Program Requirements

Students majoring in International Studies must meet basic requirements and select their own individual emphasis from any of the disciplines, area studies or specialized fields within the International Studies program. This gives students the opportunity to focus on the international aspects that align with their personal interests and career goals.

Choices of courses within the requirements for general education and B.A. or B.S. degrees will be affected by their International Studies major, so that the most internationally related courses may be accepted. The earlier a student declares an International Studies major, the earlier they can start making these choices, since courses that meet general education requirements can also service as prerequisites for required advanced courses, thus enabling more opportunities for further specialization available if chosen carefully.

The International Studies major is composed of 36 credits, distributed as follows:

Required Courses – 6 credits

59-205 Contemporary International Issues (Usually taken freshman or sophomore year)
59-402 Senior Seminar in International Studies (Taken the last Spring semester before graduation)

Emphases – 15 upper-level credits within your chosen emphasis

Elective Courses

As many upper-level courses needed to complete the major’s 36 credit requirement

Chosen from any upper level courses in Course List 2

Other Requirements

Introductory Courses

A maximum of 9 credits of introductory courses can be counted towards the major. Introductory courses can be chosen from 100-200 level courses in Course List 2. These courses can be used to complete prerequisites for upper level courses students may need to take later.

Disciplinary Distribution

International Studies majors are required to take upper level courses from at least four different disciplines (from Course List 2) within their major. This distribution assures the interdisciplinary nature of your major. These courses may be part of your emphasis or your elective courses.

Foreign Language

All International Studies majors are required to complete the B.A. foreign language requirement, equating to at least two years (14 credits) of university-level study or its equivalent in one foreign language. Students arriving at UW Oshkosh with previous language study may test into the appropriate language level or test out of the two-year language requirement, pending approval from the Foreign Languages department.