Bachelor of Arts (BA) Degree with a Major in Global Affairs
Program Learning Outcomes for the Bachelor of Arts (BA) Degree with a Major in Global Affairs
Upon completing the BA degree with a major in Global Affairs, students will have:
- Developed a broad understanding of global affairs as the interdisciplinary study of how global, regional, and local phenomena are interconnected. (Substantive Knowledge)
- Learned how to choose responsibly and creatively from a menu of theoretical frameworks and methodologies to critically evaluate global public policy problems. (Critical Thinking)
- Gained a deep understanding of the diverse organizations and movements through which globally minded individuals strive to have an impact. (Citizenship)
- Developed and refined their ability to communicate and to persuade in written, oral, and visual formats in more than one language. (Communication)
Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts (BA) Degree with a Major in Global Affairs
For general university requirements, see Graduation Requirements. Students pursuing the BA degree with a major in Social Policy Analysis must complete:
- A minimum of 17 courses (51 credit hours) to satisfy major requirements.
- A minimum of 120 credit hours required to satisfy degree requirements.
- A minimum of 5 courses (15 credit hours) taken at the 300-level or above.
- A maximum of 2 courses (6 credit hours) from study abroad or transfer credit. For additional program guidelines regarding transfer credit, see the Policies tab.
The courses listed below satisfy the requirements for this major. In certain instances, courses not on this official list may be substituted upon approval of the major’s academic advisor or, where applicable, the department's Director of Undergraduate Studies. (Course substitutions must be formally applied and entered into Degree Works by the major's Official Certifier.) Students and their academic advisors should identify and clearly document the courses to be taken.
Summary
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Total Credit Hours Required for the Major in Global Affairs | 51 | |
| Total Credit Hours Required for the BA Degree with a Major in Global Affairs | 120 | |
Degree Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | ||
| GLBE 2XX | 3 | |
| HIST 249 | GLOBALIZATION IN WORLD HISTORY | 3 |
| POLI 211 | INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS | 3 |
| POLI 212 | INTRODUCTION TO COMPARATIVE POLITICS | 3 |
| Elective Requirements | ||
| Select a total of 8 courses from the Areas of Specialization listed below. At least 1 course must be taken from each of the 3 Areas of Specialization (see course lists below): | 24 | |
Global Order, Peace, and Conflict | ||
Global Wealth and Sustainability | ||
Regional Communities and Identities | ||
| Language Requirement | ||
| Select 4 courses from a single language other than English (see course list below) 1 | 12 | |
| Capstone Requirement | ||
| GLBE 4XX | 3 | |
| Total Credit Hours Required for the Major in Global Affairs | ||
| Additional Credit Hours to Complete Degree Requirements * | 38 | |
| University Graduation Requirements * | 31 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 120 | |
Footnotes and Additional Information
| * | Note: University Graduation Requirements include 31 credit hours, comprised of Distribution Requirements (Groups I, II, and III), FWIS, and LPAP coursework. In some instances, courses satisfying FWIS or distribution requirements may additionally meet other requirements, such as the Analyzing Diversity (AD) requirement, or some of the student’s declared major, minor, or certificate requirements. Additional Credit Hours to Complete Degree Requirements include general electives, coursework completed as upper-level, residency (hours taken at Rice), and/or any other additional academic program requirements. |
| 1 | Students must develop language proficiency in a single language other than English by taking at least 4 courses (12 credit hours) in one of the following language course offerings: Arabic (ARAB), Chinese (CHIN), French (FREN), German (GERM), Hebrew (HEBR), Italian (ITAL), Japanese (JAPA), Korean (KORE), Portuguese (PORT), or Spanish (SPAN). Students who attain advanced proficiency or fluency in a language other than English before completing at least 4 language courses (12 credit hours) will substitute coursework that covers a country or region in which said language is spoken. Approved coursework in Arabic (ARAB), Chinese (CHIN), French (FREN), German (GERM), Hebrew (HEBR), Italian (ITAL), Japanese (JAPA), Korean (KORE), Portuguese (PORT), or Spanish (SPAN) may be used to fulfill up to 2 courses (6 credit hours) of the 8 courses (24 credit hours) in the Elective Requirements. Please consult a Global Affairs major advisor for questions regarding this option. See course lists below. |
Course Lists to Satisfy Requirements
Elective Requirements
Students must complete a total of 8 courses (24 credit hours) from the Areas of Specialization listed below as electives. At least 1 course (3 credit hours) must be taken from each of the 3 Areas of Specialization. The remaining 5 courses (15 credit hours) may be taken from any of the Areas of Specialization. Below is an illustrative list of courses. Student may consult with the major advisor to apply courses not on this list.
