This program consists of 30 credits of course work in the Department of Politics plus 12 hours of related coursework, as specified below.
Prerequisites to Declare a Foreign Affairs Major
For College students declaring their major during or before their fourth term (spring term, second year):
- Six credits in any Politics course with a grade of “C” or better (these count towards the major) AND a GPA of 2.5 across these two courses (Done at UVA only, no transfer credit) The 2.5 GPA restriction is waived for courses taken in the Spring 2020 semester for which a grade of “Credit” was earned. Please contact Ms. Sharon Marsh ([email protected]) with any questions
- Current enrollment in one additional PL** course.
- Pre-declaration survey found at http://policog.politics.virginia.edu/limesurvey2/index.php/694229/lang-en
- After completing the survey, please enter the code that was given on the worksheet.
- For College students declaring their major during their fifth term (fall term, third year), including transfer students:
- Six credits in any Politics course with a grade of “C” or better (these count towards the major) AND a GPA of 2.5 across these two courses (Done at UVA only, no transfer credit)
- Current enrollment in two additional PL** courses.
- Pre-declaration survey found at http://policog.politics.virginia.edu/limesurvey2/index.php/694229/lang-en
- After completing the survey, please enter the code that was given on the worksheet.
College students who have not completed any Politics courses with a grade of C or better before their third year or fifth term may request to defer the declaration of the Government major. To request a deferral, students must be currently enrolled in two Politics courses at UVA.
Minimum Performance Requirements
All courses counting towards the major must be passed with a grade of at least a “C”.
The Government and Foreign Affairs majors both require students consistently to earn grades above “C” in order to remain in the major. Our rule, published in the Undergraduate Record, reads as follows: “Students who earn a grade of C– or lower in three courses in the department are not allowed to continue as majors.”
Distribution Requirement
Note: If you declared your Foreign Affairs major before August 26, 2014, see below.
Twelve credits; three each in each of the four subfields of political science:
- American Politics (PLAP) – three credits
- Comparative Politics (PLCP) – three credits
- International Relations (PLIR) – three credits
- Political Theory (PLPT) – three credits
We strongly encourage majors to take this distribution requirement by the end of their third year.
Foreign Affairs Track Requirement
Students must take nine additional credits in PLIR and/or PLCP.
Foreign Affairs Electives Requirement
The remaining nine credits required for the Foreign Affairs major may come from departmental offerings in any of the four fields (PLAP, PLCP, PLIR, PLPT) and from department-wide courses (PLAD),
Course Level Requirements
Only 9 hours of course work for the major may be offered from among the department’s introductory courses (1000 level).
At least 15 credits of course work in the department must be earned at the 3000 level and above.
At least 3 credits must be at the 4000-level or above.
Foreign Affairs Related Courses Requirement
Twelve credits of courses in closely related disciplines other than Politics. SIS will automatically pick up courses with the following mnemonics: AAS, AMST, ANTH, COMM 3410, COMM 3420, EAST, ECON, ETP, GDS, GSGS, GSSJ, GSVS, HIAF, HIEA, HIEU, HILA, HIME, HISA, HIST, HIUS, MDST, MEST, PHIL, LPPA, LPPP (except LPPP 3001 and LPPP 3559), LPPS, PSYC, RELA, RELB, RELC, RELG, RELH, RELI, RELJ, RELS, SOC, WGS. In extraordinary circumstances, your major advisor will consider other courses for approval.
No more than six of these credits may be at the 1000 and 2000 levels.
Transfer of Credit
No advanced placement (AP) or dual enrollment credit will count toward the 30 hours of PL coursework required for the major or for Foreign Affairs Related Courses credit.
With the approval of the department, up to six hours of PL transfer credit may count toward the Foreign Affairs Electives requirement and up to six hours of transfer credit may count toward the Related Courses requirement. For further details, please see the major FAQ.
Distinguished Majors Program
Requires thesis in fourth year and additional upper level courses. See the Distinguished Majors Program page for details.
Honors Program
A few outstanding students each year are admitted to this unique program, which involves an intensive weekly seminar in each of the department’s four fields. See the Honors Program page for details.
Exemptions
All students are subject to the major rules specified above. In order to be fair to all students, exemptions will be granted only under the most exceptional of circumstances. Students wishing to petition for an exemption should first secure the approval of their advisor. They may then contact the Director of Undergraduate Programs. Exceptions must be requested by petition using the Exceptions Form, available here.
For further information visit us in S183 Gibson Hall.
Where can I find the official academic requirements for the University?
The information contained on this website is for informational purposes only. The Undergraduate Record and Graduate Record represent the official repository for academic program requirements. These publications may be found at http://records.ureg.virginia.edu/index.php.
Students who declared the Foreign Affairs major before August 26, 2014, are subject to the following, different, requirements:
- Distribution: same as above.
- Track: 6 additional credits in PLCP and/or PLIR (rather than 9).
- Electives: 6 additional credits in an PL** course (rather than 9).
- Related: same as above.
- 4000+ level: 6 credits (rather than 3).