Regional Specializations
The Regional Specializations at the School of International Relations and Pacific Studies (IR/PS) were established in recognition of the growing importance of China, Japan, Korea, Latin America, and Southeast Asia to the United States and Pacific region.
The Regional Specialization is made up of two designated courses on the economy and the political system of a student's chosen country or region, and includes a language requirement. Dual Regional Specialization requires that a student complete the language and economy and political course requirements for each region.
Courses taken toward satisfying a Regional Specialization may not be 'double counted' for the purposes of satisfying a Career Track.
Students must choose one of the following Regional Specializations:
The China Specialization
The Japan Specialization
The Korea Specialization
The Latin America Specialization
The Southeast Asia Specialization
Language Requirement
In order to enhance the student's understanding of the area of regional specialization, students are expected to satisfy the foreign language requirement with a language from their chosen region.
The foreign language requirement may be satisfied in one of three ways:
(a) native proficiency
(b) completing six quarters (four semesters) of college-level language instruction from an institution comparable to UC San Diego with a grade of 'B' or better in the final course
(c) passing a special IR/PS-administered language exam, which is the equivalent of the final exam administered in the sixth-quarter course in the selected language.
