Why study global and international studies?
Global and international studies will give you the tools to understand the rapid and profound changes that are occurring around the world. As a degree of study, it is useful for careers in business and the private sector, non-profit work, and foreign and civil service. Students have also used the degree as a precursor to graduate study and law school. It's interdisciplinary curriculum provides a great deal of flexibility that allows you to tailor your program toward your career aspirations. We live in a world where there is a great demand in most career fields for the contemporary global dynamics, language and cultural study, and research and writing development that our degree provides.
Undergraduate Admission
Admission to KU
All students applying for admission must send high school and college transcripts to the Office of Admissions. Unless they are college transfer students with at least 24 hours of credit, prospective students must send ACT or SAT scores to the Office of Admissions. Prospective first-year students should be aware that KU has qualified admission requirements that all new first-year students must meet to be admitted. Consult the Office of Admissions for application deadlines and specific admission requirements.
Visit the Office of International Student and Scholar Services for information about international admissions.
Students considering transferring to KU may see how their college-level course work will transfer on the Office of Admissions website.
Admission to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Admission to the College is a different process from admission to a major field. Some CLAS departments have admission requirements. See individual department/program sections for departmental admission requirements.
Requirements for the B.A. Major
Global & International Studies Core Knowledge and Skills. (One course from the following list, plus GIST 220.)
| Select one course from the following list: | ||
| ANTH 108 | Introduction to Cultural Anthropology | 3-4 |
| or ANTH 109 | Introduction to Cultural Anthropology, Honors | |
| or ANTH 308 | Fundamentals of Cultural Anthropology | |
| ANTH 160 | The Varieties of Human Experience | 3 |
| or ANTH 162 | The Varieties of Human Experience, Honors | |
| or ANTH 360 | The Varieties of Human Experience | |
| ECON 104 | Introductory Economics | 4 |
| or ECON 105 | Introductory Economics, Honors | |
| ECON 144 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 |
| or ECON 145 | Principles of Macroeconomics, Honors | |
| GEOG 100 | World Regional Geography | 3 |
| or GEOG 101 | World Regional Geography, Honors | |
| GEOG 102 | People, Place, and Society | 3 |
| or GEOG 103 | Principles of Human Geography, Honors | |
| GIST 210 | Culture and Health | 3 |
| GIST 215 | A Global History of Money: Aristotle to Bitcoin | 3 |
| HIST/EVRN 103 | Environment and History | 3 |
| HIST/EVRN/GEOG 140 | Global Environment I: The Discovery of Environmental Change | 5 |
| or HIST 144 | Global Environment I: The Discovery of Environmental Change, Honors | |
| HIST/EVRN/GEOG 142 | Global Environment II: The Ecology of Human Civilization | 5 |
| or HIST 145 | Global Environment II: The Ecology of Human Civilization, Honors | |
| POLS 150 | Introduction to Comparative Politics | 3 |
| or POLS 151 | Introduction to Comparative Politics Honors | |
| POLS 170 | Introduction to International Politics | 3 |
| or POLS 171 | Introduction to International Politics Honors | |
| REL 106 | Asian Religions | 3 |
| or REL 108 | Asian Religions, Honors | |
| REL 107 | Jews, Christians, Muslims | 3 |
| or REL 109 | Jews, Christians, Muslims, Honors | |
| SOC 130 | Comparative Societies | 3 |
| or SOC 131 | Comparative Societies, Honors | |
| Introduction to Global and International Studies Satisfied by: (3) | 3 | |
| Introduction to Global and International Studies | ||
Additional Language. (3-5 hours/ 1 unit) Satisfied by:
Completion of one additional foreign language course (3 hours) beyond the 4th semester proficiency language requirement (300 level or above), or any available additional language course (3-5 hours).
