Skip to main content

Academic Advising

A Partnership For Success

In the College of Arts and Sciences, we believe the student/advisor partnership is vital to success.

International Studies Advising Information

All questions regarding advising for International Studies majors should be directed to: 

  • Vickie Stone
  • International Studies Academic Advisor

* If you're undeclared or have fewer than 27 hours, you'll need to see an Arts & Sciences Advising Center Advisor.)

UNO's International Studies Major (INST), an interdisciplinary Bachelor of Arts degree program, provides undergraduate students with a background in international relations and intercultural communications, as well as career-focused concentrations. The degree is individualized, flexible and marketable. 

Degree Requirements

Follow these guidelines for planning your International Studies degree program. If you have questions, contact Vickie Stone.

General Requirements

The International Studies Major at UNO is an interdisciplinary program that provides a substantial international focus and foundation for professional careers in both the private and public sectors. Among these careers are international management, trade and business, government service, national security and intelligence, nonprofit organizations, and teaching. The program also prepares students for graduate study in a variety of professions, including international business, trade, management, law, teaching, and public affairs.

Foreign Languages

Members of the International Studies Faculty encourage students majoring in International Studies to place significant emphasis on foreign language and the study of other cultures. Many INST majors have a double major or a minor in a foreign language. At a minimum, in order to satisfy the INST foreign language requirement, majors with an Area Studies (AS) Concentration must complete the equivalent of three years of one university-level foreign language (22 Hours) or two years each of two foreign languages (32 Hours). Majors with a Global Strategic Studies (GSS) or Global Management & Business (GMB) Concentration must complete two years of one foreign language (16 Hours) or one year of foreign language (10 Hours) plus a study abroad worth 6 credits. 

Core Curriculum

INST majors must also complete a minimum of 45 credit hours in approved International Studies courses including the following core curriculum: INST 2130, 4140, and 4990 (Global Challenges; Topics in International Studies; and Senior E-Portfolio), GEOG 1000* (Fundamentals of World Regional Geography), PSCI 2210 (International Relations), ECON 2200 (Principles of Micro Economics), and ECON 2220 (Principles of Macro Economics).

*As of Fall 2018, the core curriculum class in Geography changed to Geography 1000, but the previous requirement (GEOG 1020 - Introduction to Human Geography) will continue to be accepted.

College of Arts & Sciences Requirements

A major in International Studies must meet or exceed the requirements for a major as specified by the College of Arts & Sciences, including at least 27 upper division credit hours. Beyond the core courses and foreign language classes, the curriculum for INST majors is constructed of those courses that have an international focus in disciplines such as history, political science, geography/geology, sociology, management, trade and economics, philosophy and religion, English and related courses in the fine arts and humanities.

 

Senior E-Portfolio

The Senior E-Portfolio course is designed to help majors focus on their preparation for entering the workforce upon graduation. The course requirements are loaded into Canvas each semester, and each student will be required to register for this course in the semester in which they plan to graduate. The E-Portfolio generally consists of the following information:

  • Employment history with description of salient experience, such as management or leadership roles, key competencies, areas of responsibility, and major accomplishments
  • A senior or honors thesis or other significant writing efforts completed for upper level courses
  • Description of internships or study abroad experiences
  • Description of outstanding classes and classroom experiences
  • Other experiences that have influenced the student's decision to seek an international career
  • Volunteer and service-learning experiences
  • Other resources that illustrate a student's talents, such as results from the Gallup StrengthsQuest.
  • Link to an electronic portfolio, such as one posted via the myWeb feature at my.unomaha.edu

At least one week prior to finals week and after posting all the required materials in Canvas, each student will schedule an exit interview with the Director of International Studies to complete this course requirement.

Suggested Courses

The following are suggested courses for meeting the INST graduation requirements. Please discuss your specific academic planning needs with an INST advisor. Meet Your Adviser.

Fundamental Competencies

English (6 hours and proficiency): ENGL 1150, ENGL 1160. 

Advanced Writing (3 hours): ENGL 3050 (Writing for the Workplace) is strongly recommended. JMC 2100 + 2104, ENGL 2420 or 3980 and FREN, GERM or SPAN 4040 may also count for this requirement.

Public Speaking (3 hours): CMST 1110 (Public Speaking Fundamentals) is strongly recommended.

Mathematics and Quantitative Literacy (3 hours): Depends on math placement exam results. MATH 1220 (College Algebra) is a pre-requisite for both required core Economics courses. If a student has not selected a minor, an additional Quantitative Literacy course may be required.

General Understanding

World Civilizations I and II: HIST 1000 and 1010 are required if a student has not selected a minor.

Cultural Diversity

U.S. minority culture- It is suggested that the course chosen in satisfaction of the cultural diversity requirement also be a humanities course, since taking a course in this manner may satisfy two requirements at the same time. Courses that count as both a U.S. minority culture and a humanities course are:

  • ART 1010
  • BLST 2260, 2410, 2420, and 2430
  • ENGL 1030, 2230, 2260, and 2490
  • HIST 1110, 1120, 2040, 2050, and 2060
  • HUMN 1110
  • LLS 1020
  • MUS 1070, 1100
  • NAMS 1100
  • WGST 2020

Distribution Requirements

Humanities (9 hours minimum - 12 hours if no minor is selected): 5 hours of humanities requirements may be satisfied with a beginning foreign language class (1110 level). 3 hours may come from the cultural diversity/US minority culture category if the US minority culture requirement has been satisfied with a Humanities course as suggested above. Additional suggestions for the remaining hours follow: ART 1010, 2050 or 2060, MUS 1050, 1070 or 1080, RELI 1010, THEA 1050.

Social Sciences (9 hours minimum - 12 hours if no minor is selected): Most of the INST major core courses count as social science classes (INST 2130; PSCI 2210; GEOG 1000; and ECON 2200). No additional social science courses should be necessary to fulfill the College of Arts & Sciences requirements.

Natural and Physical Sciences (7 hours minimum - 11 hours if no minor is selected): The preferred course sequence for the INST major follows: GEOG 1030 or 1050 (4 hours), GEOG 3510 + 3514 (3+1 if lab is needed); PHYS 1350 + 1354 (3 + 1 if lab is needed); BIOL 1330 (3 hours); NSCI 1050 (3 hours).

Other options are: BIOL 1020 (5 hours); PHYS 1030 and 1034 (4 hours); and GEOL 1010 (3 hours).

If your course plan has deviated from the above, please see an INST advisor to be certain that the requirements are being fulfilled in a timely manner.