This degree is approved for distance education by the WSCUC.
International Studies students are curious global citizens who want to make their mark on the world. The major program provides them with the tools and guidance to focus their interests and accomplish their goals. We prepare CSULB graduates for meaningful and valued jobs in fields like non-profit work, international development, international affairs, international trade and business, education, and law.
International Studies helps students develop strong analytical abilities while teaching them how to integrate a wide variety of disciplinary methods, language competencies, and cross-cultural understandings into the study of global issues.
Advisors work closely with students to help guide them in a ways that are mindful to their personal constraints (economic, family, visa, AB540) while also pushing students to their maximum potential. As a result, International Studies graduates are successful in job placement and graduate school admissions, and enter the workforce equipped with skill sets that employers value.
The Dual Major and Education Abroad Study Track
Students pursuing the Bachelor of Arts in International Studies can choose to instead enroll in the Dual Major and Education Abroad Study Track. The track synthesizes the goals and outcomes of the International Studies major with the goals and outcomes of a second major. It differs from the standard International Studies major in that it allows students to replace nine (9) units from the International Studies Core with courses from the student’s second major or coursework from abroad. The substituted units must be approved by the International Studies advisor and excludes I/ST 300 International Studies Core Seminar. The benefit of the Dual Major and Education Abroad Study Track is that the student develops an interdisciplinary, international, intercultural knowledge base and skills, critical thinking skills, analytical reasoning skills, writing skills, and oral argument skills through the remaining International Studies coursework and uses the two advanced courses to integrate the two majors or the major and education abroad coursework through an experiential learning paper and a senior research paper. Students are advised on strategies for integrating the two majors, language acquisition, and either study abroad or an internship in a timely, efficient, and rewarding manner.
