Bachelor of Arts International Studies (BA)

Timothy Kidd, Director and Chief Program Advisor
 

The Bachelor of Arts in international studies (BAIS) is an interdisciplinary program that offers students a chance to explore the interrelations among nations and peoples and to study world affairs from a variety of perspectives. The BAIS major and minor center on studies in world languages and cultures, geography, history, and political science. Students have considerable flexibility to structure their academic programs to meet their particular needs and interests or to focus in a variety of geographical or topical fields.

Requirements

Lower-Division General Education

Written Communication: Grade of C or better required in both courses and in ENGL 110C before declaring major.

Language and Culture requirement is satisfied in the major.

Information Literacy and Research requirement is met with GEOG 308 or HIST 201 or POLS 308. 

Interpreting the Past requirement is satisfied in the major.

Literature: WCS 100L is required.

Human Behavior requirement is satisfied in the major.

Upper-Division General Education

• Option A. Approved Minor, 12-24 hours, 3 of which may be in the major area of study; also second degree or second major
• Option B. Interdisciplinary Minor, 12 hours specified by the department, 3 of which may be in the major area of study
• Option C. An approved certification program such as teaching licensure
• Option D. Two Upper-Division Courses from outside the College of Arts and Letters or from the Arts and Humanities Component within the College of Arts and Letters that are not required by the major (6 hours). IS courses and any course listed as an elective choice for the major cannot be used to meet this option.

Requirements for Graduation

Requirements for graduation include the following:

• Minimum of 120 credit hours.
• Minimum of 30 credit hours overall and 12 credit hours of upper-level courses in the major program from Old Dominion University.
• Minimum overall cumulative grade point average of C (2.00) in all courses taken.
• Minimum overall cumulative grade point average of C (2.00) in all courses taken toward the major.
• Minimum overall cumulative grade point average of C (2.00) in all courses taken toward a minor.
• Completion of ENGL 110C, ENGL 211C or ENGL 231C, and the writing intensive (W) course in the major with a grade of C or better. The W course must be taken at Old Dominion University.
• Completion of Senior Assessment.

International Studies Major

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Grade of C or better required.

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A minimum of six credits in the same language beyond the 12 credit hours required for the Bachelor of Arts or demonstrated proficiency to that level as approved by the chair of the Department of World Languages and Cultures.  Only when the additional six credit hours (third year) are not available at Old Dominion University will a student be allowed to take these six hours in a different language. Native speakers of languages other than English are not required to fulfill the language requirement upon presentation of a passing TOEFL score.

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15 credit hours of 300- or 400-level approved electives. Three hours must be taken in a discipline other than geography, history or political science. Approved courses appear on the "Approved List of Courses for International Studies" available from the program director at tkidd@odu.edu. Additional courses with an international focus may be approved by the program director. Up to six credits may be taken through participation in a model international organization (Model United Nations). Three hours of an approved practicum may count toward the major.

Elective Credit

Elective credit will be needed to meet the minimum requirement of 120 credit hours.

Study Abroad/International Experience

Study abroad or international experience is encouraged for international studies majors, and Old Dominion University credit is available for study abroad programs. The Office of Study Abroad offers information, advising services and scholarships for enrolled students.

Honors Program in International Studies

Students may earn honors in the major by fulfilling all the degree requirements and meeting the honors requirements indicated below. The requirements for honors do not increase the credit hours necessary for the major. The requirements are as follows:

1. Attain an overall grade point average of 3.25.
2. Attain a grade point average in the major of 3.5.
3. Earn honors in nine hours of courses in the major at the 300/400 level, with no more than six hours taken from the same instructor.

Degree Program Guide

The Degree Program Guide is a suggested curriculum to complete this degree program in four years.  It is just one of several plans that will work and is presented only as broad guidance to students. Each student is strongly encouraged to develop a customized plan in consultation with their academic advisor.  Additional information can also be found in Degree Works. 

Linked BA/MA Program in International Studies

Qualified students can apply for admission to the linked BA/MA graduate degree program in international studies. The program allows exceptional students to count up to 12 credit hours of international studies courses toward both an undergraduate and graduate degree. Students must earn a minimum of 150 credit hours (120 discrete credits for the undergraduate degree and 30 discrete credits for the graduate degree).

Requirements for Admission

Requirements for admission are:

1. A declared major in the BA program in international studies (BAIS).
2. A minimum of 60 hours completed, including at least six hours of 300/400 courses in the major.
3. A minimum GPA of 3.5 at the time of application.
4. Application to the linked BA/MA program in international studies, approved by both the BA and MA directors.
5. Take the GRE during the last semester of BAIS work with an expected minimum score of 1100 (verbal and quantitative totals).
6. Complete an application form for Old Dominion University graduate admission. Students specializing in a region (e.g. Asia, Latin America, etc.) are encouraged to complete a minor at the undergraduate level.

Program Requirements

Students pursuing the linked BA/MA program will fulfill all lower-level General Education requirements that have been approved for the BAIS and meet the requirements to earn a BA in international studies.

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A minimum of six credits beyond the requirement for the Bachelor of Arts (preferably in the language pursued for the BA) or demonstrated proficiency to that level as approved by the chair of the Department of World Languages and Cultures. Current language offerings include: Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Russian, and Spanish.

Native speakers of a language other than English may ask for a waiver. To be considered a native speaker, a student must be admitted to Old Dominion University with a passing TOEFL score.