Area of Specialization: Global Order, Peace, and Conflict
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ANTH 316 | BLACK DECOLONIAL FEMINISMS IN THE AMERICAS | 3 |
| ANTH 317 | REVOLUTIONS AND UTOPIAS | 3 |
| ANTH 379 | WHAT IS THE GLOBAL SOUTH? | 3 |
| ANTH 430 | WHEN HUMAN RIGHTS FAIL: THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF HUMAN RIGHTS | 3 |
| ANTH 431 | GLOBAL INDIGENOUS POLITICS | 3 |
| ASIA 242 | CHINA’S FOREIGN RELATIONS, 1500-PRESENT: FROM THE CELESTIAL EMPIRE TO AN ECONOMIC POWERHOUSE | 3 |
| ASIA 244 | KOREA AND EMPIRES: FROM THE MONGOLS TO THE COLD WAR | 3 |
| ASIA 368 | THE AGE OF ISLAMIC EMPIRE | 3 |
| ENGL 222 | THE WORLD AND SOUTH ASIA | 3 |
| ENGL 398 | SLAVERY IN 20TH AND 21ST CENTURY FILM AND FICTION | 3 |
| HART 367 | ARCHITECTURES OF POWER, RESISTANCE, AND COEXISTENCE: A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE | 3 |
| HIST 345 | THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES' ENGAGEMENT WITH ASIA, 1780 TO THE PRESENT | 3 |
| HIST 358 | HUMANITARIANISM FROM THE 19TH CENTURY TO THE PRESENT | 3 |
| HIST 359 | THE UNITED STATES IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY WORLD | 3 |
| HIST 408 | THE JAPANESE EMPIRE | 3 |
| HIST 412 | EMPIRE AND INTERNATIONAL LAW | 3 |
| HIST 428 | MODERN SLAVERY AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING: GLOBAL AND LOCAL | 3 |
| HIST 429 | BORDERLANDS HISTORY | 3 |
| HIST 435 | SLAVE REBELLIONS IN THE ATLANTIC WORLD | 3 |
| HIST 455 | THE HISTORY OF HUMAN RIGHTS | 3 |
| POLI 319 | WORLD LEGAL SYSTEMS | 3 |
| POLI 369 | PROTEST, RESISTANCE, AND GOVERNMENT RESPONSE | 3 |
| POLI 371 | CIVIL WARS | 3 |
| POLI 372 | AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY | 3 |
| POLI 373 | WAR AND POLITICS | 3 |
| POLI 375 | INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION | 3 |
| POLI 469 | CIVIL WAR AND TERRORISM | 3 |
| POLI 471 | PROTEST AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE | 3 |
| POLI 472 | AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY | 3 |
| POLI 478 | US - CHINA: CONFLICT AND COOPERATION | 3 |
Area of Specialization: Global Wealth and Sustainability
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ANTH 307 | THE GLOBAL LIFE OF CORPORATIONS | 3 |
| ANTH 340 | NEOLIBERALISM AND GLOBALIZATION | 3 |
| ANTH 357 | CONSERVATION, INDIGENEITY, DISPLACEMENT | 3 |
| ANTH 372 | CULTURES OF CAPITALISM | 3 |
| ANTH 377 | SOUTH ASIAN ECOLOGIES | 3 |
| ECON 203 | MACROECONOMICS | 3 |
| ECON 355 | FINANCIAL MARKETS | 3 |
| ECON 365 | WORLD ECONOMIC HISTORY | 3 |
| ECON 422 | INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS AND FINANCE | 3 |
| ECON 450 | ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT | 3 |
| ECON 460 | ADVANCED TOPICS IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT | 3 |
| HART 408 | EXTRACTIVE ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM IN LATIN AMERICA | 3 |
| LALX 350 | PIRATES, REBELS, NARCOS: LATIN AMERICAN OUTLAWS IN THE POLITICAL-CULTURAL IMAGINATION | 3 |
| POLI 324 | FROM DECOLONIZATION TO GLOBALIZATION | 3 |
| POLI 364 | GLOBAL POLITICAL ECONOMY | 3 |
| POLI 456 | GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT | 3 |
