Study
International Studies

Broaden your horizons

The world is changing fast. Broaden your horizons and stay one step ahead with a course in International Studies from UOW.

At UOW, we analyse global issues like unstable economies, changing climates and the rise of social media, to explore their impact on the world. The skills you’ll gain in international relations and global development and sustainability, can take you to all corners of the globe. 

Students can study International Studies full-time or part-time. Our International Studies program is offered at the Wollongong campus and the Liverpool campus.

Campus locations

UOW's Wollongong campus is set in native Australian bush and is one of the most picturesque university campuses in Australia.

All International Studies degree programs are offered at our Wollongong Campus.

The UOW Liverpool campus provides a culturally vibrant and welcoming place to study, right in the heart of Liverpool. With a range of degrees spanning health and nursing, social change and justice, and socially innovative IT and business, Liverpool campus is the destination for students keen to become highly employable graduates ready to take on the important issues facing our communities.

Explore our International Studies degree programs on offer at our Liverpool campus

View of the exterior of the UOW Liverpool Campus

Belong to one of the best

Choose your specialisation by taking a major in one of the following areas of study:

  • Global Sustainable Development: A major in Global Sustainable Development explores ethical issues surrounding global challenges and the interaction between human and environmental security.
  • International Relations: A major in International Relations explores some of the world’s major problems such as war, inequality, climate change, poverty and hunger.

The world is yours to discover when you study at UOW.

We encourage you to have an international outlook with overseas study opportunities that include semester exchange and short course programs. If you add a language to your program of study, you'll also have the chance to participate in in-country language programs when travel is permitted. 

If you choose a Bachelor of Arts in Western Civilisation and receive a UOW Ramsey Scholarship, you will receive a return international airfare for an approved overseas study experience.

Learn more about study overseas >>

A student overlooks a lake and mountains

UOW academics are passionate about what they do and are actively engaged in their industry. You will learn from experts across fields of Global Sustainable Development and International Relations.

Speak the language of the modern world. You will choose from Chinese (Mandarin), French, Italian, Japanese or Spanish to be studied as a minor**. Languages can be studied from beginners to advanced level. You will learn from native language speakers by using the latest learning techniques with teaching grounded in the relevant culture and society. Our Language Centre provides a world-class learning experience using the latest learning techniques. Learn about the future of learning languages and how it is an essential and desired skill that employers look for. 

Top 150

UOW ranks among the world's top 150 universities for Arts and Humanities.

Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings by subject 2023

Become one of the world's most employable graduates

Many UOW International Studies graduates go on to have careers in foreign affairs and international organisations, and with other businesses that have a focus beyond Australia’s borders. Being bilingual or multilingual enhances employability prospects and opens up global career options.

The latest QILT Employer Satisfaction Survey (2021) ranked employers' overall satisfaction with UOW graduates at 91.7% (84.7% national average), placing UOW 1st among all universities nationally.

  • Administration
  • Aid Work
  • Diplomat
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Government
  • Human Rights
  • International Business
  • Interpreter
  • Media
  • Policy Advisor
  • Politics 
  • Translator
  • Travel and Tourism
  • United Nations

Read more: What can I do with my degree?

Meet Montana

UOW Bachelor of International Studies student, Montana Byers, interned in the heart of the US political system to experience the cut and thrust of Washington DC as part of a prestigious internship program. Montana Byers Bachelor of International Studies (International Relations) (Honours)

Critical thought and reason

Study at a university that empowers you to think independently and act with purpose. We encourage critical and creative thinkers to develop informed opinions and reasoning skills that are highly valued in society. Hear from history major Tasman Fitzer and Lecturer Dr Jen Roberts to talk about the flexibility of UOW humanities programs and how you could graduate with the transferable skills preferred by employers.

ALUMNI STORIES

[Tasman Fitzer – Bachelor of Arts (Honours) student]

I love studying arts and humanities because I think there's just so many places you can go with it. I think what I love about it is you know, there's no sort of right and wrong, it's all about questioning and reasoning, and arguing, and researching, and I really enjoy that.

 

[Dr Jen Roberts, History Lecturer]

Our arts and humanities graduates are so well placed to make a meaningful difference in an unstable world.

 

[Tasman]

I think one of the real great benefits of studying in an area like arts and humanities is that it just covers so many different areas of study. I've got a history major; I've done sociology subjects, I've done

English Literature subjects, politics subjects, you know, there's so much on offer and you can really have a try of a whole heap of different things before you really sort of focus in on what you find you

 

[Dr Roberts]

I think it's really important for students to have a fair degree of flexibility in selecting their majors and their minors within an arts or humanities degree. UOW has a fantastic range of different subjects that you're able to sort of have a go at. Not everybody is going to be interested in the same areas of inquiry, or disciplines as we call them, and we want students to be able to really test the waters of what they're passionate about, what they're interested in, and what is meaningful for them.

 

[Tasman]

So this year I've had the awesome opportunity to undertake an honours degree which is, you know, a

real research focused degree, and I've really, really enjoyed that. You sort of become a mini expert in

a particular area of interest.

 

[Dr Roberts]

Research skills are highly valued by employers and they make you a very flexible person in terms of your career because they are such transferable skills.

 

[Tasman]

The best experience I've had outside the classroom at the university here is being able to study abroad. I've had the opportunity to go and study over in England at Cambridge University, to study history, and that was such a great experience because you know, well it's my area of focus and

and you know, something I'm familiar with.

 

[Tasman]

It was a slightly different way of doing things you know, they covered different areas that we didn't cover and that's an opportunity that's available to any student studying here, and there's support and

grants available for students to do that.

 

[Dr Roberts]

It's just a real privilege to see them graduate from their degree as highly confident, articulate, analytical thinkers that are going to make a really big difference in their communities and in their future career paths.

Study abroad & exchange - the experience of a lifetime


Destinations

UOW can take you all around the globe with over 200 partner institutions across 45 countries. If you have ever dreamed of seeing the world and immersing yourself in a new culture, your adventure begins here.

Student on exchange Natalie Zagaglia - Cinque Terre, Italy

Financial support

Combining study and travel is achievable with a number of funding and financial supports available to assist you in studying overseas, including UOW travel grants, Australian government grants, and OS-HELP loans.

Student on exchange Egypt

Go for it!

If you have ever dreamed of seeing the world and immersing yourself in a new culture, a study overseas program can offer you an amazing educational adventure - and an experience that will last a lifetime.

The best experience I've had outside the classroom at the university here is being able to study abroad. Tasman

A brighter future starts here

Engineering student Dipixa Sharma stands in a workshop Scholarships
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Diggies cafe at North Beach Wollongong Moving to Wollongong
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