Bachelor in International Relations

Overview

The major prepares individuals for careers or graduate coursework that will require a deep and nuanced understanding of the cultural, economic and political forces driving contemporary global issues and relations among societies. Students in the program work closely with a faculty comprised of regional, foreign language and international issue experts who collectively offer a remarkably broad variety of course and instructor choices. HPU students whose coursework has focused on international political and economic issues have gone onto successful careers in many different fields, including international business, law, economic analysis, secondary and higher education, political consulting, policy analysis, and in various other professions that require strong analytical, writing and intercultural skills.

Why should I major in international relations at HPU?

• Attend a school with a very strong track-record in placing HPU students in local offices for many different federal legislators in the area and in Washington

• Learn how the United States operates with other countries

• Gain an international perspective on life

• Understand the art of conducting negotiations between countries

• Make a difference in our increasingly interconnected world

Top graduate tracks

• Law

• International Affairs

• Economics

• International Marketing

• International Business

• Political Science

• International Security

• Public Policy

• International Development

What can I do with this major?

Students with degrees in international relations can enter careers as:

• Advertising Executive

• Analyst

• Archivist

• Campaign Worker

• Congressional Aide

• History Teacher

• Journalist

• Lobbyist

• Public Relations Staffer

• White House Aide

Holistic learning

High Point University has a unique opportunity for students to gain hands-on survey research experience during their undergraduate career. The Survey Research Center (SRC) conducts high-quality public affairs and social science research using a variety of qualitative and quantitative methods. Student work and ideas are at the core of the SRC’s approach to pursuing interdisciplinary research projects and communicating its findings to the public. The SRC’s High Point University Poll surveys people in North Carolina and beyond about crucial public affairs issues and reports the results as a public service. The Center also supports faculty and student professional development by managing and consulting on collaborative student-faculty research projects. The center has been featured on many main news channels such as ABC News, FoxNews, MSNBC, USA Today, New York Times and many more.

Career Opportunities

Our typical program alumnus possesses at least intermediate-level proficiency in a foreign language, has studied abroad, is familiar with quantitative research methods, and has completed advanced coursework in several different disciplines. Not surprisingly, these graduates are well prepared to stand out in numerous fields. In recent years our alumni have been accepted into the Peace Corps, joined PRA International as a proposal analyst, been commissioned as an Air Force intelligence officer, become an intelligence analyst at AT&T, and gone to work for major financial institutions, including Deutsche Bank in Europe.

Course Requirements

To graduate from High Point University with the B.A degree in International Relations, students must complete the following:

B.A. in International Relations

In 1924 High Point College opened as a cooperative venture between the Methodist Protestant Church and the City of High Point. The campus consisted of three partially completed buildings, there were nine faculty members, and student enrollment was 122. Today the University has 122 buildings, is attractively landscaped, the full-time faculty numbers nearly 300, and approximately 4,600 students are enrolled in a wide variety of daytime, evening, and summer programs. Much has changed over the years. Yet the mission of High Point University may still be best expressed in the words of its founders more than nine decades ago: “to help us to appreciate and to love our own, to know our needs and opportunities, and to make ourselves more efficient servants of Christ.”