| POLI 463 | HOW TO MAKE AND BREAK GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAINS | 3 |
| POLI 467 | THE POLITICS OF GLOBAL MIGRATION AND REFUGEES | 3 |
| RELI 328 | RELIGION AND GLOBAL POVERTY | 3 |
| SMGT 396 | THE OLYMPIC GAMES | 3 |
Area of Specialization: Regional Communities and Identities
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ANTH 402 | US-MEXICO RESEARCH EXPERIENCE | 3 |
| ASIA 213 | TRANSNATIONAL ART AND CULTURE IN ASIA BEFORE THE TWENTIETH CENTURY | 3 |
| ASIA 223 | SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES | 3 |
| ASIA 229 | MODERN EAST ASIA: CULTURE, HISTORY, AND SOCIETY | 3 |
| ASIA 260 | ASIAN RELIGIOUS ENVIRONMENTS | 3 |
| ASIA 295 | INTRODUCTION TO TRANSNATIONAL ASIAN STUDIES | 3 |
| ASIA 310 | ASIAN BORDERLANDS: FROM FRONTIERS TO BORDERED LANDS | 3 |
| ASIA 328 | MODERN GIRL AND ASIA IN THE WORLD | 3 |
| ASIA 342 | EAST ASIAN ORTHODOXIES AND HERESIES: LAW AND SOCIETY IN TRADITIONAL CHINA, KOREA, AND VIETNAM | 3 |
| ASIA 360 | TRANSNATIONAL CHINA: CHINA AND THE CHINESE DIASPORA | 3 |
| ENGL 381 | TOPICS IN WOMEN WRITERS | 3 |
| ENGL 383 | GLOBAL FICTIONS | 3 |
| ENGL 397 | TOPICS IN LITERATURE AND CULTURE | 3 |
| HART 265 | A VISUAL CULTURE TRAVELOGUE: ART AND POLITICS IN MODERN LATIN AMERICA | 3 |
| HART 309 | CONTEMPORARY ART OF AFRICA | 3 |
| HART 314 | POLITICS OF CULTURAL HERITAGE IN THE MODERN MIDDLE EAST, 1800 TO THE PRESENT | 3 |
| HART 318 | AFRICAN DIASPORA STUDIES: IMAGE & THEORY | 3 |
| HART 329 | RACE AND ART IN MODERN LATIN AMERICA | 3 |
| HART 338 | HART IN THE WORLD SPRING SEMINAR | 3 |
| HART 372 | CHINESE ART AND THE WORLD | 3 |
| HIST 221 | UNITED STATES AND LATIN AMERICAN RELATIONS | 3 |
| HIST 223 | FREEDOM AND STRUGGLE IN MODERN AFRICA | 3 |
| HIST 225 | EUROPE SINCE 1945 | 3 |
| HIST 227 | LATIN AMERICAN CULTURAL TRADITIONS | 3 |
| HIST 228 | MODERN LATIN AMERICA | 3 |
| HIST 237 | RADICAL MOVEMENTS IN THE AMERICAS | 3 |
| HIST 256 | EUROPEAN POLITICS AND SOCIETY, 1890-1945 | 3 |
| HIST 257 | AUTHORITARIANISM: FROM THE EARLY MODERN ERA TO THE PRESENT | 3 |
| HIST 312 | ENVIRONMENT, MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH IN LATIN AMERICA | 3 |
| HIST 319 | ATOMIC AMERICA | 3 |
| HIST 354 | RACE AND ETHNICITY IN LATIN AMERICA | 3 |
| HIST 374 | JEWISH HISTORY, 1500-1948 | 3 |
| HIST 378 | MODERN ARAB HISTORY | 3 |
| LALX 158 | INTRODUCTION TO LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES | 3 |
| LALX 330 | SUBVERSIVE STORYTELLING IN LATINX TV & FILM | 3 |
| LALX 378 | LATIN AMERICAN POLITICAL THOUGHT: IDENTITY, LIBERATION, MODERNITY | 3 |
| LALX 390 | RECLAIMING THE FUTURE: CONTEMPORARY TECHNOLOGY, CULTURE & SOCIETY IN LATIN AMERICA | 3 |
| LING 205 | LANGUAGE AND SOCIETY | 3 |
| LING 304 | APPLIED SOCIOLINGUISTICS IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH | 3 |
| LING 419 | MULTILINGUALISM | 3 |
| POLI 333 | LEGISLATURES AROUND THE WORLD | 3 |
| POLI 354 | LATIN AMERICAN POLITICS | 3 |
| POLI 356 | POLITICAL REPRESENTATION IN CONTEMPORARY DEMOCRACIES | 3 |
| POLI 366 | SOUTH ASIAN POLITICS | 3 |
| POLI 392 | JERUSALEM | 3 |
| POLI 457 | CONDITIONS OF DEMOCRACY | 3 |
| POLI 466 | POLITICAL PARTIES AND VOTING BEHAVIOR IN WESTERN DEMOCRACIES | 3 |
| RELI 338 | THE CHURCH OF AFRICA | 3 |