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Students select one course that links culture to other aspects of international studies in an integrative, interdisciplinary way. Examples are World Cultural Studies (WCS) literature and film courses, English World Literature courses, and other culturally focused, international, interdisciplinary courses, and those from disciplines other than GEOG, HIST, and POLS as available and approved by the BAIS director.

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An overall GPA of at least 3.00 is required in these courses.

The BA in international studies will be awarded on completion of 120 credit hours including all the preceding courses and other University requirements for graduation.

Master of Arts Requirements

After obtaining the BA in international studies, students must complete the following:

1. Four graduate courses in one of the following fields of concentration (instead of the three required for MA students): international relations/U.S. foreign policy; conflict and cooperation; international political economy and development; and interdependence and transnationalism.
2. Two electives at the 600 level or above. At least one should have a regional focus (e.g. Europe, Asia, Middle East, Latin America).

The MA in international studies requires 18 credits beyond the four Bridge Courses (the MAIS core courses). It is anticipated that a student who has completed the BAIS could thus take three courses in the fall and spring semesters. There will be no thesis option.

Additional Requirements

Students in the linked BA/MA program must also complete the following:

1. Fulfill the BAIS language requirement (which also fulfills MAIS requirements).
2. Take the GRE during the last semester of BAIS work with a minimum expected score of 1100 (verbal and quantitative totals).
3. Have an overall GPA of 3.00 in the seven core undergraduate courses and at least a GPA of 3.00 in the four Bridge courses (MAIS core courses).
4. Maintain an overall GPA of 3.00. (Students failing to maintain a 3.00 GPA may revert to the regular BAIS degree and count up to 12 hours of completed graduate core courses toward the BAIS.)
5. Complete an application form for Old Dominion University graduate admission. Students specializing in a region (e.g. Asia, Latin America, etc.) are encouraged to complete a minor at the undergraduate level.

Additional Explanations

1. Students interested in the BA/MA program will be advised as early as possible, and admitted students will start the program during their Junior year in order to meet all the requirements. Thus, students may apply for admission to the linked program after they have earned 60 credits (including at least six hours of 300/400 courses in the major). Applications can be filed with the undergraduate director on or before April 1 for admission in the following Fall semester and on or before November 1 for admission in the following Spring semester. Notifications of acceptance to students will be forwarded by May 1 and December 1, respectively.
2. Students fulfill the BAIS language requirement (which also fulfills MAIS requirements).
3. Students will receive the BA degree after fulfilling all the requirements for the undergraduate degree. Students whose overall GPA drops below a 3.00 before attaining the BA degree can revert to the regular BAIS program and count any graduate credits they may have earned toward the BAIS. Students with a GPA of less than 3.00 at the end of their fourth year will not be permitted to continue toward the MA degree.
4. Students in the linked program must meet the BAIS requirement that students must receive a minimum grade of C (2.00) in the following undergraduate courses:

   Course List

   Code	Title	Credit Hours
   ENGL 110C	English Composition	3
   ENGL 211C	Writing, Rhetoric, and Research	3
   GEOG 100S	Human Geography	3
   POLS 100S	Introduction to International Politics	3
   or POLS 102S	Introduction to Comparative Government and Politics
   ECON 201S	Principles of Macroeconomics	3
   Select one of the following:		3
   HIST 100H	Interpreting the World Past Since 1500
   HIST 101H	Interpreting the Asian Past
   HIST 102H	Interpreting the European Past
   HIST 103H	Interpreting the Latin America Past
   HIST 105H	Interpreting the African Past
   Not accepted for the major:
   HIST 104H	Interpreting the American Past

5. Please refer to the Graduate Catalog for additional information on the MA in international studies as well as the doctoral program in international studies.

BA or BS to MBA (Master of Business Administration) Linked Program

The linked BA/MBA or BS/MBA program is an early entry to the MBA program of study.  The early-entry program is designed for well qualified non-business undergraduate ODU students to start their MBA program prior to completing their undergraduate degree.  Well qualified non-business undergraduate students may take MBA-level courses as early as three semesters prior to graduation and count up to 12 graduate credits toward their undergraduate degree.  Students participating in the early-entry program must earn a minimum of 150 credit hours (120 discrete credit hours for the undergraduate degree and 30 discrete credit hours for the graduate degree).  Early-entry program students should carefully consider their undergraduate degree program requirements when planning their course of study.  Students in the early-entry program work in close consultation with the MBA Program Office and should refer to information in the Strome College of Business section in the graduate catalog to develop an individualized plan of study based on the required coursework.

BA or BS to MPA (Master of Public Administration) Linked Program

The linked BA/MPA or BS/MPA program provides qualified Old Dominion University undergraduate students with the opportunity to earn a master's degree in public administration while taking credits in the MPA program as an undergraduate student.  The program is designed for highly motivated students with the desire to immediately continue their education after the bachelor's degree.  The program is especially relevant to individuals seeking to work (or currently working) in the public or non-profit sectors, but is suitable for students from any undergraduate major.  Graduate courses may be taken during the fall and spring semester of the student's senior undergraduate year.  Up to 12 graduate credits can count toward both the undergraduate and graduate degree and can meet upper-level General Education requirements. After receiving the undergraduate degree, a student will continue with the MPA program, taking MPA courses until completing the required 39 credit hours. Students in the linked program must earn a minimum of 150 credit hours (120 discrete credit hours for the undergraduate degree and 30 discrete credit hours for the graduate degree).

Requirements for admission to the graduate program can be found in the School of Public Service section of the Graduate Catalog.  For additional information, please contact the School of Public Service in the Strome College of Business.