What is International Affairs? 

While there is no one-size-fits-all solution for any global issue, the University of Cincinnati’s international affairs program aims to equip undergraduate students with the necessary, transferrable skills that allow them to examine a broad range of international and global issues using methods and conceptual frameworks from different disciplines.

Housed in the College of Arts  and Sciences, this major combines a wide range of other disciplines such as political science; history; economics; women’s, gender and sexuality studies; journalism; environmental studies; geography; foreign languages, and other areas. 

Students may gain valuable experience in the classroom, as well. As a Research I university, UC offers students the advantage of working with some of the most renowned faculty in the world.

“One class I particularly enjoyed was called International Law taught by Albert Klein, PhD, who is an utmost expert in this field,” Torres-Enriquez said. “The class focuses not only on global and international institutions, but also on how these organizations and different states interact with each other and how that kind of plays into the entire dynamic of global politics.”

Another unique component of international affairs is the foreign language requirement. Students in the program must acquire proficiency in one or more foreign languages, which can help them gain employment with governmental organizations, private companies or employers overseas. Many students end up minoring or double majoring in one or more foreign languages and/or other related disciplines.  

Graduates from the program have gone on to work in some of the following areas:

• Foreign service and diplomacy
• Non-governmental organizations
• Private businesses
• Journalism and public affairs
• Law and human rights
• Intelligence and military affairs
• Foreign languages, education and translation
• Politics
• International organizations
• Public relations

Those who choose to pursue graduate degrees typically focus on the political science aspect of international relations, becoming attorneys, consultants, lobbyists, leaders in private and public corporations, professors, and researchers at colleges and universities. Students who want to stay local have plenty of graduate school options at UC. In fact, one of the anchor programs in UC’s School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA), public administration, rose nine rankings in a recent U.S. News & World Report ranking of graduate school programs.

Preston Parrish graduated from the program in 2019 with minors in history and political science. As a student, he was involved in the Arabic Club, Model U.N. team, and the Roosevelt Institute.

“With the Roosevelt Institute, I helped out my colleagues with financialization research. So, looking at how UC was effectively distributing its budget between the colleges and the administration. Sort of pointing out flaws, critiques and benefits of its different methods,” he said.

Additionally, Parrish was very involved with faculty research. During his senior year, Parrish worked on a capstone project that analyzed the effects of Chinese and American foreign development policy in Sub-Saharan Africa. “I now work for the U.S. Agency for International Development, probably because of that project.”

Parrish plans to work part-time for the agency while also starting his master’s program in media studies at Syracuse University in the fall. 

Featured image at top: Flags outside the United Nations. Credit: Mathias P.R. Reding/Unsplash