Welcome to International & Area Studies Academic Program

IAS provides an interdisciplinary approach to the study of international and global issues. Comprised of six undergraduate majors and three graduate degree programs, IAS is a unique intellectual domain. At a historical moment of unprecedented inter-connectedness, IAS trains students in the knowledge and skills that are fundamental components of global citizenship and practice. IAS has strategically adopted an interdisciplinary approach to such training, with the belief that no single discipline can prepare students in the depth and breadth necessary for a complex and reflexive understanding of world history and contemporary globalization. Accordingly, IAS offers interdisciplinary core courses in fields such as political economy, development studies, and peace & conflict studies, and then incorporates courses offered through many other departments, offering students a rigorous, but flexible, curriculum which recognizes that learning takes place both inside and outside the classroom.

We, at IAS, are committed to undergraduate teaching and are an integral part of the Division of Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Studies (UGIS) in the College of Letters and Science (L&S). The IAS degree programs are chaired by distinguished UC Berkeley faculty, as our teachers are rated as some of the best on campus, and our highly experienced staff provide expert advising and student services throughout the year.