UNT Home | Undergraduate Majors and Interests | College of Arts and Sciences | International Studies
Anthropology
emphasizes global cultures.
Economics
emphasizes trend-spotting and forecasting.
History
emphasizes general inquiry and study.
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University of North Texas
Undergraduate Admissions
1155 Union Circle #311277
Denton, Texas 76203-5017
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Email:
internationalstudies@unt.edu
Phone: 940-565-2323
University of North Texas
International Studies
Undergraduate Advisor
1155 Union Circle #305457
Denton, Texas 76203-5017
Undergraduate Majors and Interests
During the last 20 years, countries have become increasingly interdependent in politics, business, economics and development. Companies and government agencies need employees who understand international issues to meet the challenges of working with many countries.
A Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies from the University of North Texas will help you gain an understanding of world diversity. This insight can be an asset in a variety of career fields.
The major offers concentrations in:
If your focus is on international politics and security, you may work in the U.S. State Department or be a diplomat for a U.S. embassy. You may be employed as an intelligence analyst, giving your recommendations on security and foreign policy. You may be employed by the United Nations or any of its agencies. You may also find employment with the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security or the Department of Defense.
If you focus on international business and economics, you may work in international sales or marketing, promoting Exxon, IBM, Nokia and Toyota. You could work for the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund as an analyst or a researcher. Positions may also be available in the U.S. Department of Commerce or U.S. Chamber of Commerce, promoting U.S. businesses abroad.
If your area of study is international development, you may work for the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA), Amnesty International, the American Red Cross or other nongovernmental organizations dealing with developing countries, providing disaster relief in the field or planning emergency responses in the corporate office.
If you choose to focus on regional area study, you can become a specialist on the Middle East, Asia, Europe, Africa or Latin America.
If you choose peace studies, you might find employment with the State Department, the United Nations or any nongovernmental organization focusing on issues of conflict management, conflict resolution, justice and human rights.
UNT's Career Center can help you prepare to pursue your career. The center has information about jobs and employers, and the staff can help you with resume and letter writing, job search strategies and interview preparation.
The international studies program has a major and a minor in the College of Arts and Sciences. UNT has one of the largest and most advanced undergraduate degree programs in the Southwest in international studies.
The major consists of 39 semester hours. The core courses are INST 2100, Introduction to International Studies; HIST 1060, World History from the 16th Century; GEOG 1200, World Regional Geography; and INST 4850, Senior Seminar. Students will also need to take 27 hours in one of the six international studies major areas. In addition to the 14 hours of foreign language credit included as part of the College of Art and Science's core curriculum requirement, international studies students must take 6 hours of upper-level foreign language.
The international studies major is interdisciplinary, meaning you can take advanced courses from different academic disciplines such as:
These courses are taught by faculty members with international expertise in their fields.
A minor in international studies requires 18 hours, including at least 6 hours of upper-level courses. Nine hours must be in one of the six areas of concentration of the international studies major, with the remaining 9 hours distributed between one or two other areas of the major.
During your junior year, you will be encouraged to spend a semester or a year in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Africa or Latin America through the UNT Global Learning and Experience program. More information about the Global Learning and Experience program can be found at www.international.unt.edu/sac.
Upon completion of 12 semester hours at UNT with at least a 3.0 GPA, you may want to apply for an internship or work in a job related to your major through UNT's Cooperative Education and Internships office. You may earn academic credit and gain valuable work experience. The jobs usually last several semesters, providing ample time to develop valuable career skills and to network.
More than 1,800 employers work with the office to provide excellent learning opportunities, many of which become permanent full-time positions upon graduation. The office also assists with placing students in internships, which last for one full semester or summer.
If you are a high school student, we suggest you prepare for college by becoming computer proficient and taking:
You will need to take courses in most of these subjects under the university core curriculum required of all undergraduates, in addition to your major courses. Talk with your high school counselor about preparing for college, including the entrance exams (SAT Reasoning Test or ACT) that you should take during your junior year.
As a benefit for transfer students, UNT participates in the Texas Common Course Numbering System. This system makes it easier to transfer credits for general academic courses from one Texas institution to another.
If you're attending a Texas community college, you should consult the UNT Transfer Guide, the UNT Undergraduate Catalog and an academic advisor/ counselor to discuss your degree plan. Proper planning will help you receive the maximum amount of transfer credits.
An international studies advisor will help you each semester select the courses you will need to earn your degree. The program is designed to allow you flexibility in developing your degree. Your advisor will encourage you to draw on the international expertise of the faculty members in many departments while tailoring a program to your needs. The international studies offices are in the General Academic Building, Suite 470.
Curious about courses and other features of this major?
See the
current catalog.