Lang’s General Degree Requirements
In addition to the requirements outlined here, Lang has specific requirements, including a minimum number of credits in liberal arts courses as well as college residency requirements. All Lang students should read their General Degree Requirements and consult with both their Student Success advisor and their departmental faculty advisor each semester to ensure they are on track to graduate. BPATS students have different general degree requirements and should consult their core faculty advisor.
Degree Works
To be sure their Degree Works account reflects the information in this worksheet, students should forward any approved exemptions from the following requirements to their Student Success advisor.
Bachelor’s-Master’s Program
Undergraduates in the BA/MA program can earn up to 18 credits (depending on the master's program) in New School master's courses and apply those graduate credits to both their BA and their MA. Submission of the Bachelor’s-Master’s
application is required (members of the direct-entry cohort do not have to submit an application but do have to declare the Bachelor's-Master's combination they wish to pursue). Lang students should consult their departmental faculty advisor and their
Student Success advisor if they are pursuing a BA/MA, and BPATS students should consult their core faculty advisor. The combinations offered at The New School that include a BA in Global Studies are:
- BA Global Studies—MA Anthropology
- BA Global Studies—MA Historical Studies
- BA Global Studies—MA International Affairs
- BA Global Studies—MA Media Studies
- BA Global Studies—MA Politics
Requirements for the BA in Global Studies at Lang
As of fall 2020, students declaring the major in Global Studies must take 12 courses plus any courses necessary to fulfill the foreign language proficiency requirement. As of fall 2020, students declaring the major in Global Studies must
take 12 courses plus any courses necessary to fulfill the foreign language proficiency requirement. Students must earn a grade of C or higher in all courses to fulfill major requirements, and B or better in the introductory courses to declare the
major. Declare your major by following the process outlined in Declaring Your Major. Students
who have declared the major in Global Studies before fall 2020 but wish to follow the fall 2020 curriculum can consult their Student Success advisor about submitting a Change of Catalog Year request.
Only specific courses satisfy the major requirements, including electives, and only designated experiences satisfy the Global Engagement requirement. Not all courses are offered every semester. Courses should be chosen carefully, in consultation with
the departmental faculty advisor and your Student Success advisor. Track your progress using the program worksheet (below) and consult our 4-Year Lang Career Pathways Map (PDF) for helpful steps and resources to link your academic journey to your future plans.
BPATS students should consult their core faculty advisor.
See the university course catalog for fall 2025 Global Studies courses that fulfill these requirements.
Introductory courses (6 credits):
- UGLB 2110 (Dis)Order and (In)Justice (3 credits)
- UGLB 2111 Global Economies (3 credits)
Other required courses (26–50 credits):
- 2 Knowledge Base electives (6–8 credits)
- 5 Global Challenge electives. Three must be within a single cluster and three must be at the 3000 level or higher. (15–20 credits)
- 4 foreign language courses or proficiency exam. Note: Not all levels of foreign languages are offered each term. (0–16 credits)
- Collaborative Research Seminar requirement (3–4 credits)
- Experiential requirement: UGLB 3903 Global Engagement Colloquium (2 credits)
Senior Capstone (1–4, 4–8 credits):
- UGLB 4710 Senior Capstone Research Seminar (variable-credit two-semester sequence)
Total credits: 33–60
Introductory courses: These courses introduce students to problems of the global order and justice and to the challenges of the global political economy.
Advanced Research Projects: Students undertake 1) a collaborative research seminar, usually in their junior year, and 2) a thesis or equivalent capstone project in their senior year, usually developed and written as
part of the two-semester Directed Research Seminar, which is a capstone seminar through which students work under the direction of a faculty member to develop and write their thesis or final project.
Languages: Global Studies students must also demonstrate at least an advanced-intermediate level of foreign language proficiency. This can be satisfied by coursework, by taking a placement exam for the proper level, or by passing a proficiency
exam. Students may start a new language or improve their skills in an existing one.
Global Engagement: Students complete at least one experience working outside the classroom, chosen in consultation with their advisor, on issues relevant to global studies. These include but are not limited to study abroad, internship
experiences, collaborative studios, and client-based and intensive group fieldwork projects in New York or worldwide. This is usually a noncredit requirement, but it requires a report on the experience.