Group of students posing for a photo in front of Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate, with other visitors in the background.

Berlin, Germany

Four students smiling in the foreground with the Taj Mahal in the background, surrounded by other visitors on the grounds.

Taj Mahal, India

Credit: Christie Chea ’13

Smiling student posing beside a chain-link fence as a sloth stretches across the top of the fence with its limbs extended.

Panama

Credit: Rachelle Brown ’13

Three students smiling outdoors in front of an ornate tiled archway with Moroccan-style geometric patterns.

Morocco

Credit: Bryan Fotino ’20

Two students smiling outdoors in winter coats and scarves, standing in front of a long reflecting canal lined with bare trees.

ChÉteau de Fontainebleau, France

Credit: Contessa Mwedzi ’13

The International Studies Program provides a solid multidisciplinary grounding in the study of global interdependence. Students build core knowledge of international social sciences, become fluent in at least one language, and develop strengths in at least two traditional disciplines.

Participating faculty members include professors from many departments, including Anthropology, Chemistry, Chinese and Japanese, Economics, French and Francophone Studies, German Studies, Hispanic Studies, History, Political Science, and Sociology.

The International Studies Program at Vassar College is multidisciplinary in nature. The resulting framework allows students, in close consultation with the director and panel of advisors, to design their own distinct course of study at the beginning of sophomore year.

Although the International Studies Major is flexible, there are specific requirements for majors to follow to ensure a coherent plan of study. Majors must complete work at the advanced seminar level in two departments in addition to course work at the intermediate level in at least one other department, and complete a thesis by the end of senior year. In addition, our majors must demonstrate proficiency in a language corresponding to the geographic area selected by the student as his or her area of focus.

To ensure the effectiveness of their proposed course work, International Studies majors consult regularly with professors. For the senior thesis, majors work with two advisors from different departments.

A burgundy design with the words "The Vassar Institute: The Global Collaborative for the Liberal Arts" in white, superimposed over a photo of a desktop globe.

The Global Collaborative for the Liberal Arts seeks to build capacity for institutions of higher education as they integrate liberal arts content and pedagogy into their degree programs. Read more →.