Course description
Diplomacy and Global Politics major introduces you to the theoretical and practical aspects of diplomacy, international relations, and comparative politics. It provides you with an understanding of foreign and domestic security policies, international economic relationships, and foreign cultures.
Focus on issues
The study of world affairs is moving away from specializing in a geographic region and toward exploration of issues and problems that cross geographic boundaries. Our program reflects that change.
Outstanding faculty
Several members of our expert faculty have received awards for outstanding teaching and in recognition of their scholarly research. Many also have experience working in government and politics and bring that experience to the classroom.
Students of any major may be admitted to law school, but the biggest numbers, nearly a third, come from the Department of Political Science. Miami's pre-law advisers will help you plan your program and guide you through the law school admission and testing process. Our rate of acceptance to law schools is excellent and consistently above the national average, with students attending the top schools across the country, including New York University, Columbia University, University of Chicago, University of Michigan, and Northwestern University.
What courses would I take?
While centered around courses in political science, the major has a broad, liberal arts focus that includes study in geography, history, and economics to add to your understanding of foreign regions, people, and systems. A foreign language is required.
In your first year, you'll complete much of your Global Miami Plan for Liberal Education requirements: courses in the humanities, social sciences, fine arts, and formal reasoning. In your sophomore year, you'll start with some broad-based courses in world governments and politics and American foreign policy. In your sophomore through senior years, you'll also take related courses in economics, diplomatic history, world regions, international economic problems, and calculus or statistics.
What can I do with this major?
This major can be preparation for careers in government or the private sector. We recommend that students develop an additional expertise in communications, statistics, economic analysis, computers, or policy analysis since these skills are often essential in getting your first job.
The Diplomacy and Global Politics major can be an excellent first step toward graduate study in international affairs, political science, law, history, international economics, journalism, business, and other fields. Typically between 30 and 40 percent of our graduates continue their education in graduate or professional school. If you are interested in embassy work, which is highly specialized, you will need to get a graduate degree. Because most jobs are in trade-related areas, law, accounting, and finance are helpful areas of study.
American corporations hire a significant number of lawyers to investigate price structures of foreign products and to lobby for fair-trade laws. With a Ph.D. in political science, you might work in the Department of Agriculture, monitoring the production and sales of other nations' food. This affects U.S. agricultural support programs and tells American farmers how much to produce. Or you might work for the Department of Energy, as does one Miami graduate, specializing in nuclear weapons production and monitoring other nations' supplies of weapons-grade plutonium.
