International Studies

What Is International Studies?

This is a field that looks at all kinds of issues—politics, geography and climate, how people get along with each other, and the economy—and how these issues affect the people of the world.  This field is becoming more and more popular as we can no longer just look at what’s happening in our country but have to look at what’s happening in the world.  Studying the field of International Studies probably will involve looking at case studies and specific examples of events and trends, diagnosing, and developing strategies, even policies, of how to work with people in other countries.

Are you pretty sensitive to what’s happening in the world today?  Do you speak another language other than English?  Do you have friends of different ethnicities?  Do you like to travel?  Working directly in the field would likely involve teaching of some kind, managing foreign exchange programs for education, being a Diplomat, or working with an international charity group like UNICEF, Teach Abroad, Jesuit Volunteer Corps, Save the Children, or the Peace Corps.  Many people who have degrees in International Studies, however, are involved in all kinds of other work since so many global companies exist.  Some examples of those jobs are Management Trainee (in a global company), Export Manager, Staff Operations Specialist for the FBI, International Trade Researcher, Global Sales Team member, and International Marketing Consultant. In other words, the sky’s the limit in this field.