The Capstone Research Coursework (6 hours/ 2 units) Satisfied by the completion of the following two courses:
| Satisfied by: | ||
| GIST 610 | Interdisciplinary Methods for Global Contexts | 3 |
| Students must complete GIST 220 prior to taking this course. | ||
| GIST 698 | Capstone Seminar | 3 |
| or GIST 699 | Capstone Seminar, Honors | |
| Students must complete GIST 610 prior to taking this course. | ||
Issues in Global Studies. (9 hours/3 units) Majors must take 3 courses from an approved list of GIST courses focusing on contemporary global themes on subjects such as human trafficking, the global environment, terrorism, transnational migration and borders, global issues in gender, citizenship, indigenous peoples, the global economic system, and globalization. Courses offered as: GIST 550: Issues in Global Studies:__________ are always approved to fulfill this requirement.
| Issues in Global Studies (9 hours, 3 units) (9) | 9 | |
| World Indigenous Literatures | ||
| Global Environmental Literature | ||
| Key Themes in Modern Global History | ||
| Globalization: History and Theory | ||
| Globalization: A Geographic Approach | ||
| Environmental Geopolitics | ||
| Immigrants, Refugees, and Diasporas | ||
| Genocide and Ethnocide | ||
| Global Internship | ||
| Globalization | ||
| Issues in Global Studies: _____ | ||
| Seminar in Urban Geography | ||
| The Literature of Human Rights | ||
| Gender, Culture, and Migration | ||
| Anthropology of Violence | ||
| Geopolitics and Genocide | ||
| Indigenous Peoples of the World | ||
| Islam and Politics | ||
| International Human Rights | ||
| Sociology of Global Health | ||
| Wealth, Power, and Inequality | ||
| Global Ethnic and Racial Relations | ||
| Sociology of Violence | ||
| Sociology of Sport | ||
Global & International Studies International Electives. Majors must take 3 courses from the list of approved international elective courses. Students are strongly encouraged to strategically select a cluster of three courses that would help them to fulfill KU Core requirements, or maximize a double-major with another program. For example, students double-majoring in geography or history, should select their international electives from the list of approved GEOG or HIST courses. Likewise, students majoring in Latin American Studies or Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies, should choose their courses from the approved list of LAA or REES courses. Students may, however, select from any of the approved courses available.
The following list shows the most commonly taught approved international electives. To see a full list of approved courses for the international elective, consult our website. Other courses may also be approved in consultation with the department.
| Modern Africa | ||
| Religion, Power, and Sexuality in Arab Societies | ||
| The United States in Global Context | ||
| Indigenous Traditions of Latin America | ||
| Introduction to Intercultural Communication | ||
| Eastern Civilizations | ||
| International Trade | ||
| The European Union | ||
| Environmental Policy Analysis | ||
| History of the International Sound Film Post 1950 | ||
| Introduction to Cultural Geography | ||
| Geography of African Development | ||
| Geography of Latin America | ||
| Peoples and Cultures of South Asia | ||
| Social Movements in the Middle East | ||
| The Modern Middle East | ||
| Introduction to History of Japan: Anime to Zen | ||
| Introduction to International Business | ||
| International Management | ||
| Latin American Culture and Society | ||
| Politics of the Middle East | ||
| Chinese Foreign Policy | ||
| United States Foreign Policy | ||
| Understanding Russia and Eastern Europe | ||
| Societies and Cultures of Eurasia | ||
| Islam | ||
| Religion in India | ||
| Population and Society | ||
| Wealth, Power, and Inequality | ||
| From Mystics to Feminists: Women's History in Europe 1600 to the Present |
Major Hours & Major GPA
While completing all required courses, majors must also meet each of the following hour and grade-point average minimum standards:
Major Hours
Satisfied by 11 units (minimum of 31 credit hours) of major courses.
Major Hours in GIST
Satisfied by a minimum of 6 GIST courses in the major.
Major Hours in Residence
Satisfied by a minimum of 15 hours of KU resident credit in the major.
Major Junior/Senior Hours
Satisfied by a minimum of 21 hours from junior/senior courses (300+) in the major.
Major Junior/Senior Graduation GPA
Satisfied by a minimum of a 2.0 KU GPA in junior/senior courses (300+) in the major. GPA calculations include all junior/senior courses in the field of study including F’s and repeated courses. See the Semester/Cumulative GPA Calculator.
Below is a sample 4-year plan for students pursuing the BA in Global and International Studies. To view the list of courses approved to fulfill KU Core Goals, please visit the KU Core website.
