About International & Area Studies
Our Mission
International and Area Studies at the University of Utah is a partnership between the Asian Studies, International Studies, Latin American Studies, and Middle East Studies Programs. Our mission is to build bridges between campus, Utah, and the world. We support students and scholars in their research and study of language and world regions. Through our academic programs, outreach, and scholarship, we foster knowledge, skills, and relationships for a global citizenry. We are committed to interdisciplinary, community engaged, and diverse approaches that promote cross-cultural and cross-national understanding.
View Major Maps for International and area studies
Undergraduate Programs
Through our academic units, students can pursue majors and minors in Asian Studies, Latin American Studies, Middle East Studies and International Studies. In each program, students take courses from faculty in diverse disciplines such as literature, history, economics, political science, and anthropology, among others. Our students leave the university with practiced skills acquired in the classroom, on studies abroad, through research, and through internships and are prepared to effectively interact with diverse populations, understand cultures, backgrounds, and languages, and provide valuable contributions to their communities.
Graduate Program
The Asia Center and Center for Latin American Studies both offer flexible and rigorous two-year degree programs that allow students to deepen their knowledge of Latin America or of Asia by taking courses in a wide range of academic departments and professional schools. Both graduate programs are designed to prepare students to become global citizens, versed in the languages and cultures of the region, , with the flexibility to combine area studies and professional competence, and cognizant of the complex linkages that define the profound relevance of Asia and Latin America for the United States today.
K-16 Outreach
The Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS) and the Asia Center promote interest in and knowledge of Latin America and Asia through public events, K12 outreach and teacher training, and partnerships with K12 public schools, post-secondary institutions and community organizations, and through creation of language courses across disciplines (CLAC). We collaborate with diverse entities to strengthen a K-career pipeline for language and area studies education that will produce fully bilingual or multilingual college graduates prepared to use their language and cultural skills in professional settings.
International and Area Studies partners with a network of post-secondary institutions and community organizations
in the state, including Brigham Young University, Salt Lake Community College, Utah
Valley University, the Utah State Office of Education, Westside Pathways and Artes de México en Utah to promote international education and research, to support the nationally recognized
Utah's K-12 dual language immersion program in Chinese, Portuguese, and Spanish and to recruit underrepresented groups to international
education and language learning.
Language Study
We encourage study in one or more world languages. The international and area studies programs encourage students to build on language skills learned in the home, K-12 classrooms, and through experiences living abroad. These degree programs provide students with critical language and cultural skills necessary for professional careers in education, government, business, humanitarian work, and more.
Through the Asia Center and Center for Latin American Studies, we also offer federally funded Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships. This program
is open to students in any department who include language study in their course load. Fifty-three U of U students received FLAS fellowships in 2017-18. Thanks to the University of
Utah’s NRC grants, during Summer 2017 and Academic Year 2017-18 we have provided over $822,888 in scholarship support to undergraduate and graduate students across the disciplines
at the University of Utah.
