Via Maryland Today / By Gina Driscoll
New Interdisciplinary Program Equips Students to Tackle Challenges Such as War, Migration and Pandemics
The University of Maryland has introduced a new Bachelor of Arts degree program in global and foreign policy to prepare students for careers tackling urgent international challenges in government, the private sector and beyond.
The major combines coursework in public policy, history, language and cultural studies, and economics. Students will gain the skills and knowledge to address complex global issues such as war and diplomacy, migration, human development, pandemics and climate change.
Anchored in the School of Public Policy (SPP), the program is a partnership with the School of Languages, Literatures and Culture and the Department of History in the College of Arts and Humanities, and the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. SPP Associate Professor Catherine Worsnop will serve as faculty director of the new major.
By bringing together expertise from across the university, we are giving our students the intellectual grounding and practical tools to not only understand these challenges, but to lead in shaping the policies and solutions that will define the decades ahead.Gustavo A. Flores-Macías
“The global and foreign policy major reflects the world our students are inheriting—one where conflict, climate, migration and health care are deeply interconnected,” said Gustavo A. Flores-Macías, dean of the School of Public Policy. “By bringing together expertise from across the university, we are giving our students the intellectual grounding and practical tools to not only understand these challenges, but to lead in shaping the policies and solutions that will define the decades ahead.”
Current students can declare the major (including as a double major) starting this spring by contacting SPP's advising team.
The program offers three thematic tracks—Security, Conflict and Diplomacy; Human Security and Migration; and Development and Sustainability—allowing students to delve deeper on issues most relevant to their interests. Each track includes a required anchor course and electives, supplemented by conceptual and skills-based classes from across UMD.
“As faculty director, I am excited to help introduce a major that gives students a deep and interdisciplinary foundation to engage in global policy and the chance to apply their learning in real-world opportunities,” said Worsnop. “That balance of knowledge and application will help to prepare students to make a real difference.”
Professional training, career development and hands-on learning are central to the degree. Students will complete experiential requirements through internships, study abroad or a senior capstone course in which teams work with outside clients on real-world policy challenges. With proximity to Washington, D.C., and Annapolis, students will have access to internships and networking opportunities at the heart of policymaking.
Students will begin to see the major come to life this spring with the first two course offerings: —“War, Peace and Crisis: Foundations of Global and Foreign Policy” (GFPL100/PLCY288P), taught by Associate Professor Joshua Shifrinson of the School of Public Policy, and “Global Order and Policy Structures: Power, Access and Influence” (GFPL102/PLCY288O), taught by Assistant Professor Caroline Ritter of the Department of History. Together, these classes introduce students to the frameworks, debates and historical and contemporary forces that shape global issues, laying the foundation for deeper study across the major’s interdisciplinary curriculum.
Ultimately, they will be positioned to pursue careers in government, international organizations, nonprofit work and the private sector, where global awareness and problem-solving are increasingly vital.
Students interested in pursuing the new major can contact its faculty director, Catherine Worsnop, to learn more.