| RELI 348 | CHRISTIANITY AND ISLAM IN AFRICA | 3 |
| RELI 356 | MAJOR ISSUES IN CONTEMPORARY ISLAM | 3 |
| RELI 424 | RELIGION AND POLITICS IN AFRICA | 3 |
| SOCI 340 | SOCIOLOGY OF IMMIGRATION | 3 |
Language Requirements
Student must complete a minimum of 4 courses (12 credit hours) as Electives from approved language course offerings in a single language other than English from the following subject codes: Arabic (ARAB), Chinese (CHIN), French (FREN), German (GERM), Hebrew (HEBR), Italian (ITAL), Japanese (JAPA), Korean (KORE), Portuguese (PORT), or Spanish (SPAN).1
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ARAB 141 | FIRST YEAR ARABIC I | 3 |
| ARAB 142 | FIRST YEAR ARABIC II | 3 |
| ARAB 263 | SECOND YEAR ARABIC I | 3 |
| ARAB 264 | SECOND YEAR ARABIC II | 3 |
| ARAB 301 | THIRD YEAR ARABIC I | 3 |
| ARAB 302 | THIRD YEAR ARABIC II | 3 |
| ARAB 354 | CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF MEDIA ARABIC | 3 |
| CHIN 141 | FIRST YEAR CHINESE I | 3 |
| CHIN 142 | FIRST YEAR CHINESE II | 3 |
| CHIN 206 | ACCELERATED SECOND-YEAR CHINESE FOR HERITAGE LEARNERS | 3 |
| CHIN 263 | SECOND YEAR CHINESE I | 3 |
| CHIN 264 | SECOND YEAR CHINESE II | 3 |
| CHIN 301 | THIRD YEAR CHINESE I | 3 |
| CHIN 302 | THIRD YEAR CHINESE II | 3 |
| CHIN 311 | ACCELERATED INTERMEDIATE CHINESE I | 3 |
| CHIN 312 | ACCELERATED INTERMEDIATE CHINESE II | 3 |
| CHIN 319 | SPECIAL TOPICS: ADVANCED CHINESE I | 3 |
| CHIN 332 | MODERN CHINESE LITERATURE AND ITS MOVIE ADAPTATIONS | 3 |
| CHIN 334 | TRADITIONAL CHINESE TALES AND SHORT STORIES | 3 |
| CHIN 401 | FOURTH YEAR CHINESE I | 3 |
| CHIN 402 | FOURTH YEAR CHINESE II | 3 |
| CHIN 422 | THE ORIGINAL BEAUTY OF CHINESE LITERATURE | 3 |
| FREN 141 | FIRST YEAR FRENCH I | 3 |
| FREN 142 | FIRST YEAR FRENCH II | 3 |
| FREN 263 | SECOND YEAR FRENCH I | 3 |
| FREN 264 | SECOND YEAR FRENCH II | 3 |
| FREN 307 | THE MANY FACETS OF FRENCH CULTURAL IDENTITY | 3 |
| FREN 312 | THE FRENCH REVOLUTION TO WWII | 3 |
| FREN 319 | FRANCE: THE SOCCER EMPIRE | 3 |
| FREN 321 | INTRODUCTION TO FRENCH SOCIETY AND CULTURE | 3 |
| FREN 324 | FROM DECOLONIZATION TO GLOBALIZATION | 3 |
| FREN 337 | SHAKESPEARE IN THE CARIBBEAN: POST/COLONIAL READINGS | 3 |
| FREN 340 | GENDER AROUND THE WORLD | 3 |
| FREN 354 | VOICES OF HAITI | 3 |
| FREN 402 | GLOBAL FRENCH CINEMA (IN ENGLISH) | 3 |
| FREN 413 | BLACK VENUS/VÉNUS NOIRE: REPRESENTATIONS OF BLACK WOMEN IN THE LONG 19TH CENTURY | 3 |
| FREN 414 | SEX AND RACE IN THE FRENCH ATLANTIC | 3 |
| FREN 451 | AMERICA THROUGH FRENCH EYES | 3 |
| FREN 453 | IMMIGRATION AND CITIZENSHIP IN CONTEMPORARY FRANCE | 3 |
| FREN 478 | THE FRENCH CARIBBEAN | 3 |
| GERM 141 | FIRST YEAR GERMAN I | 3 |
| GERM 142 | FIRST YEAR GERMAN II | 3 |
| GERM 263 | SECOND YEAR GERMAN I | 3 |
| GERM 264 | SECOND YEAR GERMAN II | 3 |
| GERM 305 | CURRENT ISSUES IN SOCIETY, POLITICS, AND CULTURE IN GERMAN | 3 |
| GERM 324 | BERLIN: RESIDENCE, METROPOLIS, CAPITAL | 3 |
| GERM 334 | NATIONALISM AND CITIZENSHIP | 3 |
| GERM 336 | NATIONAL SOCIALISM AND FILM | 3 |
| HEBR 141 | FIRST YEAR HEBREW I | 3 |
| HEBR 142 | FIRST YEAR HEBREW II | 3 |
| ITAL 106 | ACCELERATED FIRST YEAR ITALIAN | 3 |
| ITAL 141 | FIRST YEAR ITALIAN I | 3 |
