2020-2021
Bachelor of Arts: International Studies
VCU
Community college:
Associate of Arts (Richard Bland College of William and Mary)
Associate degree
Program description
The Bachelor of Arts in International Studies is designed for students to acquire the historical, theoretical, and methodological knowledge to explore how culture, religion, media, politics, economics, and the environment shape each other and shape human life, and the hands-on experience to participate in the work of building a sustainable and generous society that empowers all persons to live well as responsible global citizens.
The program strengthens students’ abilities to see the world from diverse perspectives, communicate across cultures, and work with others to address significant challenges facing human beings locally and globally. The program offers concentrations in Film Studies, Latin American Studies, European Studies, and International Social Justice. Each concentration offers a range of courses from which students may choose to fashion a course of study that best supports their educational and career goals. As is true with World Studies’ degrees in Anthropology, Foreign Languages, and Religious Studies, International Studies offers opportunities to engage in real world learning through internships, lab-based and field research, and study abroad programs. Through their coursework students connect with students from different cultural backgrounds and develop genuine empathy and a practical commitment to contribute to the social good.
Career opportunities
International Studies majors graduate with an abundance of transferable knowledge, skills, and experience that are highly employable in a variety of businesses, government agencies, non-profit organizations, institutions, and programs that understand the value of diversity and are committed to contributing to the health and well being of society. These include such areas as social betterment organizational management, leadership, and advocacy; humanitarian relief; refugee assistance; research analyst for organizations and institutions that focus on barriers to and support for development, democracy, human rights, and environmental restoration, preservation, and protection; international cultural ambassadorship and cultural affairs; international journalism, reporting, communications; global business affairs; civil rights and legal aid/advocacy. We encourage students to double-major in International Studies and one of the other majors degrees in the School of World Studies: Anthropology, Foreign Languages or Religious Studies, as doing so strengthens their cumulative knowledge, experience, academic record and resume for success in whatever path they choose after graduation.
Bachelor-level job titles
- Administrative Assistant
- Blogger/Vlogger
- Community Organizer Associate
- Copy Editor
- Customer Service Representative
- Digital Marketer
- ESL - Teaching Assistant
- Event Planner
- Flight Attendant
- General and Operations Management
- Governmental Agency Staff
- Health Systems Front Desk Specialist
Graduate and professional level job titles
- Diplomat
- Foreign Affairs Specialist
- International School Administrator
- Producer
Contact information
Telephone: (804) 827-1349
Email: transferinfo@vcu.edu
VCCS Transfer Planning Checklist
Telephone: (804) 828-1222 or (800) 841-3638
Email: ugrad@vcu.edu
Apply Here.
Guaranteed transfer admission requirements
Completion of associate degree
Minimum GPA of 2.5
All courses must be completed with a grade of "C" or better
Degree requirements in Bulletin
Plan of study in Bulletin
Requirements
Highest level of math required
- MATH 131
Science required
- 1-2 additional science courses
Foreign language requirements
- Yes
Additional tuition/fees
- No
GPA requirements (to progress/graduate in the major)
- 2.25
Transfer major map
2020-2021
Bachelor of Arts: International Studies
Richard Bland College of William and Mary (Associate of Arts)
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING | GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY | DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY | EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS | PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE | ||
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Explore | Year 1 |
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Experience | Year 2 |
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Explore
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
- Attend RBC Orientation.
- Schedule an appointment with your Learner Mentor to discuss your degree and class plan.
- Register for ESE 101 if you have not taken any college level classes.
- Attend FAFSA Fridays to understand how you will fund your education. These events are available every Friday in October and February.
- Use tutoring to get ahead.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
- Get involved with student clubs and organizations.
- Volunteer for service learning or community service projects.
- Learn about the transfer admission process for VCU.
- Review VCU's School of World Studies website for course requirements and possible connections with faculty and peers.
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
- Attend cultural events at RBC and/or VCU and celebrate diversity.
- Attend VCU's annual Intercultural Festival or another community intercultural event.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
- Explore possible career opportunities for International Studies majors.
- Build a LinkedIn profile.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
- Assess your preparation for a career by completing a Gap Analysis.
- Familiarize yourself with the career services offered at RBC and VCU and explore career pathways on the VCU Career Services website.
- Practice independent living skills (such as money management, self-care, time management, and personal responsibility).
- Take advantage of free Financial Aid counseling.
Experience
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
- Be prepared for academic challenges by meeting with your Learner Mentor and understanding RBC Student Support available.
- Explore your eligibility for the Two-Year College Transfer Grant.
- Use tutoring to get ahead.
- Learn about the World ePass and start considering how you will fulfill the experiential learning requirement for the bachelor's degree.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
- Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
- Attend a talk or other event sponsored by the VCU School of World Studies.
- Volunteer for service learning or community service projects.
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
- Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
- Consider learning a second foreign language or make a plan for undertaking that study at VCU.
- Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week, or School of World Studies-related events.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
- Find out about VCU REAL.
- Attend Career & Internship Fairs at RBC or VCU to explore your interests.
- Plan to complete at least two internships or job experiences before your senior year of college.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
- Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
- Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
- Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.
- Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
- Take advantage of free Financial Aid counseling.
Recommended courses
2020-2021
Bachelor of Arts: International Studies
Richard Bland College of William and Mary (Associate of Arts)
Course | Title | Equivalent course | Credits | Requirements |
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ENGL 101 | Rhetoric and Research I Note: students with credit for AP English Language and Composition will only receive credit for UNIV 111 at VCU and should take ENGL 102 to fulfill the VCU composition requirement. | UNIV 111-112 | 3 | General education |
ENGL 102 | Rhetoric and Research II | UNIV 200 | 3 | General education |
ENGL | Core course in The Art and Language of Ideas (select 1): ENGL 203, 204, 205, 206, 210, 211, 214, 215. | ENGL | 3 | General education |
Core course in The Art and Language of Ideas (select 1): ENGL 203, 204, 205, 206, 210, 211, 214, 215, 216, PHIL 101, 201, 202, 203, 270, REL 201, 209, 210, COMM 101, 102, 201 | VCU equivalent | 3 | General education | |
Fine Arts | Core course in The Language and History of the Fine Arts (select 1): ART 201, 202, 231, MUS 103, 123, THEA 201 | VCU equivalent | 3 | General education |
SPAN/FREN 101 | Elementary Spanish/French I (or elective if placed out of this level) | SPAN 101 or FREN 101 | 4 | General education |
SPAN/FREN 102 | Elementary Spanish/French II (or elective if placed out of this level) | SPAN 102 or FREN 102 | 4 | General education |
SPAN/FREN 201 | Intermediate Spanish/French I | SPAN 201 or FREN 201 | 3 | Major |
SPAN/FREN 202 | Intermediate Spanish/French II | SPAN 202 or FREN 202 | 3 | Major |
Human Experience | SOC 201 General Sociology (or PSY 201-202 but both courses must be taken to receive credit for PSYC 101) | VCU equivalent | 3 | General education |
Human Experience | Core courses in The Human Experience (select 1): PHIL 101, 121, 201, 202, 203, PSY 201-202, 250, 260, 291, REL 201, 209, 210, 270, SOC 201, 204, 208, 250, 253 | VCU equivalent | 3 | General education |
U.S. & World Cultures | GOVT 202 U.S. in World Affairs | POLI 105 | 3 | Major |
U.S. in World Affairs | Core courses in U.S. and World Cultures (select 1): HIST 101, 102, 192, 201, 202 | HIST | 3 | General education |
U.S. & World Cultures | Core courses in U.S. and World Cultures (select 1): ECO 201, 202, GEO 103, GOVT 201, 203, 253, HIST 101, 102, 192, 201, 202, 221, 222, 240, 242, 250, 276, PHIL 270, REL 210, 219, 220, 254, 271 | VCU equivalent | 3 | General education |
MATH | Core courses in Quantitative and Symbolic Reasoning (select 1): Math 110 or 121, or Math 151, 200, 217, 224, 251, 252, 261, 271 | MATH | 3 | General education |
Laboratory Science | Core course in the Investigation of the Natural World (select 1 with lab): BIOL 101/L, 110, 151/L, CHEM 101/L, 110/L, PHYS 101/L, 201/L, SCIE 111/L | VCU equivalent | 4 | General education |
CSCI | Computer proficiency test or CSCI 121 or 202 | VCU equivalent | 0 to 3 | Elective |
Electives | No more than 2 credits of PE may be chosen | VCU equivalent | 6 to 9 | Elective |
Richard Bland credits transferred to VCU | 60 |
Course | Title | Credits | Requirements |
---|---|---|---|
Experiential learning requirement. Students must fulfill an experiential learning requirement through an approved internship, service-learning course or study abroad program. See VCU advisor for options. | 0 to 3 | Major | |
World ePass Portfolio (see VCU advisor). The World ePass portfolio content requirements include professional preparation, transferable skills articulation, academic career highlights, experiential learning experiences and global citizenship. | 0 | Major | |
INTL 490 | Senior Capstone in International Studies | 3 | Major |
RELS 340 | Global Ethics and the World's Religions | 3 | Major |
WRLD 302 | Communicating Across Cultures | 3 | Major |
SPAN/FREN | Select two upper-level foreign language course work (300- or higher) | 6 | Major |
Concentration electives (see VCU advisor for course options) | 18 | Major | |
Upper-level electives (300- or 400-level courses): consider a minor or a second major Note: Students must complete a minimum of 45 upper-level credits to graduate from VCU. | 12 | Elective | |
Open electives | 15 | Elective | |
Credits completed at VCU | 60 | ||
Bachelor's degree total | 120 |