Boston College incorporates a global dimension into a wide breadth of programs and courses
Internationalizing learning is a core dimension of Boston College's global engagement. Courses with international content broaden our understanding of complex global issues and prepare us for life and work in an increasingly interconnected world. An international curriculum also shapes the culture of our campus and facilitates meaningful and enriching encounters with individuals and communities from abroad.
Courses with international content are offered in all eight schools and colleges, most prominently in the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences’ International Studies Program. Moreover, units such as the Division of Mission and Ministry offer retreats, pilgrimages, and immersion experiences for students, faculty, and staff to enable reflection and transformation of the mind, heart, and spirit.
African and African Diaspora Studies
AADS's mission is to introduce histories, cultures, and experiences of African descended peoples to the widest range of students; to support serious academic research on Africa and the African Diaspora; to give African descended students and their peers opportunities to examine the depth and breadth of African legacies on this continent and in all parts of our world; to link local Black communities more closely with BC.
Asian Studies
Asia’s immense diversity and rapid pace of transformation have made it an engine of global change that is exciting, and indeed indispensable, to explore from multiple perspectives. A range of course work and events help students develop historical knowledge, cultural literacy, political acuity, and a willingness to cross borders to actively engage Asia as a world region.
Asian American Studies
The Asian American Studies Program supports courses and programs that highlight the complex experiences of Americans of Asian ancestry. In courses, students learn about the extensive critical work that surrounds understanding of this fast-growing, complex, and important population.
German Studies
German Studies is a small student-focused department in the College of Arts and Sciences, providing courses in German language, culture, business, and history from the Middle Ages to the present. In addition, the department offers opportunities for contact with German-speaking Europe and for study abroad in Austria and Germany as well as the possibility of teaching in Germany following graduation.
Global Public Health
The Global Public Health program is an interdisciplinary undergraduate program offered through collaboration among the Boston College Schools of Education, Nursing, and Social Work.
International Studies
The International Studies Program offers an interdisciplinary curriculum to students interested in the international aspects of Arts and Sciences disciplines. Both a major and minor are available to qualified students. Course offerings are drawn from nearly all Arts and Sciences academic departments.
Irish Studies
The Irish Studies program at Boston College began in 1978 and is one of the leading international centres for Irish Studies. Boston College offers academic programs for students in Irish Studies at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The Irish Studies program also hosts lectures and conferences open to members of the Boston College community and the public.
Islamic Civilization and Societies
The Islamic Civilization and Societies program is an interdisciplinary program for undergraduates interested in the breadth and depth of the Islamic World, a vast region stretching halfway around the globe from Western Africa to the Pacific Islands.
Jewish Studies
Enrich your understanding of Jewish civilization, history, and religion from biblical to modern times from an interdisciplinary perspective, and take advantage of this unique opportunity to examine your own religious traditions and cultural heritage.
Latin American Studies
The Latin American Studies Program challenges students to cross disciplinary borders while exploring this culturally dynamic, vibrant, and critically important region of the world. Faculty from many academic areas collaborate in the endeavor: African and African Diaspora Studies, Communication, Economics, Education, Film Studies, Fine Arts, History, Law, Political Science, Romance Languages and Literatures, Sociology, Social Work, and Theology. Students in the minor also come from various backgrounds.
Romance Languages and Literatures
Romance Languages and Literatures offers courses in French, Italian, and Spanish, as well as their corresponding literatures and cultures, at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Courses range from elementary language to advanced seminars. The major offers solid preparation for students interested in teaching or in graduate studies, as well as in fields such as law, medicine, interpreting, and international business.
Slavic & Eastern Languages and Literatures
The Department of Slavic & Eastern Languages and Literatures provides graduate- and undergraduate-level courses of study through its four overlapping component programs: Linguistics Russian and Slavic Studies East Asian Studies Near Eastern Studies
Global Practice Concentration
Boston College School of Social Work is a leader in the education of global social work practitioners. The Global Practice concentration will prepare you, in both Clinical and Macro Practices, to work effectively in cross-cultural settings, to address global social issues, and to work toward the improved well-being of individuals, families, and communities around the globe.
Human Rights & International Justice Certificate Program
The Certificate Program is open to graduate students enrolled in affiliated academic departments in all of the university’s graduate schools, including Masters, J.D., L.L.M., Ed.D. and Ph.D students.
International & Comparative Law
The accelerating globalization of law and legal practice places important new demands on legal education. At BC Law, we understand that globalization magnifies the scope and complexity of law and legal practice. Our Global Law Program trains students for the needs of today, while giving them skills and perspectives that anticipate the needs of tomorrow.
Master's in International Higher Education
The Master of Arts in International Higher Education program outlines the major trends and issues affecting this fast-growing field and provides the skills to understand and analyze policy, practice, and theory.
Boston College Ireland
Boston College Ireland serves the community of Boston College students, alumni, faculty and friends. It supports study abroad students in Ireland while offering summer study and internships as well.
Global Leadership Institute
Through its work in Ireland and with Boston College’s deep roots in the Irish-American experience, the Global Leadership Institute has fostered a network of over 1,400 alumni, who are invaluable resources as guest speakers, facilitators, and business partners in the GLI’s professional programs in Dublin.
Global, Local: Leadership and service among Hispanic communities
"Boston College’s distinctive culture of formation is foundational to and animates the University’s approach to education, particularly its goals to integrate intellectual excellence, religious commitment, and service to wider society." (Boston College’s Strategic Plan, Ever to Excel, II)
Responding to the challenges and opportunities of serving the Hispanic community in the United States, Boston College trains students and professionals for leadership, teaching, and service in the Greater Boston area and beyond through unique programs and initiatives.
Graduate Programs in Hispanic Theology and Ministry
The School of Theology and Ministry offers graduate programs in Hispanic theology and ministry that prepare pastoral leaders, scholars, and other professionals to serve in parishes, schools, college campuses, healthcare and social service organizations, among other settings, affirming the best of the US Hispanic and Latin American experiences. Learn more
Bilingual Education
Bilingual education thrives at the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, where faculty lead the way in their work with elementary school teachers and leaders in Boston’s public and Catholic schools, and making sure that every teacher education student gains some experience teaching English language learners before graduation. Learn more
Latinx Leadership Initiative
The Latinx Leadership Initiative at the School of Social Work positions the cultural assets of Latinx populations at the center of social work practice and scholarship. Since its foundation, it has formed five cohorts of bilingual/bicultural master students and five doctoral candidates for leadership and service among the Hispanic community. Learn more
Graduate and Undergraduate Programs in Spanish
The Woods College of Advancing Studies is currently implementing graduate and undergraduate programs in Spanish for a group of Latin American women religious preparing to assume leadership roles in their communities. Some are working toward an M.S. in Applied Leadership Studies, a custom degree program taught in Spanish. Learn more