Global & International Studies Bachelor’s Degree



Core Knowledge and Skills (9 Hours):

  • GIST 220: Introduction to Global and International Studies
  • HIST 115: French Revolution to the Present: Europe 1789-Present
    or HUM 205: Western Civilization II
  • EURS 500: Seminar in European Studies

Additional Language (3-5 Hours):

Satisfied by completion of one additional foreign language course beyond the 4th semester proficiency language requirement (300 level or above) or any available additional language course (3-5 hours). All language study must be in modern western European languages (e.g. French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Polish, Spanish).

Capstone Coursework (6 Hours):

Satisfied by the completion of the following two courses, with a senior project specifically focused on a European topic.

  • GIST 610 Interdisciplinary Methods for Global Contexts 
  • GIST 698 Capstone Seminar or GIST 699 Capstone Seminar, Honors

Upper-Division General European Electives (6 Hours):

Satisfied by two courses focused on Europe in general at the 300-level or above. The following list shows examples of commonly taught approved electives; speak with the Undergraduate Advisor for GIST for a complete list of approved courses:

  • ECON 535 Economic History of Europe
  • ECON 536 Economic Issues of the European Union          
  • EURS 302 European Culture and Society 1945 to Present
  • EURS 511 Topics in European Studies: _____      
  • EURS 604 The European Union 
  • HA 564 European Art, 1900-1945            
  • HIST 527 Recent European History, 1870 to the Present 
  • HIST 528 Economic History of Europe    
  • PHIL 592 Contemporary Continental Philosophy
  • POLS 652 Politics in Europe        
  • POLS 669 Topics in Comparative Politics: _____ (when covering Europe)
  • POLS 689 Topics in International Relations: (when covering Europe)

Upper-Division National or Regional Electives (9 Hours):

Satisfied by three courses focused on a region or country within Europe at the 300-level or above. The following list shows examples of commonly taught approved electives; speak with the Undergraduate Advisor for GIST for a complete list of approved courses:

  • ECON 563 Current Economic Issues of East Europe          
  • ENGL 309 The British Novel        
  • ENGL 314 Major British Writers after 1800          
  • ENGL 315 Studies in British Literature    
  • ENGL 530 Irish Literature and Culture: _____
  • FREN 152 France and the French             
  • FREN 326 Introduction to French Literature        
  • GERM 315 Magic, Murder, Monsters: German Literature and the Modern Era       
  • GERM 320 Border Crossings in German Culture 
  • GERM 328 The Arts in German-Speaking Europe
  • HIST 341 Hitler and Nazi Germany          
  • HIST 525 France and Its Empire: From Acadia to Zidane  
  • HIST 548 Rise of Modern Britain
  • ITAL 301 Introduction to Italian Literature and Textual Analysis  
  • ITAL 336 Italy and the Italians    
  • POLS 655 Politics of East-Central Europe
  • SPAN 453 Twentieth Century Spanish Studies: _____      
  • SPAN 470 Studies in Spanish Culture and Civilization: _____        

Additional Requirements

Major Hours & Major GPA:

While completing all required courses, majors must also meet each of the
following hour and grade-point average minimum standards:

Major Hours:

Satisfied by 11 units (minimum of 33 credit hours) of major courses.

Overlapping Courses:

Students in the GIST major can overlap relevant coursework with other programs;
however, in order to ensure interdisciplinary breadth, they can only take up to 5 courses offered or cross-listed by any single other academic program.

Major Hours in Residence:

Satisfied by a minimum of 15 hours of KU resident credit in the major.

Major Junior/Senior Hours:

Satisfied by a minimum of 21 hours from junior/senior courses (300+) in the major.

Major Junior/Senior Graduation GPA:

Satisfied by a minimum of a 2.0 KU GPA in junior/senior courses (300+) in the major. GPA calculations include all junior/senior courses in the field of study including F’s and
repeated courses. To calculate GPA, see the Semester/Cumulative GPA Calculator.