International Studies Minor

International Studies Minor

International Studies Minor

Students who do not have enough room in their schedules to pursue International Studies as a major or double major may earn an International Studies minor (formally known as "International Studies Concentration"): 18 credit hours, or six courses, from several disciplines related to international studies. The International Studies minor helps to prepare students for careers in an increasingly interdependent world. Students are introduced to a wide range of economic, political and environmental issues and they develop expertise in the culture, history and languages of other parts of the world.

The International Studies minor may be pursued in conjunction with major and other minor programs, and the required courses may also fulfill General Education, Multicultural/Global, Literature, Writing Intensive, or Rowan Seminar requirements. For this minor, students are required to complete 6 courses, or 18 credits:

  • The SECOND semester of a foreign language (or equivalent), e.g. Elementary Spanish II.
  • 5 courses about international studies, at least two of which must be 300-400 level, as listed below:
    • At least 2 core courses
    • 3 additional courses from the Area Studies (African, Asian, Eastern European and Russian, Latin American and Iberian, Middle Eastern and Western European) or core banks. Courses that count towards the core and area studies banks are listed in the Program Guide.
      • At least one course must be from a different department--or Study Abroad as explained below. 

Students wishing to obtain credit for courses not listed in the banks may submit course syllabi to the program coordinator. In general, any course that deals exclusively with global issues and/or the language, culture, or history of any of the listed geographic regions will count, but such decisions are at the discretion of the International Studies coordinator. 

Students are strongly encouraged to pursue Study Abroad in partial fulfillment of the International Studies minor! 

For more information, contact the Education Abroad Office in Hawthorne Hall, third floor, 856-256-4105, studyabroad@rowan.edu. Every Rowan-sanctioned Study Abroad experience will fulfill 3 credit hours toward the area studies requirements--and of course students may also count any courses related to international studies that they take abroad. For purposes of the requirement that students take area studies courses from at least 2 departments, the Study Abroad credits count as a separate department.

Internships in international trade, government, communications, business management and marketing can also provide students with valuable skills and work experience. For information about companies involved in such areas in the southern New Jersey and Philadelphia area, contact the CHSS Match Program. For information about international internship opportunities, click on International Opportunites, especially the link entitled "International Affairs and Foreign Policy Scholarships and Internships in the U.S."; you may also contact your professors, your department, or the International Center.

Program Guide

Program Guide with List of Core and Area Studies Courses