STIA
STIA

STIA-BSFS Major

–>List of all Spring 2025 STIA Courses

(Need to login with netID to access.)

Now more than ever, science and technology are at the heart of international affairs. The Science, Technology, and International Affairs (STIA) major equips students with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to engage with these challenges and opportunities. STIA students follow the regular SFS core curriculum, complete a lab science sequence, and develop an in depth understanding of a technical area as a concentration. The STIA major can also facilitate pre-medicine and pre-engineering programs.

Goals of the Major

Some of our graduates become scientists and doctors. However, the goal of the major is to create technically informed leaders who engage in some of the most pressing political, social, and ethical issues at the interface of science, technology, and international affairs for the benefit of their organizations, countries, and the world.

STIA majors will:

Requirements

Courses in the SFS Core requirement serve as foundational requisites of this major.

Science Fundamentals

STIA majors are required to develop a grounding in at least one field of science. The STIA major science fundamentals requirement can be met before or after declaring STIA as a major, although it is strongly recommended that these courses are taken in the first or second year of study. This requirement can be met by taking one of the following foundational sequences of laboratory based, natural or computer science:

Note that AP credit, Science for All courses, Core Pathways science courses and SFS science classes (INAF 100s)  do not meet the STIA science prerequisite. Students who have already taken these courses or AP equivalents before coming to Georgetown can request approval to take an upper level sequence in one of the science departments instead. While natural science classes (bio, chem, physics and env sci) that meet the STIA major science requirement meet the SFS and main campus core science requirements, computer science classes do not.

STIA students are strongly encouraged to develop a deeper background in science and technology through additional coursework related to your foundational sequence of science courses. One option is the completion of the courses equivalent to a science minor or other structured sets of course work such as Pre-Engineering, Pre-Medicine, or CyberCorps (more information below).

STIA majors are also required to take one course in research or analytic methods related to STIA disciplines. Examples of courses that meet the methods requirement include INAF 3200 Quantitative Methods for International Affairs, MATH 1040 Probability and Statistics, ECON 2110 Economic Statistics, and STIA 4554 Remote Sensing.

STIA Fundamentals

STIA majors must complete the following courses:

STIA fundamentals courses should be chosen in consultation with the STIA faculty advisor and STIA Curricular Dean.

STIA Concentrations:

In special cases where a student has a particular interest not reflected in the current STIA concentrations, students may apply to the STIA Director to create their own concentration that aligns with their academic goals and interests. This application must include the following: 1) how the proposed concentration will cultivate a deep understanding of a STIA relevant topic; 2) the reason for the student’s interest; 3) proposed courses that would constitute the concentration; and 4) a faculty member who will act as the advisor and mentor. Before applying, students must speak to the potential STIA advisor for guidance.

Study Abroad

While not mandatory, STIA students are strongly encouraged to spend meaningful time abroad. STIA requirements mean that coursework should be carefully planned so students are encouraged to speak early and often with their STIA faculty adviser and the STIA Curricular Dean to plan coursework and discuss the most relevant opportunities to spend time abroad.  

Honors in the Major

Selection of honors candidates is based on evaluation of proposals submitted during the spring semester of junior year. In order to graduate with honors in STIA, a student must:

Information for current and prospective honors students is available in the STIA Honors Program Information Packet.  Georgetown’s library keeps a repository of student theses for students who choose to post their completed theses there.

Honors students are eligible for STIA-supported funding to assist with approved travel and research expenses, and are also encouraged to apply for supplemental funding. For more information see Student Research Opportunities.

Writing in the Major

A core part of the STIA major is learning how to translate science to non-science decision-making. Students must learn to think critically and communicate what they learn effectively. This requires being able to formulate meaningful questions, find information that will inform questions, evaluate information sources, effectively synthesize and analyze information, and present findings to varied audiences.

STIA students are expected to gain experience in discussion and debate, oral presentation, and, of course, advanced level writing. The STIA major seeks to help students build these communication competencies throughout the curriculum. There are three primary components of the major that focus specifically on writing:

Science Minors

STIA majors are encouraged to simultaneously pursue minors that will enhance their scientific and technical training. As a result, STIA majors in the Class of 2022 forward who decide to concurrently pursue a minor in Georgetown College in either biology, chemistry, physics or computer science can count the STIA science fundamentals requirement listed above as a co-requirement to the major so that they can be applied toward the completion of the minor. This means that up to two courses in biology, chemistry, and physics and up to three courses in computer science that qualify for the STIA science fundamentals requirement are eligible to count as co-requirements for the STIA major and be applied towards the minor. Note that students interested in pursuing the Environment & Sustainability minor (formerly the Environmental Studies minor) may not double count the environment and sustainability science sequence (except the 1-credit labs, ERTH 1051/1061) towards that minor and will have to take additional coursework approved by the Environment & Sustainability program. For more information on minor requirements see the associated minor webpages administered through Georgetown College.

Complementary Programs

Some students combine the STIA major with programs in business, CyberCorp, Pre-Medicine, or Columbia’s Engineering program. Students who wish to combine a STIA major with any complementary program with structured course requirements should discuss their plans with the STIA Curricular Dean for assistance in course planning. These programs complement the STIA experience but require careful planning.

Engineering Program

Georgetown University offers a 3-2 Combined Plan joint degree in partnership with the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science at Columbia University. Columbia’s program, the first dual-degree engineering program instituted in the United States, is designed to provide students with the opportunity to receive both a B.A. (or other bachelor’s) degree from Georgetown and a B.S. degree from Columbia Engineering in five years. More information on the dual-degree program is available here .

Accelerated Master’s Programs in SFS

Several Georgetown master’s programs offer an accelerated degree option for currently enrolled undergraduate students. Please contact the programs for more details.

For additional information on major requirements see the SFS Bulletin. For undergraduate student advising questions please contact the STIA Curricular Dean, Anna Steinhelper