Global and Foreign Policy Major

Program Director: Catherine Z. Worsnop, Ph.D.

Program Website: https://spp.umd.edu/your-education/undergraduate/bachelor-arts-global-and-foreign-policy

The Global and Foreign Policy major is an interdisciplinary major collaboratively offered by the School of Public Policy, the College of Arts and Humanities (School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures and the Department of History), and the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (Department of Agricultural and Resources Economics). Students enrolled in the major will leverage insights from international policy, history, language and cultural studies, and economics to gain an understanding of the forces shaping global and foreign policy challenges, and options for advancing solutions to such challenges. This interdisciplinary approach is anchored by the belief that diversity in outlook, in research expertise, in background, and beyond will empower students to tackle the grand global challenges of today and tomorrow. To these ends, the major offers (1) foundational classes that equip students with the frameworks, tools, and techniques needed to unpack global and foreign policy debates and solutions, alongside (2) targeted classes enabling students to concentrate in one of three substantive areas (Security, Conflict, Diplomacy; Human Security and Migration; Development and Sustainability). Classroom experience is supplemented by an array of experiential learning opportunities.  Ultimately, the major will prepare students for careers in government, the private sector (especially businesses with a strong global focus), non-profits, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), international institutions, think tanks, and beyond while connecting students to a robust network of partners eager to help them prepare for a career in the global and foreign policy space. 

Program Learning Outcomes

1. Analyze the complexity and range of historical and contemporary global and foreign policy and policymaking challenges.
2. Explain how foreign and global policymaking institutions, processes, and structures shape policy solutions and outcomes.
3. Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of one or more global and foreign policy challenges and solutions, by applying insights and frameworks from different disciplines while engaging relevant policymaking processes.
4. Interrogate how identities - including national, caste, ethnic, gender, racial, religious, socio-economic, political, and beyond - and their intersections shape global and foreign policy challenges and solutions.
5. Examine the role of values, ethics, justice, access, and the structural and systemic sources of (in)equality in and across global and foreign policy domains.
6. Utilize appropriate research tools, analysis, writing, and presentation skills to assess global and foreign policy challenges, and apply these techniques to an experiential learning endeavor to better understand the dynamics of policymaking.
7. Demonstrate a minimum of basic proficiency in a second world language.

Students must earn a minimum grade of C- in all major courses. At least 15 credits must be taken at the 300-level or higher for the major.

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Benchmark requirement: Must be completed within the first 2 semesters in the major.

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Note on Languages: Students will inevitably enter the major with varying familiarity with a second world language.  Given this, the program seeks to ensure that students demonstrate a minimum of a basic proficiency in a second world language. To meet the language requirement, students will take the language placement exam for a chosen language offered by SLLC.  If students place into an elementary or intermediate level of a language, students will take both the appropriate course and the following course in the targeted language sequence (e.g., Spanish 103, followed by Spanish 203).  If students test at a more advanced level, students will speak with an SLLC language advisor to determine an appropriate language course in the sequence (including SLLC electives), or can opt to start a new language; students with AP or IB credit may also receive credit for up to one language course. Finally, students demonstrating native or near-native proficiency may test out of the language requirement and receive credit consistent with existing SLLC/ARHU guidelines (see https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Lk076FdbP8aXNku8kzuKZkkMnQeEZGkI/view).  Please note that some languages may require more than 3 credits per course per semester so the minimum number of credits may exceed 6 for some languages.

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Statistical analysis course options: BMGT230 (AR), CCJS200 (AR), QMMS251 (AR), PSYC200 (AR), SOCY201(AR), or STAT100 (MA & AR).  Students may also petition to receive credit for a statistics or research methods course offered by another unit.

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Benchmark Requirement: Students must declare a track and take the associated anchor course. The anchor course must be completed within the first six semesters in the major.

Tracks

Students will select a track by taking (a) the required anchor course for a given track, and (b) 2 electives linked to that track. A list of available tracks and associated electives can be found here. An additional 2 electives can be taken within the selected track and/or from among other tracks (including other anchor courses). Note that courses taken to meet the language requirement cannot be used as elective credit.

Security, Conflict, and Diplomacy

 Human Security and Migration

 Development and Sustainability

Click here for roadmaps for graduation plans in the School of Public Policy.

Additional information on developing a graduation plan can be found on the following pages:

• http://4yearplans.umd.edu
• the Student Academic Success-Degree Completion Policy section of this catalog