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Interdisciplinary Study of Global Challenges

Interdisciplinary Study of Global Challenges

As the world becomes more globalised, more and more institutions are teaching truly interdisciplinary degrees focused on global challenges that require an interdisciplinary approach to solve, rather than studying one subject area.

There isn't a standard name for degrees in this field, but good key search terms are "Global", "Challenge", "Sustainability", "Development". In the USA, "Self-Designed" or "Student-designed" majors can allow you to create your own version.

Good to Know

There aren't any helpful overview sites for this field, because there is too much variety. So, we've put the links to the most innovative and interdisciplinary degrees we know of and that St. Clare's Students apply to, in the links section.

Skills

Common Degree/Major Names

BSc
Climate Science
BA/BSc
Development Economics
BSc
Earth, Climate and Environmental Change
BA/BSc
European Studies
BA/BSc
Global Affairs
BASc
Global Challenges
BA/BSc
Global Challenges
BA
Global Development
BSc
Global Sustainability Science
BASc
Global Sustainable Development
BA/BSc
Globalisation
BA/BSc
Government
BA/BSc
International Development
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Useful Skills

Aiming High
Analytical
Attention to Detail
Creativity
Data Manipulation
Design Mindset
Empathy
ICT
Idea Visualisation
Leadership
Listening
Mathematical
Note Taking
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DEEPER SUBJECT EXPLORATION 

Access resources for you to "Read" around your subject from books, to blogs, taster lectures and events.

This is a great way to help you decide whether this subject area is really something you would want to study at the depth of a degree.

FIND UNIVERSITIES

Explore universities from our search engine that offer degrees within this field to get you started.

You can also use the degree names listed above when searching for courses on other sites

further resources
Universities

Universities Offering Degrees within Accounting and Finance

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Institution
Country
Campus Type
Size
Education Model
Selectivity
Sciences Po
France
City Campus
Medium Institution 5000-15,000
https://www.sciencespo.fr/en/education/education-glance
Highly Selective (10-25% admitted)
Duke Kunshan University (DKU)
China with a semester in the United States
City Island Campus
Small Institution <5000
Unique, new mutli-disciplinary model that results in both a Duke (US) degree and DKU (China) degree.
Highly Selective (10-25% admitted)
Bard College Berlin
Germany
City Campus
Small Institution <5000
Liberal Arts and Science (Major/minor Model)
Selective (25-50% admitted)
Amsterdam University College (AUC)
The Netherlands
City Campus, City Island Campus
Small Institution <5000
Liberal Arts and Science (Major/minor Model)
Selective (25-50% admitted)
Bryant University
USA
Suburban Campus
Small Institution <5000
Business and Arts/Sciences
Somewhat Selective (50-75% admitted) Average GPA 3.4/4.0 and SAT 1220
University of Essex
UK
Suburban Campus
Large Institution 15,000-30,000
Single Subject Focus (Joint degrees available), Researched Focused Institution, Teaching Focused Institution
Somewhat Selective (50-75% admitted)
Brunel University London
UK
Suburban Campus
Medium Institution 5000-15,000
Liberal Arts and Science (Major/minor Model), Integrated or Thematic degrees, Researched Focused Institution, Teaching Focused Institution
Selective (25-50% admitted) Admissions rate varies by subjects, with Medicine and Healthcare subjects extremely selective
California State University, Long Beach
USA
Suburban Campus
Very Large Institution >30,000
Liberal Arts and Science (Major/minor Model): Accessible, Practical, Affordable
Selective (25-50% admitted)
Minerva University
USA, South Korea, India, Germany, Argentina, UK and Taiwan.
City Campus
Small Institution <5000
Fully active learning in every class. Small, engaging seminar format.
Extremely Selective (<10% admitted) - https://www.minerva.kgi.edu/undergraduate-program/admissions/applicant-qualifications/
University of Warwick
UK
Suburban Campus
Large Institution 15,000-30,000
Single Subject Focus (Joint degrees available), Liberal Arts and Science (Major/minor Model), Integrated or Thematic degrees
Highly Selective (10-25% admitted)
New College of the Humanities
UK
City Campus
Small Institution <5000
We teach interdisciplinary humanities degrees inspired by the Liberal Arts model.
Selective (25-50% admitted) - We use interviews as part of our admissions process
University of Sussex
UK
Suburban Campus
Large Institution 15,000-30,000
Single and Joint Honours but a new Liberal Arts degree and keenly promote an interdisciplinary approach encouraging students to take subjects outside of their own where possible.
Somewhat Selective (50-75% admitted)
Hampshire College
USA
Rural Campus
Small Institution <5000
Students design customized programs of study in collaboration with hand-picked faculty committees.
Somewhat Selective (50-75% admitted) - No minimum grade requirements; applicants are assessed in a comprehensive, holistic review process.
University of Southern California (USC)
USA
City Island Campus
Large Institution 15,000-30,000
Liberal Arts Foundation with Subject Focus
Highly Selective (10-25% admitted)
Wake Forest University
USA
Suburban Campus
Medium Institution 5000-15,000
Liberal Arts: Professors are teacher/scholars - they get to know who you are.
Highly Selective (10-25% admitted)
Johns Hopkins University
USA
City Island Campus
Medium Institution 5000-15,000
Hopkins is a research university with a liberal arts curriculum.
Highly Selective (10-25% admitted) - We are looking for students who have taken a challenging course of study and who have succeeded.
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
USA
City Campus
Very Large Institution >30,000
Liberal Arts and Science with a Research Focus
Selective (25-50% admitted)
University College London (UCL)
UK
City - Island Campus
Very Large Institution >30,000
Really broad ranging everything from single honours degrees, to combined degrees to UCL’s take on Liberal Arts the BASC programme
Highly Selective (10-25% admitted)
Mount Holyoke College
USA
Suburban Campus
Small Institution <5000
Undergraduate Liberal Arts & Sciences
Selective (25-50% admitted)
IE University
Spain
City Campus, Suburban campus
Medium Institution 5000-15,000
Practical and personalised learning experience with internships and exchanges.
Selective (25-50% admitted)
Michigan State University
USA
City Island Campus
Very Large Institution >30,000
Liberal Arts with a heavy emphasis on research
Somewhat Selective (50-75% admitted)
New York University
USA, UAE, China
City Island Campus, City Campus
Very Large Institution >30,000
Liberal Arts, 230+ areas of study
Highly Selective (10-25% admitted)
Leiden University
The Netherlands
City Campus
Very Large Institution >30,000
Leiden University offers a mix of focused, inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary programmes.
Somewhat Selective (50-75% admitted) Selectivity depends on the programme.
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