Bachelor of Arts in Global Studies

Global Studies is the interdisciplinary study of the interconnections among cultural, political, economic, and ecological dimensions of social life in an age of globalization. The curriculum provides rigorous theoretical and methodological training in social science appropriate to the changing global workforce of the 21st century.

Interdisciplinary and Area Studies

Interdisciplinary and Area Studies teaches students to make connections between subject areas, combining the Department of Global and Sociocultural Studies' strengths in anthropology, geography, and sociology, with the complementary expertise of the Green School's seven other departments. The IAS major offers you the opportunity to focus on a critical theme of social science inquiry and to study the theme within the context of a specific world region. The analytical themes include 1) Culture, societies, and identities; 2) Social movements, security and conflict; 3) Global health and environment; and 4) Global markets, resources and development. The area studies concentrations are Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Middle East and Central Asia, or Europe and Eurasia. The IAS major will prepare you to pursue careers in diverse areas including the environmental field, civil service, business, law, and non­ governmental organizations (NGOs).


University Requirements

  • Lower division university core requirements or (for transfer students) general education requirements
  • A minimum of 120 credits hours
  • The final 30 credits must be taken at FIU (with exceptions requiring the approval of the Dean’s office)
  • GPA 2.0 or higher

Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs Requirements

  • A minimum of 48 credit hours of upper division courses
  • A grade of “C” or higher in each major course
  • Foreign language: equivalent of the second semester of a first-year course sequence.

Major Requirements (33 credit hours) 

Introduction to Major3 credits
Program Core Courses6 credits
Theory 3 credits
Methods6 credits
Disciplinary Upper Division Electives6 credits
Upper Division Area Studies Electives9 credits

Course Requirements

Intro to Major (3 credit hours) 

  • IDS 3315 Gaining Global Perspectives- GL (3)

Core Courses (6 credit hours) 

Two of the following:

  • ANT 3212 World Ethnographies- GL (3)
  • GEO 3001 Geography of Global Change- GL (3)
  • SYP 3456 Societies in the World- GL (3)

Theory (3 credit hours) 

One of the following:

  • ANT 3034 Anthropological Theories 
  • GEO 3421 Cultural Geography 
  • GEO 3471 Political Geography 
  • GEO 3502 Economic Geography- GL
  • SYA 4010 Sociological Theories 

Methods Requirements (6 credit hours) 

  • SYA 3300 Research Methods

Plus one of the following: 

  • ANT 3497 Intro to Qualitative Research 
  • SYA 3400 Introduction to Quantitative Social Research 
  • GIS 3048 Applications of Geographic Information Systems

Upper Division Thematic Electives (6 credit hours) 

Two courses within the following themes: 

  • Culture, Societies, Identities 
  • Social Movements, Security, and Conflict
  • Global Health and Environment 
  • Global Markets, Resourses, and Development

Upper Divison Area Studies Electives (9 credit hours) 

(Three courses substantially grounded in a world area, exemplifying the transnational issues explored in the chosen theme)

The world areas are:

  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Latin America and the Caribbean
  • Middle East and Central Asia
  • Europe and Eurasia