International Studies Program

International Studies is an interdisciplinary program that addresses the principal issues confronting today’s globalizing world, drawing ideas, faculty and courses from a wide range of disciplines.

Majors choose a primary and secondary concentration that will allow them to become familiar with global issues and problems related to culture and the arts, politics and society, international relations, and global political economy.

To further this knowledge and help develop language skills, students will be encouraged to study and/or engage in service abroad.

Why choose international studies?

The major in international studies has many varied and exciting career paths available. Here are just a few fields and types of employers available with a bachelor’s degree in international studies.

Business: domestic and foreign financial institutions, international marketing firms, international trade firms, international transportation, travel, and hospitality industry.
International Relations: relief organizations, religious organizations, educational institutions, consulting firms, research institutes.
Government: United Nations, defense contractors, U.S. Peace Corps, U.S. Foreign Service, USAID, Armed Services.
Non-Profits: private voluntary organizations, humanitarian services, relief organizations.
Language Services: public and private schools abroad, English language institutes, colleges and universities.
Journalism: foreign news agencies, TV networks, wire services, online publishers, academic journals, magazines, museums, freelancing.

Program information

The International Studies Program offers a B.A. in international studies and a minor in international studies.

Bachelor of Arts in international studies

Students majoring in international studies choose a primary and secondary concentration that will allow them to become familiar with global issues and problems related to culture and the arts, politics and society, international relations, and global political economy.

Degree requirements and a four-year plan for the international studies major

Upon successful completion of the International Studies program at St. Bonaventure University, graduates...

... will have learned key concepts and theories appropriate to globalization and international studies.
- Students will understand concepts such as “state”, “nation”, “sovereignty,” “global citizen,” “clash of civilizations,” “cultural hybridity,” “neoliberalism,” “realism,” and “idealism”.
- Using these conceptual tools students will have evaluated the effects of globalizations at the local, regional and transnational levels.
... will have applied these theories and concepts to major problems and issues in international studies.
- Students will have explored major transnational and global trends in two thematic areas including: global culture and the arts; global politics and society; international peace and security; global political economy; and media, globalization, and social change.
- In doing so, students will have become familiar with global problems such as socio-economic inequality, cultural clashes, refugee crises, transnational terrorism and violence, human and drug trafficking, and potential solutions to these problems.
... will have applied an appropriate theoretical framework and research method in an original research project related to their major thematic concentration.
- Students will have demonstrated the ability to apply a research method and theoretical framework in writing a thesis of appropriate length related to their major thematic concentration.
- Students will have articulated their argument and main findings and answered questions about their research in an oral presentation of their project.

Minor in international studies

For non-majors, the international studies minor provides a solid grounding in the fundamentals of International studies to aid in the understanding of their major fields.

Requirements for the International studies minor

SBU students sought for participation in 2021 Marine Energy Collegiate Competition

Nov 11, 2020 | Students interested in the “blue economy,” a growing global concept involving the economic, social and ecological sustainability of the oceans, are being sought to participate in the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2021 Marine Energy Collegiate Competition.

Model UN Club earns second place at international competition

Nov 12, 2019 | St. Bonaventure University’s Model UN Club participated in the Lake Erie International Model United Nations (LEIMUN) competition Nov. 7 to 10, taking second place at the event.

Mary Rose Kubal, St. Bonaventure University

Dr. Mary Rose Kubal

Associate Professor of Political Science

Program Director

(716) 375-2271

Send an email

Plassmann Hall 303