Are you a global thinker? In a world where the forces of politics, commerce, culture, and technology are deeply multifaceted and interconnected, you need a profound understanding of international issues. The University of Colorado Denver Bachelors of Arts in International Studies is an interdisciplinary program that gives you the cross-cultural competencies that allow you to build a life and career spanning throughout the globe.
Interdisciplinary—your degree will be built from many departments, including Anthropology, Business, Communication, Economics, Ethnic Studies, Geography, History, Modern Languages, Political Science, and Religious Studies. This broad focus allows you to build the skills you need as a modern global citizen.
Dive in and use what you learn—from study abroad experiences to internships and other opportunities, you will gain real-world experience while you are here.
With your career in mind—from teamwork and leadership experiences, to analyzing and solving real-world problems, your coursework in International Studies gives you valuable skills employers seek.
Graduate Highlight: Colonal Justin Bitana
CU Denver International Studies Graduate, Colonel Justin Bitana, grew up in Congo, moved to Denver as a child, and became a US Army Colonel; becoming a soldier was his life-long dream. Watch the video
CU Denver’s International Studies program. Where your opportunity for hands-on exploration of worldwide developments take flight.
Unlock a world where your understanding of international culture harmonizes with your awareness of global currents and diplomatic mastery. Forge foreign boundaries while earning academic credit through one of our many study abroad courses in almost any corner of the world.
Learn at the side of award-winning faculty and mentors—trailblazers in their varied disciplines and hand-picked for their expertise in a medley of educational fields. Harness this multidimensional and flexible interdisciplinary degree to maximize stackable credentials, like certificates and minors, that you can earn along the way to your BA.
Build your résumé while you fine-tune your command of knowledge, skills, and competence. Prepare for your future career through our masterfully blended curriculum focused on theory and practice. Each of your courses strengthens your education, and our capstone class guides your transition from college to career with work creating a professional résumé, LinkedIn profile, and multiple mock interviews.
Your journey begins here, where borders are merely suggestions and the world is your classroom.
A career with International Studies
Alumni Highlight: Maria Ignacia Miranda Santis
Maria Ignacia was born and raised in Chile and moved to the U.S. and Colorado in 2006.
Maria Ignacia began organizing with other students to create change in their community. After graduation Maria became a Community Organizer and the Field Manager at the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR), developing community outreach strategies to engage the Latine community. Later, as the Program and Outreach Manager at Women's Voices for the Earth (WVE), she created a leadership development program to organize communities for environmental health.
In 2022, she worked as the Political Consultant for the Natural Medicine Colorado Campaign. NMC won with 54% of the vote, making Colorado the second state in the country to secure access to natural medicines as an option for healing mental health challenges. Her social justice work is guided by her belief in leadership development and intersectionality as key tools in creating sustainable change, which continue to be the forefront of her career.
Past graduates have moved onto career paths such as:
- Employment Developer
- Study Abroad Coordinator
- Foreign Language Technology Specialist and Telecollaboration Consultant
- Cryptologic Linguist
- Junior Attorney
- Dean of Students
- Analyst
- Social Science Research Professional
- Bilingual Community Outreach Coordinator
- Program Outreach Manager
- Parent Coordinator
- Marketing Specialist
- Youth Literacy Advisor
- Auxiliar de Conversación en la Comunidad de Madrid
- Regulatory Specialist
- Community Organizer
- Legislative Aide
Some of the companies our graduates have joined
- Servicios de La Raza
- WiseConn Engineering
- The Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking
- Unionhilfswerk
- US Department of State
- WorldDenver
- VAW Global Health Alliance
- US Army
- AmeriCorps
- Chan Law Firm
- National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, DC
- The Consulate General of Mexico
- Frontier Airlines
- Centura Health (Now known as CommonSpirit Health)
- The Blue Bench—Nonprofit to aid sexual assault survivors
Earn Stackable Credentials Along the Way to Your BA
Customize your upper division courses—and in the process, seamlessly tailor your schedule to earn credits for stackable credentials like an additional certificate, minor, or even major to add to your BA in International Studies. See the Certificates and Stackable Credentials below for more.