| ITAL 142 | FIRST YEAR ITALIAN II | 3 |
| ITAL 263 | SECOND YEAR ITALIAN I | 3 |
| ITAL 264 | SECOND YEAR ITALIAN II | 3 |
| ITAL 301 | THIRD YEAR ITALIAN I | 3 |
| ITAL 302 | THIRD YEAR ITALIAN II | 3 |
| JAPA 141 | FIRST YEAR JAPANESE I | 3 |
| JAPA 142 | FIRST YEAR JAPANESE II | 3 |
| JAPA 263 | SECOND YEAR JAPANESE I | 3 |
| JAPA 264 | SECOND YEAR JAPANESE II | 3 |
| JAPA 301 | THIRD YEAR JAPANESE I | 3 |
| JAPA 302 | THIRD YEAR JAPANESE II | 3 |
| JAPA 401 | FOURTH YEAR JAPANESE I | 3 |
| JAPA 402 | FOURTH YEAR JAPANESE II | 3 |
| KORE 106 | ACCELERATED FIRST YEAR KOREAN | 3 |
| KORE 141 | FIRST YEAR KOREAN I | 3 |
| KORE 263 | SECOND YEAR KOREAN I | 3 |
| KORE 264 | SECOND YEAR KOREAN II | 3 |
| KORE 301 | THIRD YEAR KOREAN I | 3 |
| KORE 302 | THIRD YEAR KOREAN II | 3 |
| KORE 401 | CURRENT ISSUES IN KOREA THROUGH MULTIMODAL TEXTS | 3 |
| KORE 402 | KOREAN FOR BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONALS | 3 |
| PORT 106 | ACCELERATED FIRST YEAR PORTUGUESE FOR SPANISH SPEAKERS | 3 |
| PORT 206 | ACCELERATED SECOND YEAR PORTUGUESE FOR SPANISH SPEAKERS | 3 |
| PORT 301 | THIRD YEAR PORTUGUESE I | 3 |
| PORT 302 | BRASIL: CULTURA E SOCIEDADE | 3 |
| SPAN 141 | FIRST YEAR SPANISH I | 3 |
| SPAN 142 | FIRST YEAR SPANISH II | 3 |
| SPAN 204 | SPANISH FOR HERITAGE STUDENTS II | 3 |
| SPAN 263 | SECOND YEAR SPANISH I | 3 |
| SPAN 264 | SECOND YEAR SPANISH II | 3 |
| SPAN 303 | SPANISH FOR HERITAGE STUDENTS III | 3 |
| SPAN 321 | SPECIAL TOPICS: ADVANCED SPANISH I | 3 |
| SPAN 322 | SPECIAL TOPICS: ADVANCED SPANISH II | 3 |
| SPAN 323 | SPANISH PROFESSIONAL PRACTICUM I | 3 |
| SPAN 328 | GAZING AT DISASTER: VISUAL CULTURE AND CATASTROPHE IN LATIN AMERICA | 3 |
| SPAN 335 | ASIAN LATIN(X) AMERICAN ENCOUNTERS | 3 |
| SPAN 350 | DIALECTS IN CONTACT: SEARCHING FOR THE "INTERNATIONAL" FORM OF SPANISH | 3 |
| SPAN 356 | RACE, GENDER, CLASS, & ENVIRONMENT IN CENTRAL AMERICAN CULTURES | 3 |
| SPAN 392 | A REVOLUTION FROM WITHIN: TRENDS IN CONTEMPORARY CUBAN CULTURE | 3 |
| SPAN 396 | CHICANO/A LITERATURE | 3 |
| SPAN 402 | THE CITY IN LATIN AMERICA | 3 |
| SPAN 406 | LATIN AMERICAN CINEMA: HISTORY, THEORY AND CRITICISM | 3 |
| SPAN 434 | LANGUAGE IDEOLOGIES AND LANGUAGE IDENTITIES | 3 |
| SPAN 451 | WITNESSING, TRUTH & TRAUMA: TESTIMONIAL WRITING IN MEXICO & CENTRAL AMERICA | 3 |
| SPAN 453 | BORDER NARRATIVES | 3 |
Footnotes and Additional Information
| 1 | Students must develop language proficiency in a single language other than English by taking at least 4 courses (12 credit hours) in one of the following language course offerings: Arabic (ARAB), Chinese (CHIN), French (FREN), German (GERM), Hebrew (HEBR), Italian (ITAL), Japanese (JAPA), Korean (KORE), Portuguese (PORT), or Spanish (SPAN). Students who attain advanced proficiency or fluency in a language other than English before completing at least 4 language courses (12 credit hours) will substitute coursework that covers a country or region in which said language is spoken. Approved coursework in Arabic (ARAB), Chinese (CHIN), French (FREN), German (GERM), Hebrew (HEBR), Italian (ITAL), Japanese (JAPA), Korean (KORE), Portuguese (PORT), or Spanish (SPAN) may be used to fulfill up to 2 courses (6 credit hours) of the 8 courses (24 credit hours) in the Elective Requirements. Please consult a Global Affairs major advisor for questions regarding this option. |
