | ||
| Introduction to Object Oriented Programming | ||
| Data Manipulation for Science and Industry | ||
| Energy, Environment, and Society | ||
| Environmental Data Analysis | ||
| Digital System Design | ||
| Industrial Design Computing I | ||
| Graphic and Visual Design | ||
| The Rhetoric of Nonlinear Documents | ||
| Computer Applications | ||
| Information Systems and Digital Transformation | ||
| Decision Support and Expert Systems | ||
| Systems Analysis and Design | ||
| Major Requirements | ||
| INTA 2001 | Careers in International Affairs | 1 |
| INTA 3110 | U.S. Foreign Policy 2 | 3 |
| INTA 3203 | Comparative Politics 2 | 3 |
| INTA 3301 | International Political Economy 2 | 3 |
| INTA 4500 | Pro-Seminar in International Affairs 2 | 3 |
| Additional INTA Electives | ||
| INTA Electives 3/4000 level 2 | 12 | |
| Modern Languages 1 | 6 | |
| Non-Major Cluster | ||
| Non-Major Cluster 3 | 15 | |
| Free Electives | ||
| Free Electives | 13 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 122 | |
- 1
Students must complete twelve credit hours of the same language. Six credit hours are counted in Core IMPACTS Arts, Humanities, & Ethics, and six in major requirements.
- 2
Minimum grade of C required.
- 3
15 credits required in either the same prefix or part of a coherent theme. Please consult with advisor on course selection.
- 4
Technical elective.
5. Students must complete 39 hours of upper division (3000/4000-level courses). Fifteen hours of the non-major cluster, free electives, language, HTS, or technical elective requirements must be upper division (3000/4000-level coursework). See https://catalog.gatech.edu/rules/13/.
For all language courses, the language of instruction must be the same as the language of learning. English-taught culture courses will not apply to language requirements.
Research Option
The Sam Nunn School of International Affairs also participates in the Research Option plan offered by the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP). The Research Option offers students the opportunity for in-depth research experience working under the guidance of a faculty mentor. Requirements for participation in the Research Option include completing nine hours of undergraduate research, at least six of which are on the same topic, writing a research proposal, taking two 1-hour courses: LMC 4701 Undergraduate Research Proposal Writing (typically taken during the first or second semester of research) and LMC 4702 Undergraduate Research Thesis Writing (taken during the term in which the thesis is written), and completing the thesis. Students are also required to send a weekly update of progress of research to the faculty mentor. Along with their application, students must explain how the faculty mentor’s research experience will benefit the student’s research.
International Plan
International Affairs majors with the International Plan are engaged in a combination of study, research, or internship abroad for a total of twenty-six weeks. This overseas experience must be obtained over two terms (a summer and semester, or two semesters). In addition to gaining advanced global competence, the International Plan designation will set INTA students apart from other applicants with recruiters from top companies and governmental agencies. Required coursework for the International Plan is easily satisfied by the International Affairs core curriculum as follows:
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| INTA 1110 | Introduction to International Relations 1 | 3 |
| INTA 3301 | International Political Economy 2 | 3 |
| Select one of the following: 3 | 3 | |
| Comparative Politics | ||
INTA approved elective or upper-division Modern Language course | ||
| Select one of the following: 4 | 3 | |
| Pro-Seminar in International Affairs | ||
ML 4500 | Intercultural Seminar | |
| Total Credit Hours | 12 | |
- 1
focuses on international relations historically and theoretically
- 2
provides a historical and theoretical understanding of the global economy, including topics such as international trade, finance, investment, and production; regional economic integration, economic development and modernization; and questions of natural resource sustainability
- 3
provides familiarity with an area of the world or a country that allows students to make systematic comparisons with their own society and culture
- 4
A culminating course, occurring either at the end of or after the international experience that integrates knowledge of the discipline and the international experience in a global context.
BS/MS International Affairs
The Sam Nunn School of International Affairs offers a BS/MS program for students enrolled in the International Affairs undergraduate program who demonstrate an interest in and ability for additional education beyond the BS degree.
Students in the BS/MS program will remain undergraduates until they meet requirements for the undergraduate degree, at which point they will receive their BS degree and be changed to graduate status. Students will be eligible to apply for the program after completion of 45 semester credit hours at Georgia Tech (i.e., at the end of their third semester), and if they show appropriate progress in their degree program thereafter. Any student in good standing in the BS INTA program is eligible to apply to the program. Admissions decisions will be based on GPA and judgments of the faculty who have served as advisors or instructors. Continuation in the program will require the student to maintain a GPA of 3.5 or higher in Ivan Allen College courses. The program will not penalize students who opt out after the bachelor's degree. Students participating in this program will be eligible for the six semester credit-hour Graduate Course Option, which allows students completing both the bachelor's and master's in the same discipline to use up to 6 credit hours of graduate-level coursework in the major discipline for both degrees.
The Graduate-level Credits Required in the BS/MS Program are usually as follows:
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core (includes 6 hours of shared courses) | 15 | |
| Electives | 24 | |
| Technical Requirement | 3 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 42 | |
Specific Requirements for the Program
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| INTA 6202 | Comparative Politics (Taken at Undergraduate Level) | 3 |
| INTA 6302 | International Political Economy (Taken at Undergraduate Level) | 3 |
| INTA 6003 | Empirical Research Methods | 3 |
| INTA 6102 | International Relations Theory | 3 |
| INTA 6103 | International Security | 3 |
| MS Track and Free Electives | 24 | |
| Technical Requirement (or, INTA/Free elective, if waived) | 3 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 42 | |
Contact the BS/MS program director for further information.
https://inta.gatech.edu/programs/graduate/five-year-bsms-inta