Curriculum
Our curriculum offers you the chance to maximize your credit hours in your areas of interest while you earn your degree.
Majoring in Degree: 48 hours
With International Studies, customization is key. Because our program blossoms from a combination of academic fields, we understand that mixing and matching classes from multiple areas of research is crucial. That’s why we offer five introductory courses to help you build a solid foundation, and you choose 10 upper-division courses yourself based on your individualized area of interest.
Introductory Courses
These courses include topics such as:
- Foundations of International Studies
- Macroeconomics or Global Perspectives
- International Relations or Political Systems of the World
- Global Communication or Culture & Human Experience
- A regional History course in areas such as Africa, Latin America, East Asia, Europe, Russia, Eastern Europe, Japan, or the Middle East
Upper division electives
You will take 10 Upper Division Elective Courses of Your Choice. There are hundreds of options across departments. To give you a flavor of the breadth of choice, here are some topics you might choose:
- Globalization, Migration and Transnationalism
- Cultural Diversity in the Modern World
- Food as Communication
- Economic Development
- International Trade or Finance
- Climate Change: Causes, Impacts and Solutions
- Population, Culture, and Resources
- Global Demography and Health
- The United Nations in World Affairs
- Arts of Japan
- Populist Movements, Dictatorships, and Democracy
- American National Security
- Economics of Sex and Drugs
- International Marketing
- Operations and Environments in International Business
- International Technology and Culture
- World Literature
- Diversity and Communication
Finish the degree with the International Studies Capstone
During your capstone course, we'll prepare you for your next step—your career—by engaging you in mock interviews and a résumé review.
CU Denver Core: 34-40 Hours
You’ll be educated in:
- English and Mathematics
- International and Cultural Diversity Perspectives
- Arts and Humanities
- Behavioral, Physical, and Social Sciences
College of Liberal Arts and Science Core—15 Hours
These courses give you a better understanding of the issues and skills you need to succeed.
Topics include:
- Logic, Language, and Scientific Reasoning
- Psychology
- Writing for the Sciences
- Public Health
Electives and/or foreign language proficiency
You may also need to take coursework in a foreign language offered through Modern Languages. Talk to your advisor for details, especially if you’ve taken foreign language courses or have experience in a foreign language in your past.
Inclusion is our value
CU Denver is home to one of the most diverse student populations in Colorado.
- Join your choice of 100+ student groups and organizations which support your identity and interests
- Your department and faculty are committed to the pursuit of equity and inclusion in the classroom, lab, and beyond
- Learn more at our Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Find your people
Campus can feel like a huge place. We help you find your people by offering the experience of a more traditional, small liberal arts program—for a fraction of the cost. We offer a variety of clubs and networking opportunities.
- International Studies Club
- Sigma Iota Rho—Collegiate honor society in International Studies
- Join other adventurers and global navigators in a Study Abroad course
- Global Buddies
- The PeaceXChange at CU Denver
A note from the Interim Director
As Interim Director of the International Studies program, I welcome your interest and questions. At CU Denver, we offer a professional and flexible degree program that is uniquely designed to provide students with a global perspective. Our graduates are making a difference all over the world—from working on international recruitment and enrollment, to leading initiatives like English4Refugees, to tackling global issues such as climate change with agencies like the World Meteorological Organization. Our students also gain invaluable experience by studying across the globe—from the vibrant streets of Beijing to the historic avenues of Berlin. The challenges humanity faces today are undeniably global, and addressing them requires interdisciplinary and innovative approaches. A degree in International Studies equips you with the knowledge and skills needed to address these global challenges.
Join us! Please use the form above to request more information about our program. I look forward to speaking with you soon.
Soumia Bardhan, Interim Director