Major Advisor Guide

International Relations majors are required to select a faculty member to serve as their IR major advisor. Your advisor works with you to plan your coursework, develop your research and career interests, and serves as a valuable informational resource throughout your undergraduate career. IR major advisors need not be IR affiliated faculty and may be tenure-line faculty, Senior Fellows, or lecturers who plan to be in residence through your senior year.

We recommend the following strategies as a general guide to selecting your IR major advisor. Strategy 1 or 2 most often succeeds in connecting a student with their IR major advisor.

1. Reflect on classes you have taken in which you felt inspired. Has one of these classes cultivated your interest in certain IR specializations, a research project, or a career path? Schedule a meeting with the instructor of that class, either during office hours or by appointment. Prior to your meeting with the instructor, we strongly recommend that you meet with an IR peer advisor. Together, you can sharpen your thoughts on IR specializations and prepare a preliminary IR study plan, both of which would make more productive your meeting with your potential IR major advisor.
2. In consultation with an IR peer advisor, sharpen your thoughts on IR specializations, prepare your preliminary IR study plan, and peruse our list of Suggested Major Advisors below to identify a faculty member whose academic and research interests align most closely with your own. Schedule a meeting with that faculty member, either during office hours or by appointment.
3. Schedule a meeting with the IR Faculty Director or Associate Director, who will assist you in honing in on your interests and help connect you with a potential IR major advisor.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to stop by the IR Office anytime; we are located in Encina Hall Central, Suite 030. You can also email us with questions at intlrelations [at] stanford.edu (intlrelations[at]stanford[dot]edu).