<p>The University of Chicago is renowned for its political science department, but what's the international relations and/or foreign policy scene at the college? As a prospective student applying this fall, I would be very grateful if any current students or alumni could share their experiences and any advice. Thanks!</p>
<p>I am also a prospective student, but they don’t have an IR major per se. I would assume that you would want to do public policy analysis with a minor in south east asian studies, or something like that.</p>
<p>No, there is an International Relations major. It’s called International Studies: [International</a> Studies - University of Chicago Catalog](<a href=“http://collegecatalog.uchicago.edu/thecollege/internationalstudies/]International”>http://collegecatalog.uchicago.edu/thecollege/internationalstudies/).</p>
<p>I can’t really comment much on the OP’s question since I’m a science person… All I can say is that there are a lot of IS majors here - it is a very popular program of study.</p>
<p>I think there’s a tendency to see the International Studies major as Political Science Lite. On the other hand, the university offers an MA in International Relations, and there is a fairly popular joint BA/MA program. The kids I know who have done that recently got Political Science BAs and International Relations MAs, and nearly killed themselves doing it. (It is a lot of work to complete in four years, and apparently it’s common to take an extra quarter to finish the MA.)</p>
<p>Several people have advised me to major in political science, even though my real interest is in international relations. “IR is a subfield of political science. Don’t narrow/limit yourself too soon.” Would you all agree?</p>