University of St. Thomas

When asked what one phrase best describes the international studies major at St. Thomas, a faculty member replied, “Provocative.”

Welcome to the international studies facts page, where you’ll be taken beyond the course offerings and program description and deeper into the international studies major. You’ll learn what St. Thomas students are doing now to enhance their educations and how recent graduates are succeeding in the real world. More importantly, we hope you’ll be able to use this information to decide if this major interests you.

A real student asks:

 

What can an international studies major do after graduation?

An international relations faculty member responds: International studies takes an interdisciplinary approach to understanding how countries work, what makes them tick and how they interact with each other. Grounded in the social sciences, an international studies degree helps students understand contemporary issues from several different, but related, perspectives. These issues range from global warming to the war on terrorism, from hunger in Africa to political upheaval in Latin America. The vast majority of students in this major study abroad (though this is not required.) The overall experience is one that many employers and graduate programs value, as students with this training are equipped with the skills and experience that helps them do their work effectively.

What jobs are possible with a International Studies major?

What are recent graduates doing now?

One graduate landed a job with the Vatican mission to the United Nations and is now pursuing a master’s degree in international relations.

What opportunities are there to bolster my resume while I'm in the program?

Internships. While we have no centralized internship process, students have worked as translators and financial analysts at global corporations and marketing project team members at local companies.

Study abroad. Students who study abroad go all over the globe and study language, economics, history, art, political science and just about any kind of subject you can imagine. Increasingly, international studies students study not only in Europe but also in Latin America, Asia and Africa. They have all said that this was an invaluable part of their education and that their experience abroad helped them synthesize ideas that they learned through their coursework here, learn another language and better understand another nation.

Faculty at work

Many faculty members who teach for the program are actively researching important questions in international relations and studies. They have written books and articles on the NAFTA, nuclear disarmament, ethnic conflicts and many other important topics. All students take IDSC 481 as a capstone experience; in this seminar they work closely with the faculty member teaching it, writing a paper that explores issues like these.