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ENGL 101 (Goal 2.1 (2 crs req), BA Writing I)1 | 3 | ENGL 102 (Goal 2.1 (2 crs req), BA Writing II) | 3 |
| MATH 101 (Goal 1.2 Quantitative Reasoning) | 3 | Quantitative Reasoning (Goal 1.2, BA Quantitative Reasoning)2 | 3 |
| 1st Semester Language (BA Second Language) | 5 | 2nd Semester Language (BA Second Language) | 5 |
| GIST 220 (Goal 1.1 Critical Thinking) | 3 | Goal 2.2 Communication | 3 |
| GIST Core Knowledge Course (Should target Goal 3S or 3H) | 3 | ||
| 14 | 17 | ||
| Sophomore | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| 3rd Semester Language (BA Second Language) | 3 | 4th Semester Language (BA Second Language, Major Requirement)3 | 3 |
| Goal 3 Humanities (Could be GIST major course) | 3 | Goal 3 Social Science (Could be a GIST major course) | 3 |
| Goal 3 Natural Science | 3 | (Double-Major or Minor) Elective Course | 3 |
| Lab Science (BA Lab Requirement) | 1-2 | GIST "Issues in Global Studies" Course4 | 3 |
| GIST "Issues in Global Studies" Course | 3 | GIST International Elective Course (Should target Core Goal 4.2)4 | 3 |
| (Double Major or Minor) Elective Course | 3 | ||
| 16-17 | 15 | ||
| Junior | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| Goal 4.1 US Diversity | 3 | Goal 5 Social Responsibility & Ethics | 3 |
| Additional Language Course 300+ (Major Reqiurement)3 | 3 | GIST International Elective Course4 | 3 |
| GIST "Issues in Global Studies" Course4 | 3 | (Double-Major or Minor) Elective Course4 | 3 |
| GIST International Elective Course4 | 3 | (Double-Major or Minor) Elective Course4 | 3 |
| (Double-Major or Minor) Elective Course4 | 3 | (Double-Major or Minor) Elective Course4 | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Senior | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| GIST 610 (Major Requirement) | 3 | GIST 698 (Goal 6 Integration & Creativity, Major Requirement) | 3 |
| (Double-Major or Minor) Elective Course4 | 3 | (Double-Major or Minor) Elective Course4 | 3 |
| LA&S 490 (Recommended, or elective) | 3 | (Double-Major or Minor) Elective Course4 | 3 |
| (Double-Major or Minor) Elective Course4 | 3 | (Double-Major or Minor) Elective Course4 | 3 |
| (Double-Major or Minor) Elective Course4 | 3 | (Double-Major or Minor) Elective Course4 | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total Hours: 122-123 | |||
| 1 | The BA requires completion of two courses of collegiate-level writing instruction. Students who test out of Composition will still need to complete ENGL 102 (or equivalent) and one additional Goal 2.1 course. |
| 2 | Visit this website for a list of courses that fulfill the BA Quantitative Reasoning requirement. |
| 3 | This major requirement can be fulfilled by completion of one additional foreign language course (3 hours) beyond the 4th semester proficiency language requirement (300 level or above), or any available additional language course (3-5 hours). |
| 4 | 9 hours of "Issues of Global Studies" Coursework, and 9 hours of "International Electives" coursework is required for the major. A full list of approved courses for the "International Electives" can be found at: (http://global.ku.edu/courses-1). |
Please note:
All students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences are required to completed 120 total hours of which 45 hours must be at the Jr/Sr (300+) level.
The same course cannot be used to fulfill more than one KU Core Goal. However, overlap of a KU Core course with a major or degree-specific requirement is allowed. Overlapping is recommended to allow more opportunities to explore other majors and/or minors.
Departmental Honors
Departmental Honors. To graduate with honors in global and international studies, students must complete all requirements for the major plus GIST 699, Honors Capstone with a 3.5 grade-point average in the major and a 3.25 cumulative grade-point average. The honors seminar allows students to receive individualized assistance from a faculty member while they write their thesis.
To enroll in the program, students must have a 3.5 grade-point average in the courses making up the global and international studies major and a 3.25 cumulative grade-point average. Students must obtain approval of their research topic by a faculty member affiliated with the Center for Global and International Studies who will serve as their thesis director. Each student who completes an honor's thesis must defend it in an oral examination before a thesis committee of three faculty members. The student's thesis director chairs and chooses the committee in consultation with the student and the center director.