• International Relations Undergraduate Program

    Welcome to the Undergraduate IR Program!

    We live in an international age. We are more closely connected to other peoples, cultures, and countries than ever before, and global events affect our daily lives in countless ways. Modern communications instantly deliver news from around the world; we consume goods produced through global supply chains; millions of people continue to migrate across national borders and across the globe, to seek economic opportunities or to flee violence and chaos; carbon emissions in one country can affect the climate in many others; ideas and ideals can spread like wildfire. This new and intense level of interconnectedness presents American and global citizens with enormous challenges and opportunities. Environmental degradation, poverty, the spread of disease, and many forms of political violence result from global trends and require global solutions. But globalization also presents us with the opportunity to pursue unrivaled levels of economic empowerment, cultural understanding, and human flourishing – if we can learn how to manage it for the benefit of all.

    The undergraduate major in International Relations helps students develop the analytic, cultural, and linguistic skills needed to understand contemporary international affairs, to function effectively in a global environment, and to prepare for further academic or professional study and international career opportunities. This multidisciplinary program provides students with tools and approaches from social science disciplines – anthropology, economics, geography, history, political science, and sociology – to explore current issues and to conceptualize global citizenship.

    In addition to our own dedicated faculty and staff, our students learn from a team of more than 60 full time faculty who teach on every manner of international issues and affairs, covering all major world regions. Our students benefit from a variety of additional learning experiences, including: study-abroad opportunities in more than 60 countries  through Syracuse Abroad and a semester-long program in Washington DC; and participation in our award-winning Model United Nations team, as well as many other club and conference opportunities. Most importantly, we offer a rigorous academic program that prepares our students for a variety of careers in international development, human rights, security, diplomacy, advocacy, consulting, and law.

  • For Yiwei, the National Model United Nations course she took at Maxwell gave her hands-on experience for practicing diplomacy and leadership, something she could not find anywhere else. 

    Yiwei Wu

    ~ Yiwei Wu'12 BA (IR)

    Director, Mobile Marketing Center of Excellence 
    Interactive Advertising Bureau


  • Upcoming Events

  • News

    Schwartz, Rothbart study ties free school lunch to higher test scores

    "Let Them Eat Lunch: The Impact of Universal Free Meals on Student Performance," co-authored by Amy Ellen Schwartz and Michah Rothbart, was published in the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management. Schwartz and Rothbart show that extending free lunch to all students, regardless of income, increases academic performance.

     

    Maxwell Professor Emeritus G. Matthew Bonham remembered

    G. Matthew Bonham, professor emeritus of political science in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, died on Aug. 14. Bonham taught at Syracuse University for 25 years and was instrumental to the creation and development of the International Relations Program as a separate interdisciplinary endeavor.

     

    Maxwell partners with APSIA to host PISA Network training

    On August 14, 2019, the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs partnered with APSIA to host a Public and International Student Advisor (PISA) Workshop for 28 advisors from upstate New York. With financial support from the Robertson Foundation for Government, the Maxwell School is one of three schools selected nationwide to host a PISA Network training.