UNIVERSITY PARK. — Penn State’s World Campus and the College of the Liberal Arts are offering a new online undergraduate degree program in international politics, and students can now apply for admission in the fall 2014 semester.
Undergraduates who enroll in the 123-credit bachelor of arts program will have three options in which they can concentrate their studies: national security, international political economy and international relations.
Here is a list of the options:
— The national security option provides training for careers in homeland security, the defense and intelligence industries, and private companies that are engaged in risk assessments.
— The international political economy option is aimed at students who want to work in international business and governmental agencies that deal with trade, foreign investment or economic development.
— The international relations option gives students a multidisciplinary foundation for a variety of careers in international affairs.
These specialized concentrations are what separate the Penn State World Campus program in international politics from others, said associate professor of political science Marie Hojnacki, who is the lead faculty member of the program.
“The core of the course work is political science, but it’s unique in that it’s interdisciplinary in its design,” Hojnacki said. “The interdisciplinary training in the three options allows these students to come out with unique backgrounds.”
Penn State’s College of the Liberal Arts currently offers a bachelor of arts degree in international politics that is highly popular with students, Hojnacki said. That is what encouraged her and her colleagues to establish the online degree program.
For the online program, students will take courses in international and comparative politics, economics, geography and history. The course work will allow students to examine contemporary issues such as ethnic conflict, terrorism, global violence, and economic and political globalization.
Students who complete the program may go on to careers working for governmental agencies, international corporations and nongovernment organizations that focus on international relations.
Applications are now being accepted for the online bachelor’s degree in international politics. For information, visit the program’s Web site.