BA in International Studies (Self-Designed Major)

Graduation Requirements

To graduate from this program, a student must meet the following requirements:

Completed 48 credit hours of coursework, distributed in the manner described above.

Attained a Grade Point Average of 2.5 or better in USM courses, including a minimum of 2.8 or better in College of Arts & Sciences courses at USM.

Attained grades of C- or higher in all International Studies courses, including courses in foreign language. No course taken on a Pass/Fail basis will count toward this major.

Credit Distribution

The 48 credit hours within the program must be distributed as follows:

24 credit hours taken from the list of approved courses in one of the program’s core departments; Economics, History, or Political Science.

9 credit hours of approved courses in each of the program’s other two core departments. Note that at least two courses taken in economics must be at the 300-level; at least two courses in political science must be at the 200- level; and in history two courses other than Western Civilization I and II must be taken.

6 credit hours of approved courses taken in at least two of the other departments which participate in this program. INS courses, as well as certain COR courses (see below) count toward this requirement as credit from one participating department.

In addition to the courses listed above, students must achieve competency in a foreign language through the third- year level. This competency may be achieved through coursework at USM, through transfer credits from another university, through study abroad, or through background (having lived abroad, being a foreign student, etc.)

In all cases of doubt, the final decision as to whether a student has completed the program’s language requirement rests with the USM Department of Modern Classical Languages & Literatures. Students who can show that they have achieved at least third-level in some language other than English need to take no foreign language courses at USM, although they may do so if they wish. Only courses above third-year level in language will count toward the 48- hour requirement for this major.

Once a year, the director of the International Studies Program will issue a mini-calendar listing all USM courses acceptable for requirements in this major. Students must refer to this calendar when choosing courses. The director may, in rare cases, decide that a course not listed in the mini-calendar could fulfill a particular student’s major requirements. For example, a new COR course with an international focus might qualify as an exception, or some experimental offering under the 199 designation. Exceptions of this sort are unusual; they must be given by the director to the student in writing, with a copy placed in the student’s file.

Those students who wish to undertake independent research projects may do so through the vehicle of Independent Study courses, INS 480 and INS 481 listed in this brochure. Exceptional students will be encouraged to embark on a Senior Thesis.This endeavor will provide six hours of academic credit and will normally result in a sound, scholarly paper of 50+ pages. A final defense of the paper, involving three faculty readers, is required. Students awarded a grade of at least 90 on the thesis will be recognized as having graduated “With Honors in International Studies.”