International Relations, Faculty of Arts, UBC

The University of British Columbia offers a Bachelor of Arts degree with a Major in International Relations.

Admission to the Major requires that a student has completed at least 54 credits applicable to the Bachelor of Arts.

Admission is not automatic. Space is limited and meeting the minimum admission average does not guarantee entry into the Major.

Depending upon the number of applicants in a given year, a minimum average of 76% is needed for consideration. However, due to increased demand, in recent years the entrance average has been as high as 80%, and may be higher if demand increases.

Admission is based on the average grade obtained for all post-secondary coursework attempted, with the exception of 12 credits which may be excluded from the calculation. All courses taken in International Relations and any course taken toward the Arts writing component cannot be excluded from the average calculation.

To be eligible to apply to the IR program students need to have completed one of the following IR lower division requirements:

It is strongly recommended that students complete all of these courses before applying to the program. Students may complete their language requirements in their third or fourth year. Arts One students can only count their English credits toward the IR program. They will, therefore, need to fulfill all of the lower division requirements.

Application forms will be available after February 1 online.

Completed online applications are due by May 15 prior to registration for third year.

Applicants will be notified by June 15 whether they have been accepted, rejected, or put on a waiting list.

Useful links when using this course planning worksheet:
UBC Calendar 
UBC Department Website
BC Transfer Guide
Langara Diagnostic Tests for pre-requisites 

In addition the Faculty of Arts requirements, these are the specific first & second year requirements for this major:

¹ It is strongly recommended that students complete all of these courses before applying.
² LANG HIST 1115 & LANG HIST 1130 = UBC HIST 103 (6)
³  The UBC International Relations Department requires one language other than English, in addition to the Faculty of Arts language requirement. The language chosen may be used to satisfy the Faculty of Arts requirement carried to a higher level, or it can be an additional language.  Students may complete their language requirements in their third or fourth year

This course planning outline is created by the Langara College Counselling Department and is intended for use only as a guide. It is the student’s responsibility to consult original sources to ensure accuracy.

Updated December 2022