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Major · Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies

A wide-angle lens on a connected world

International/Globalization Studies blends history, politics, economics, and language study around global problems. The bachelor’s is broad by design, which is a feature for some students and a frustration for others. Median bachelor’s earnings five years out sit near $57,900.

Schools offering
364
Annual completions
3,967
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$58k

About this major

International/Globalization Studies sits in the multi-/interdisciplinary studies family (CIP 30.2001) and treats global issues — migration, trade, conflict, culture, climate — through the combined lenses of history, political science, economics, and language. The CIP definition frames it as a social-science-anchored program with room for area studies and applied fieldwork. In practice, you will read across disciplines, learn or deepen a foreign language, and often complete a regional concentration or capstone with primary sources.

The major fits students who want a broad analytical foundation rather than a narrow vocational track. It rewards curiosity about how systems connect — why supply chains break in one country and roil politics in another, how migration reshapes urban economies, why a treaty signed in one decade still binds the next. About 364 colleges award credentials in the field, with 3,967 completions nationally; UC San Diego alone graduates 384 bachelor’s students per year, more than the next two programs combined.

Be honest about the bachelor’s ceiling. Median earnings five years out are roughly $57,900, and the two careers the data attaches to this CIP — political scientist and postsecondary social science teacher — both require a master’s or doctorate. Bachelor’s graduates more often land in adjacent roles: nonprofit program staff, government analysts, international account managers, journalists, language-dependent compliance work. Adjacent CIP-30 majors — Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution, Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies General, Biopsychology — share the same breadth-first DNA and similar outcome patterns.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Social sciences teachers, postsecondary, all other $75k +1.7% Doctoral or professional degree
Political scientists $139k -3.1% Master's degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$58k

Who this major is for

Green flags first. You enjoy reading across disciplines and synthesizing what you find — a political theory chapter next to a trade-data table next to a novel in translation. You are willing to commit to a language and a region, not just sample both. You are comfortable with a bachelor’s that opens many doors halfway rather than one door fully, and you have either a clear graduate-school plan or a concrete plan to layer on quantitative, technical, or business skills before you graduate.

Now the cautions. The major underperforms when students treat it as a default for not knowing what they want. The breadth that makes it intellectually rich also makes it easy to graduate without a marketable specialty, and the bachelor’s earnings number — about $57,900 at the five-year mark — reflects that. Skip this major if you want a clear pipeline to a single occupation, if you resist language coursework, or if graduate school is financially out of reach and you need a credential that pays back quickly. The students who succeed long-term tend to pair this degree with a hard skill (data, accounting, computer science via the related Mathematics and Computer Science track) or with serious time spent in their region of focus.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for International/Globalization Studies

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA 0 384 384
The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX 0 202 202
University of California-Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA 0 126 126
Texas A&M University-College Station College Station, TX 0 109 109
University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO 0 99 99
American Public University System Charles Town, WV 0 95 95
Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ 0 92 92
University of California-Irvine Irvine, CA 0 91 91
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI 0 86 86
University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT 0 77 77
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Biological and Physical Sciences

25,374 completions/yr

Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General

8,996 completions/yr

Mathematics and Computer Science

1,125 completions/yr

Systems Science and Theory

472 completions/yr

Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution

314 completions/yr

Biopsychology

189 completions/yr

Gerontology

145 completions/yr

Comprehensive Transition and Postsecondary (CTP) Program

24 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What jobs do graduates actually get with this major?
Entry roles cluster in nonprofit and NGO program work, government and policy support, international business operations, journalism, language-dependent customer or compliance roles, and graduate study. The two career paths the data points to — political scientist and postsecondary social science teacher — both expect a master’s or doctorate, so plan for graduate school if those titles attract you.
How much do bachelor’s graduates earn?
Median earnings five years after graduation sit near $57,900 for bachelor’s holders. That is a solid middle figure, but the ceiling at the bachelor’s level is lower than in finance or engineering. Earnings climb sharply with a graduate degree (JD, MA in international affairs, MPA, MBA) or with a hard regional or language specialization.
Do I need to learn a foreign language?
Most programs require coursework or proficiency in at least one language beyond English. Employers in foreign service, international development, and area-focused business roles weight language fluency heavily. If you stop at the minimum, expect to compete with peers who have lived and worked in their target region.
Where is this major strongest?
Large public research universities dominate completions. UC San Diego graduates the most students by a wide margin (384 bachelor’s degrees), followed by UT Austin (202) and UC Santa Barbara (126). Look for programs with deep area-studies centers, study-abroad partnerships, and a language requirement, since those are the levers that turn the major into a credential employers recognize.
How does this compare to International Relations?
International Relations (CIP 45.0901) is the closest sibling and is listed as a cross-reference. International Relations leans more toward political science, security, and diplomacy. Globalization Studies leans broader, pulling in culture, migration, economics, and area studies. Choose IR if you know you want policy or foreign service; choose this if you want flexibility while you decide.
Is graduate school basically required?
Not required, but it shapes the long-term ceiling. The two careers explicitly tied to this major — political scientist (median $139,380) and postsecondary social science teacher ($75,040) — both demand graduate credentials. Bachelor’s-only graduates often pivot to operations, communications, or business roles that do not specifically reward the major.