IAFS Major Requirements - Declared Fall 2023 or later

If you are not sure when you declared IAFS as your major, it is listed as the "Catalog Year" at the top of your Degree Audit information.

For the Semester Lists of Courses, please make sure you are looking at the correct list (grey button). 

Reach out to your IAFS Advisor with any questions. 

  • Complete the following three courses (10 credit hours total):

IAFS 1000

Global Issues and International Affairs

PSCI 2223

Introduction to International Relations

PSCI 2012

Introduction to Comparative Politics

Students are required to complete 6–8 credit hours in babyÖ±²¥apps/methods. Choose two courses from the following list. Some of the courses listed may have required or recommended prerequisites.

ANTH 4000 Quantitative Methods in Anthropology (3 credits)
ECON 2010 Principles of MicrobabyÖ±²¥apps (4 credits)
ECON 2020 Principles of MacrobabyÖ±²¥apps (4 credits)
GEOG 3023 Statistics and Geographic Data (4 credits
GEOG 4023 Advanced Quantitative Methods for Spatial Data (4 credits)
IAFS/ENVS 3640 Data Analysis for Global Environmental Affairs (3 credits)
PSCI 2075 Quantitative Research Methods (3 credits)
PSCI 3035 Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods (3 credits)
PSCI 3075 Applied Political Science Research (3 credits)
SOCY 2061 Introduction to Social Statistics (3 credits)
WGST 3020 Feminist Methods of Inquiry and Praxis (3 credits)
  • Complete one class in each of the four functional areas and complete two additional classes in any functional area (6 classes, 18 credit hours)
  • Students cannot apply more than four functional area classes from one department (i.e., PSCI, ECON). 

. Our four functional areas are: 
Functional Area I: Development and Culture
Functional Area II: International Economics, Business, and Political Economy
Functional Area III: Political Geography, International Security, and Foreign Policy
Functional Area IV: Institutions, Rights, and Norms

  • Complete three classes in your geographic concentration (3 classes, 9 credit hours).

. Students are required to complete three classes concentrating on one of the four following global regions: Africa/Middle East, Asia, Europe/Eurasia, or Latin America. Students must choose a geographic concentration no later than the beginning of their junior year.

Geographic concentration coursework should be mainly in the social sciences, must include one course in contemporary history and can include a maximum of three credits of regional literature and arts (taught in the foreign language whenever possible).

(1 class, 3 credit hours)

Complete one of the following:

IAFS 4500 or
IAFS 4800 (1 class, 3 credit hours) or
PACS 4500 (for IAFS majors enrolled in the PACS certificate only)

Minimum requirement: Third-year, university-level proficiency in a world language appropriate to the area of concentration. This requirement may be met through completion of two 3000-level grammar courses in the language (except Spanish; see below).

    Notes on world language proficiency:

    • Majors must declare their language with their IAFS academic advisor by the end of their sophomore year. Special circumstances of language proficiency to meet these requirements must be resolved by the end of the sophomore year.
    • Students pursuing a language offered at CU-Boulder should take the placement test of the individual language department by the end of sophomore year. Students must take at least the final semester of the required language sequence at the 3000 level.
    • If a student seeks a proficiency waiver from the language requirements by testing out of a language not offered at CU-Boulder or if the student is a native speaker of a world language, the student must consult with their IAFS academic advisor by the end of the sophomore year.
    • For language study while on study abroad, please consult your IAFS academic advisor.

    Specific Requirement by Language

    For the following languages, the third-year courses which will fulfill the language requirement are:

    Language   Courses      Geographic
    Concentration(s)
    Arabic ARAB 3110 & 3120 Africa/Middle East
    Chinese CHIN 3110 & 3120 Asia
    Farsi FRSI 3110 & 3120 Africa/Middle East
    French FREN 3010 & 3050 Africa/Middle East
    Europe/Eurasia
    German GRMN 3010 & 3020 Europe/Eurasia
    Hebrew HEBR 3010 & 3020 Africa/Middle East
    Hindi HIND 3110 & 3120 Asia
    Italian ITAL 3015 & one of the following:
    ITAL 3025, 3030, or 3040
    Europe/Eurasia
    Japanese JPNS 3110 & 3120 Asia
    Korean KREN 3110 & 3120 Asia
    Portuguese PORT 3003 & one of the following:
    PORT 3230, 4110, or 4150
    Europe/Eurasia
    Latin America
    Russian RUSS 3010 & 3020 Europe/Eurasia
    Spanish SPAN 3000 OR two of the three following courses: SPAN 3010, SPAN 3100, or SPAN 3120 (with approved prerequisite exemption; contact Spanish and Portuguese for placement exam details) Europe/Eurasia
    Latin America
    Swedish SWED 3010 & 3020 Europe/Eurasia


    Tutoring Resources:

    Questions?

    • Consult your IAFS academic advisor with questions or to confirm what is necessary to complete the World Language Proficiency requirements.

    All students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in the College of Arts and Sciences who enter the College of Arts and Sciences in the fall of 2018 or thereafter must complete the new General Education (Gen Ed) requirements.

    We encourage all IAFS prospective and current students to contact their IAFS academic advisor if they have additional questions about Gen Ed. The new A&S General Education curriculum consists of three basic categories of requirements: SkillsDistribution, and Diversity. For more information on Ged Ed, visit the A&S webpage.

    For the A&S Gen Ed Diversity requirement, students must pass a minimum of 3 credits in each of the two Diversity categories for a total of 6 credits in courses that have been identified as fulfilling diversity learning goals. Students may count the same course toward both the Diversity requirement and the Distribution requirement. Currently, we have identified which classes fulfill IAFS course requirements and fulfill the Gen Ed Diversity requirement.

    Global Perspective U.S. Perspective
    COMM 3410 ECON/GEOG 4292
    ECON 4784 SOCY 4052
    GEOG/WGST 3672  
    GEOG 3692  
    LING 3545  
    PSCI 4012  
    SOCY/WGST 3012  
    PACS 3850  
    PHIL 3260  
    ARAB/WGST 3410  
    HIST 4218  
    GEOG 3822  
    RUSS 4301  
    RUSS/WGST 4771  

    SCAN 3206

     
    PSCI 3052/WMST 3650