Global Studies, B.A.

Global studies encompasses both the academic study of globalization, the processes and interactions that have converted the world into a single interdependent whole, as well as the ways groups of people of the world interact and integrate culturally. This perspective is holistic not just because it is interdisciplinary, but because it challenges the “national frame” upon which traditional academic disciplines have been built.

As an academic field in the liberal arts, global studies seeks to educate citizens with a global, holistic and cosmopolitan perspective on the problems of the past as well as those faced by the world today, from social inequality and women’s rights to terrorism and climate change. Even when these problems have been and still are experienced locally or nationally, they have a global dimension and require global solutions. In this context, majoring in global studies really means understanding the shared experiences and diverse but interrelated influences in our pasts and becoming a “global citizen” for the global century ahead.

University Requirements

Completion of Minimum University Requirements for an Undergraduate Baccalaureate Degree .

Minimum 120 credits and minimum GPA of 2.0
Completion of 45 upper-level credits, residence requirement, Writing Intensive requirement, and General Education requirement

Major Requirements

Minimum 36 credits
Minimum grade of ‘C’ in courses applied to the major
Students complete at least two semesters of language study beyond fulfillment of the UMBC GEP requirement, at any level, at UMBC or another institution (including study abroad universities) with a minimum grade of ‘C’
Students complete a study abroad experience

Course Requirements

Global Core Courses (9 credits)

Complete the following:

Elective Requirements (27 credits)

Complete 27 credits from the following or other approved courses, including a maximum of 4 courses from the same department, and a minimum of 3 upper-level courses.

Foundational Electives

Complete 9 credits from the following:

Thematic Electives

Complete 18 credits from the following. Students may choose to focus on certain areas or themes such as: Culture, Place, and Identity; Development, Health, and the Environment; Global Governance, Human Rights, and Civil Society.

Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Programs

Qualified students may apply to an accelerated program, which allows them to share courses between a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree. Students take graduate courses as undergraduate students and later apply those courses to master’s degrees. An undergraduate may apply to participate in an accelerated program even if the desired graduate program is in a department other than the one in which the student is majoring. More information is available from the Accelerated Program page of the Graduate School website.