Program Overview

Undergraduate Program in International Studies

The International Studies Department offers a dynamic, interdisciplinary undergraduate program that combines social and cultural analysis. The program trains students to critically analyze problems facing their communities and the world by developing solutions informed by social justice.

Program Emphasis

The program emphasizes research and writing in all classes, enabling students to investigate problems and locate, read, and understand source material from different disciplines, government documents, and electronic databases. After graduation, International Studies students command the basic analytical vocabularies of geography, political science, micro and macroeconomics, history, and cultural anthropology.

Program Structure

The major is flexible, incorporating internships, community service, study abroad programs, conference presentations, and student organization involvement to round out the undergraduate curriculum.

Bachelor of Arts in International Studies

The Bachelor of Arts in International Studies includes:

• Overview
• College Core Requirements
• Liberal Studies Requirements
• Major Requirements

Area Concentration

The purpose of the concentration is to provide students with in-depth knowledge in an area. Students can design their concentration or take one of the pre-designed concentrations. Students choose their concentration courses in consultation with their faculty mentors and advisors.

Foreign Language Requirement

The minimum requirement is coursework through the 106 (intermediate) course in a language of the student's choice. With the director's approval, proficiency in a foreign language can also be demonstrated by examination. However, international studies students are expected to gain fluency in a single foreign language and to continue studying it beyond the intermediate level.

Study Abroad Programs

All international studies majors are encouraged to participate in study abroad programs. DePaul University's Study Abroad Program works closely with the International Studies Department to formulate opportunities for students that are intellectually rigorous and linguistically appropriate. Currently, ten- to fifteen-week programs are offered annually in various countries, including Belgium, China, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Poland, and Spain.

European Community Research Internship

Seniors who strongly commit to European studies can apply to participate in the program's research internship in Brussels's European Commissions' offices. This four-month, intensive research internship is organized through DePaul's Study Abroad Program and the Irish Institute of European Affairs at the Catholic University of Leuven.