Program Requirements
About the Major
View the checklist for the global development studies major.
At its most basic level, global development is about improving the quality of people’s lives by addressing the issues that constrain their ability to enjoy a healthy, productive, and fulfilling life. The field of global development studies uses a multi-disciplinary perspective to analyze global situations and understand the constraints that create poverty, suffering, and ill health.
Drawing on history, anthropology, economics, political science, and sociology, students will understand how social structures, economic systems, and the global distribution of power shape the opportunities available to individuals and countries. Courses focus on significant issues and institutions in the field of global development including poverty, climate change, global governance, nongovernmental organizations, and sustainability. All students are required to take research methods course that will equip them with the practical skills needed to ethically investigate and analyze global problems and specific development programs.
This major constitutes the very definition of what it means to change the world. Every course and experience is oriented toward understanding what development means in different parts of the world and how to get there most effectively. Collectively, the major requirements are intended to meet the following objectives and competency areas:
- Intercultural understanding
- Global citizenship and civic engagement
- Leading in a global context
The global development studies program combines academic and practical experiences to produce capable and engaged graduates. The common goals of the distinctly interdisciplinary and integrative curriculum are:
- To prepare students to work for the different types of organizations involved in global issues, such as nonprofits, government agencies, and global institutions.
- To prepare students to seek out and apply for some of the most selective graduate study programs and postgraduate fellowships.
- To encourage students to take a more active and engaged approach to understanding the implications of international events and global conditions.
- To encourage students to develop original and creative solutions to “wicked problems” both at home and abroad.
- To expose students to the complexity of our world and the processes that shape it.
The global development studies major requires a minimum of 45 semester credit hours, including a shared set of core courses with global health studies and an experiential learning component. Students fulfill experiential learning requirements through internships, study or travel abroad, and field research. Research projects are supervised by faculty and can generate a range of products — from the traditional research thesis that can be presented at professional academic conferences to practical and creative initiatives intended to deal with a specific set of challenges.
The combination of international experience, service and engaged learning, critical evaluation, and applied coursework will equip global development studies students with the knowledge and skills required to become caring and committed leaders in a globally interconnected society.
About the Minor
A minor in global development studies consists of 18 semester credit hours, with a minimum of nine hours at the 300 level or above.
View the checklist for the global development studies minor.
Departmental Honors
- Be a declared major in global development studies, global health studies, and/or anthropology.
- Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.30.
- Have a cumulative major GPA of at least 3.50.
- Write a thesis that is approved by a faculty member of the department, with a grade of at least B. This is achieved by enrolling in IGS 402 (Senior Project). The thesis is expected to be an extended, original, coherent work of scholarship on an issue of relevance in the field of global studies.