As an International Degree participant, you will earn two degrees (ie. two diplomas). The first degree, the primary degree, will be your current or chosen major in any department on campus. The International Degree, or concurrent degree, will be in International Studies in your primary degree department.

For example, your primary degree could be a B.S. in Environmental Science and the International Degree would then be a B.A. in International Studies in Environmental Science. Even if your primary degree is a B.S., your International Degree will be a B.A.

To earn the International Degree, there are general requirements, specific requirements and in some cases, additional College or Department requirements

General International Degree Requirements

• You must successfully complete all departmental, college, and institutional requirements for your primary degree.
• You must also complete a minimum of 32 credit hours in residence beyond the minimum 180 to 204 credit hours required for most primary degrees. Courses taken through an OSU-sponsored program abroad are considered in-residence credits. Depending on the level of previous foreign language study and experience abroad, you could take anywhere from a minimum of 32 additional hours to a maximum range of 70+ additional hours to complete the degree.
• Additional International Degree requirements may be established for your primary degree, so check with your major adviser or the International Degree Contact in your department to make sure that you know what they are and that you are able to complete them. When you meet with your adviser, have a transcript in hand.

Specific International Degree Requirements

1. You must demonstrate advanced level achievement or proficiency in a single foreign language in one of the approved ways.

2. You must successfully complete a minimum of four courses for the International Core selected from the Baccalaureate Core Curriculum(see General Catalog for yearly changes). These courses are in addition to the University's Baccalaureate Core requirements. The International Core course requirements must come from the following categories:

• One course selected from the Western Culture category;
• Two courses selected from the Cultural Diversity category;
• One course selected from the Western Culture, Cultural Diversity, or Contemporary Global Issues categories

Note: you can not take all four of the additional Baccalaureate Core courses focusing on the same culture/language group.

3. You must spend a minimum of 10 weeks overseas engaged in one of these activities: study abroad, international internship or research project.

4. The final requirement for the degree is to prepare a rigorous and integrative senior thesis that demonstrates a fundamental and comprehensive understanding of global issues and of the international dimensions of your primary degree.

Language Requirement

In order to meet the language requirement for the international degree, students must demonstrate advanced level achievement or proficiency in a single foreign language, usually by completion of the third term of a fourth-year language sequence at OSU (413). The OSU Department of Foreign Languages will approved your language proficiency and sign off on the Language Proficiency Form once you have completed this requirement.

• Language courses must be taken for a letter grade (not S/U).
• The student's cumulative GPA in language courses must be a minimum of 3.0.
• Exceptions may be considered only by petition (see International Degree Office for details).

Possible methods of demonstrating fourth-year language proficiency:

• Completion of the sequence ending in 413 with minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in language classes
• Coursework identified by OSU foreign language faculty advisor as equivalent to 413 with minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in language classes
• Courses at another accredited U.S. college or university may substitute if combined third- and fourth-year language courses constitute a minimum of 18 quarter/12 semester hours with minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in language classes
• Acceptable score on a recognized national or international proficiency test
• Completion of a minimum of 1 term international internship or international research program using target language after completion of 313 class with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in all language classes **
• Completion of a minimum of 9 months of international immersion through study, internship, or research using the target language after completion of 213 class (for language not taught at OSU at fourth year level). **
• International Student/Non-Native English (native language )

* fees involved in administering a language proficiency exam are the responsibility of the student.
** The student must clearly demonstrate how the target language was used and linguistic progress achieved during their cultural immersion in a brief portfolio presented to the OSU Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures.

Additional College & Department Requirements:

Foreign Languages and Literatures - If you are majoring in French, German or Spanish, to earn the International Degree you must complete the second foreign language required of a language major through the fourth-year level. You must also spend two 10-week periods abroad; one in each of the countries where the two languages you are studying are spoken.

For example, if you are a German major and have decided to take Russian as your second foreign language, you must complete the 400-level Russian course and study abroad in both Germany and Russia. Additionally, you may not complete major/minor requirements without taking upper-division courses in the OSU Foreign Languages Department even if you complete the hour requirements abroad. Please contact Brenda McCullough, Joseph Krause or Guy H. Wood in the Department of Foreign Languages for more information.

As is currently true for all degrees, your College Head Advisor will verify that you have completed the International Degree requirements. The graduation audit will be done along with and in the same fashion as for your primary degree by your major department. Confirmation of the International Degree will be appropriately noted on your transcripts, and you will receive separate diplomas.