Policies for the Bachelor of Arts (BA) Degree with a Major in Global Affairs
Transfer Credit
For Rice University’s policy regarding transfer credit, see Transfer Credit. Some departments and programs have additional restrictions on transfer credit. Requests for transfer credit must be approved for Rice equivalency by the designated transfer credit advisor for the appropriate academic department offering the Rice equivalent course (corresponding to the subject code of the course content). The Office of Academic Advising maintains the university’s official list of transfer credit advisors on their website: https://oaa.rice.edu. Students are encouraged to meet with the applicable transfer credit advisor as well as their academic program director when considering transfer credit possibilities.
Program Transfer Credit Guidelines
Students pursuing the major in Global Affairs should be aware of the following program-specific transfer credit guideline:
- No more than 5 courses (15 credit hours) of transfer credit from U.S. or international universities of similar standing may apply towards the major.
Additional Information
For additional information, please see the Global Affairs website:
Opportunities for the Bachelor of Arts (BA) Degree with a Major in Global Affairs
Academic Honors
The university recognizes academic excellence achieved over an undergraduate’s academic history at Rice. For information on university honors, please see Latin Honors (summa cum laude, magna cum laude, and cum laude) and Distinction in Research and Creative Work. Some departments have department-specific Honors awards or designations.
Fifth-Year Master's Degree Option for Rice Undergraduate Students
In certain situations and with some terminal master's degree programs, Rice students have an option to pursue a master’s degree by adding an additional fifth year to their four years of undergraduate studies.
Advanced Rice undergraduate students in good academic standing typically apply to the master’s degree program during their junior or senior year. Upon acceptance, depending on course load, financial aid status, and other variables, they may then start taking some required courses of the master's degree program. A plan of study will need to be approved by the student's undergraduate major advisor and the master’s degree program director.
As part of this option and opportunity, Rice undergraduate students:
- must complete the requirements for a bachelor's degree and the master's degree independently of each other (i.e. no course may be counted toward the fulfillment of both degrees).
- should be aware there could be financial aid implications if the conversion of undergraduate coursework to that of graduate level reduces their earned undergraduate credit for any semester below that of full-time status (12 credit hours).
- more information on this Undergraduate - Graduate Concurrent Enrollment opportunity, including specific information on the registration process can be found here.
Additional Information
For additional information, please see the Global Affairs website: