Help! Which track for the International Relations major at UC Davis would be the most beneficial?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Davis
1

The first time I looked through all of the courses required for all of the tracks, I was immediately attracted to Track 4. However, it’s more of an anthropological focus, which is less applicable in the business world and requires zero math/economics (which I’m sure will useful when I apply for graduate school).

So I’m stuck asking myself: Do I stick with the track that is the most appealing, and seems the most interesting? Or do I take the practical route that seems more promising job outlook wise?

Track 4 also requires a studying abroad program, which I will most likely have to take out more loans for. (Yet to be confirmed though, I have to call the financial aid office tomorrow.) On the other hand, the courses required for Track 4 excite every fiber of my being; it focuses on all of the things that I’ve dreamed about studying. School is not cheap though, and I want what I learn to be useful and applicable after graduating.

Or does it NOT matter, since it’s the same major at the end of the day?

TRACK 1: WORLD TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT
Emphasizes contemporary international economic relations, global patterns of development. A focus on the advanced industrialized countries builds on extensive coursework in economics to introduce students to theories of international trade and finance, and the functioning of the global political economy. A focus on the developing regions examines relations between Western and non-Western countries, paying particular attention to the inequalities of power and wealth separating the two, and providing insight into the origins of these inequalities and their impact on developing states and societies. The track is designed to give all students exposure to economic relations within and between industrialized and developing countries.

TRACK 4: PEOPLES AND NATIONALITIES
One way of grasping the nature of international relations is to focus on the interactions of governments pursuing their conception of the national interest. Another is to cast our gaze at the societies involved, inquiring how the needs and preferences exhibited at the societies’ bases determine how they will relate to each other. This track focuses on the social and cultural foundations of national development and international relations. The track’s required quarter (or more) of study or work abroad gives students first-hand experience of these social and cultural foundations in a non-US society.

2

Do whichever one you hope to eventually work in. If you want to go into international business or something along those lines, go with track 1. If you want to go into some field that has a higher emphasis on the anthropological aspects of IR, go with track 4.

For what it’s worth, one of my roommates is track 4 because she wants to eventually work in a job where she interacts with the locals of whatever country she’s in on a personal basis rather than for business. She axed the idea of track 1 pretty quickly when she realized the main focus is on business relations rather than personal relations.