The title basically explains what I’m asking, but a little bit of background about me I suppose would help. I’m fascinated by other cultures and have been inclined to business majors before, but I feel that is too generic or something. I have considered pre-law as well, but I’m not sure how practical that would be. I’m at a mid-sized state school in the honor’s college with a full ride, so I’d like to make the most out of my four years here. Thanks in advance.
Planning to major in International Relations and minor in German. Good other major for double major?
Why do you feel lthe need for a second major? Why not take a smattering of courses in things that interest you and seem interesting?
If you are interested in other cultures and people in general, I would imagine that your school has a wealth of history, anthropolgy, religion, sociology, public health, psych, and arts classes that might be interesting. A class in accounting might be useful. I don’t know, with the requirements of a major and minor, if you should seek out another program that will restrict you.
OP, in general, I agree with the previous poster that there is no real need for a second major. Also, given your major in IR and minor in German, are you not planning to study abroad in Germany? That might make it somewhat more difficult to complete a second major.
Usually, for an IR major, you must select both a country/regional focus and a thematic focus, e.g., national security or international economics. Since you’re minoring in German, I’m assuming Germany/Europe is your country/regional focus. Do you have a particular thematic focus for your IR major as well?
If you are determined to do a second major (or perhaps, only a second minor), keep in mind that it need not be closely related to your first major and minor.
If you choose to do a second major or minor more closely related to IR, the easiest path would build on core courses that usually are required for the IR major. So, that would probably include political science, history, or economics. Alternatively, you could choose a field to enhance employment prospects, e.g., business, journalism, etc. Or, you could choose another language, e.g., French, Polish, Russian, Czech, Turkish, that would complement a focus on German/European studies.
IR varies greatly by school. You need public policy and econ. Look at careers of interest and work backwards.
And don’t let folks talk you out of business. It’s been a good major for years and years. Stories of folks who couldn’t get a job are not the ones who graduated at the top of their class. That said, business as few open elective slots and a double major would be difficult if not impossible.
What about a minor in German?
Two things: 1) German is in low demand, so if you have the option, I would recommend choosing one of the languages that the U.S. government calls “critical languages,” because they are critical for US national security. These include Chinese, Korean, Russian, Arabic, Turkish and many others. There are special study abroad options with scholarships for students who study these languages, and special recruiting for jobs at government agencies. It would make you more employable later for jobs dealing with international relations. 2) You need skills. IR is basically a knowledge-based major, so if you want to double major, I recommend choosing a very skill-based major. Depending on your interests and abilities, that could be Statistics, Digital Media Communications, or Economics. These skills would allow you to actually do something with the information you encounter in IR – e.g., evaluate and analyze data and communicate it. There could be plenty of other options, but I am just giving these as examples. In any case, you should definitely plan on studying abroad at least a semester, not only to solidify language skills, but to add strength and credibility to your qualifications in IR.