International Studies

[VeryCrazyEdu.]

Hey

okay so i'm in year 12 this year and I'm a bit confused over what uni i should pick next year :\ I really want to do an arts degree majoring in international studies however there are a few options out there:

RMIT straight International studies degree- looks quite interesting but not sure about the quality..very industry based which i quite like- good intern opportunities
Monash Global Arts/Commerce- double degree however i'm not the most keen person on monash...but then again not enough to stop me choosing it!
Deakin International studies/Commerce degree- again double and its easier to get to than monash..I like their international studies part and the commerce degree is really just a back up haha

so i was wondering if anyone out there had any advice on these courses/this major- is there a standout uni for it? What do u suggest...

Thanks HEAPS in advance

[schmalex]

RMIT International studies degree has a good reputation, but keep in mind it will be very focused, so if you're interested in other things or wanting to have a broader qualification, it's not the best idea. Your other option is an Arts degree at Melbourne, which would be the highest quality degree, but not as focused on International Studies as the RMIT degree. So personally I'd probably go for RMIT, with Melbourne as a backup.

[chocolate05]

RMIT they have really good rep. in terms of gaining employment/internships

[ninwa]

Monash's international studies is crap, don't go there if you can help it

[VeryCrazyEdu.]

okay well monash is ruled out! haha you guys actually helped me out now all i have to do is convince my parents an arts degree will get me a job :\

[Visionz]

What exactly is international studies. Lots of people combine it with law. Is it just some socialist crap?

[jaccerz]

globalisation internationalism conflict a bit of politics.
im thinking of doin it at uni, uni of melb is an arts degree. only places i can do it straight out is latrobe or vic uni

[*ryan777*]

what kind of jobs do most ppl get with an international studies major/degree?

[jaccerz]

Well you could intern with united nations in Geneva, work with red cross or other agencies that promote world peace and stability, depending on which area o inter studs you go for. You could do world finance or politics or trade and even education

[VeryCrazyEdu.]

rmit does it straight out as well
anyone know what the deakin degree is like??

[Eriny]

If you're interested in global politics and so on, you should definitely study it, but I think there are other ways to follow your interest that you might enjoy as much. For instance, it's worth studying a language, or history (which is very political) or social sciences like anthropology or sociology or even gender studies. Also, Asia-Pacific studies are worth looking into as well. It really depends on what sort of angle you'd like to look at politics.

Also, you can definitely get a career with arts (although if you combine it with commerce that might make your parents feel better) especially in the public service, or policy making. HR is also another area you could look into (especially with commerce). There are also heaps of jobs you can get just by having a degree of some sort. If you specifically want to work in international politics or similar (like for the UN or EU or something) it's probably advisable to get a Masters degree, and if you'd like to do research in the area, then you would need a Masters degree or higher.

[jaccerz]

i know for a fact, that if you want to work with DFAT in New York, you need to get your masters before they will even consider you.

[gemgem49]

Ninwa, why do you think Monash International Studies is crap? Just interested in the reasons behind you saying that.

I completed a semester at Monash studying Bachelor of Arts (Global) and I'm hoping to transfer midyear to Arts at Melbourne (majoring in international politics). One of the reasons I decided to change was there were restrictions on me being able to study in Germany (had to be a level 7 in skill... I was doing beginner and would have only got to level 7 by the very end of my course).

I was really interested in the RMIT International Studies course as well, but it's really hard to get into if you're not year 12 (they assess based on relevant organisations you're involved in and overseas experience and I haven't even been overseas before). Based on that, if you're seriously considering this course I would go for it as like others have said, it's really specific to International Studies and also harder to transfer into later, if you do find that it's not working at Melb/Monash. (Just thought i'd put in a different perspective for choosing it.)

[ninwa]

I did first year international studies and absolutely hated it (INT1010/1020) - mostly because I can't stand any history beyond medieval history and INT1010/1020 was pretty much a crash course in 20th century history. To be fair I do personally know a couple of people who enjoyed it - they're both doing majors in history so I guess it was quite a useful subject for them.

I also know people doing majors in int studies who were disappointed with the quality of the course. But apparently politics is quite interesting.

Are you sure re: exchange in Germany? Just seems really weird to me as when I was considering exchange to Germany, I remember reading about some universities which taught subjects entirely in English (actually, a lot of the European unis do that, which is why you don't need a really high level of proficiency in the language).

[gemgem49]

yes, exactly my thought. I'd planned from my first WEEK at Monash to go to Free University of Berlin, which said it offered classes in English. On facebook after I deferred midyear, I saw two friends from my German tute complaining they couldn't go to Germany and would have to go to Austria instead. I questioned the validity of it but then another friend went to the Study Abroad Info Session and I got her to ask for me and she confirmed it :S I'm not sure if there are any other countries this applies to. But I'm of the opinion the best way to learn a language is to go to that country and immerse yourself in the language and culture, I think it's a really stupid restriction.


I personally loved INT1010. loved loved loved, i was interested in everything the course went over and I had a really good tutor. I did about 3 weeks of INT1020 before I deferred and yeah... hated that. Really boring lectures/lecturer/course content.