An international studies major that assesses critical issues connected to our global community, including consumer capitalism, media culture, economic development and migration, gender and health, political conflict, sustainable futures, and democracy and civil society.
Program skills
Critical understanding of contemporary processes and impacts of globalization, developing a multidisciplinary knowledge about broad global processes and at least one theme of global significance. Students have an in-depth theoretical and factual knowledge of a particular region of the world, with proficiency in a foreign language(s). Students also experience investigating, evaluating and synthesizing research questions with intercultural sensitivity, critical awareness, and ethnocentrism.
Program job titles reported
Junior Buyer and Inventory Specialist; English Teacher; Grassroots Summer Environmental Canvasser
Program significant points
- This unique program begins with a critical focus on globalization, paying critical attention to and understanding about a core theme, namely globalization.
- Students have the opportunity to study ten languages to advanced level to get our students to a high competency to be effective in the workplace and graduate school.
- Our degree is designed to get our students to a high foreign language (or ASL) competency to make graduates effective in the workplace and graduate school.
- International programs and partnerships with organizations allow our students to study or work in dozens of countries in every part of the world tailored to their interest.
Select program hiring partners
Haida Interact International Co., Ltd.; Pulsafeeder; Retail Business Services, a proud company of Ahold Delhaize; Rochester Refugee Sewing & Repair; The New York Public Interest Research Group Fund; Wegmans Food Markets
Experiential Learning
Integrated International Experience
The major encourages students to participate in a study abroad opportunity, an internship, or a cooperative educational experience in the selected world region of study.
Study Abroad
Students have lived and studied in diverse locations such as Japan, Australia, Senegal, France, Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Brazil, and Costa Rica, or at one of RIT's global campuses in China, Croatia, Dubai, or Kosovo.
Cooperative Education and Internships
Students may also seek a cooperative education position with a government agency or the division of a U.S. corporation with international operations. Cooperative education, or co-op for short, is full-time, paid work experience in your field of study. And it sets RIT graduates apart from their competitors. It’s exposure–early and often–to a variety of professional work environments, career paths, and industries. RIT co-op is designed for your success.
Internships may also be available with organizations that are engaged with global issues, human rights, or international populations, including refugees and immigrants. A number of students have worked as interns under the supervision of human rights lawyers for the New York State Division of Human Rights in Rochester, NY, and for the United Nations Association of Rochester. These international experiences enhance employment prospects after graduation.