The interdisciplinary MA degree in global studies is offered for students who contemplate careers in international affairs, international development, diplomacy, international organizations, or domestic organizations with an international focus. A minimum of 65 credits must be completed for the degree.
The degree program can be tailored to meet the unique professional needs of each student. In close consultation with a faculty advisor, the student develops a program that combines expertise in a specific professional area with interdisciplinary training in global studies.
Concentrations
In consultation with their faculty advisor, students identify a professional concentration. Suggested areas include the following:
- comparative development
- cross-cultural training
- cultural arts
- environment
- food and food systems
- gender and development
- health
- international community development
- international education
- international tourism
- journalism
- migration
- nonprofit management
- public policy and planning
Concentrations in other professional areas can be arranged.
Graduates of the Department of Global Studies serve as international technical advisors, career diplomats, community development professionals, international business and trade experts, analysts in developing countries, international educators, administrators of international programs, and cross-cultural communication consultants.
Admission
The applicant must be a graduate of an accredited four-year college or university with a grade point average (GPA) of 3.30 or better in all academic work. The application deadline is January 5 for the following fall term. A Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) score is required. Students whose native language is not English must verify a score of 575 (paper-based test) or 90 (Internet-based test) or better on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) unless they have earned a bachelor’s degree from a college or university in an English-speaking country such as Australia, Canada (excluding Quebec), Ireland, New Zealand, or the United Kingdom. A score of 7.0 or better on the overall band of the International English Language Testing System test may be submitted instead of the TOEFL. Additional information about the graduate program may be obtained from the Department of International Studies website.The application process is online.
International Students
International students are especially encouraged to apply. Study programs are designed to meet students’ professional needs and those of their home countries.
Additional Requirements
Students must take a minimum of 24 graded credits in the professional concentration area. A maximum of 24 credits may be taken in any department other than international studies in order to allow an appropriate degree of specialization.
Language Study and Competence
Students must demonstrate a third-year level of proficiency in a second language relevant to their professional or geographic focus before completing the program. The University of Oregon offers formal courses in a number of European and non-European languages. Students also may study languages through self-instruction at the Yamada Language Center. International students whose high school or university instruction was not in English demonstrate proficiency in English as a second language through completion of the master’s degree requirements. It is recommended that international students study a language from their geographic focus.
Supervised Field Internship or Field Research
The program assists students in locating internships or research opportunities and securing funding. International students may do their internship or research in the United States. Students are responsible for obtaining funding for the costs or for otherwise paying the costs in their entirety. Many graduate students in the program have competed successfully for funding to support internship and research experiences.
The international studies faculty expects students to gain the following from the internship or research experience:
- a reasonably in-depth experience in a culture other than the student’s own
- greater fluency in the language of the culture in which the internship or research takes place
- knowledge and experience useful to the career goals of the intern
Master of Arts Project
Each student must prepare an MA project, usually in the form of a thesis or capstone project. Students are required to present a thesis or capstone proposal defense, and at the conclusion of the project, present an oral defense before the student's final project committee. Other types of projects may be approved on a case-by-case basis by the student’s master’s advisor. Nine credits are awarded for a thesis or capstone project.