CAREER AND GRADUATE SCHOOL OPTIONS
Internship and Career Options
Graduate
School
Links
The beauty of the major in International Studies is that it is interdisciplinary, therefore giving you the flexibility to pursue a number of fascinating internship and career opportunities. Below are some very general ideas to get you started; also see the links at the bottom of the page for resources to help you find specific opportunities.
- Teaching English
in a foreign country
- Non-profit/non-governmental
organizations
- Tourism and
travel specialists, e.g., travel agent, tour guide, study abroad advisor
- Foreign policy
centers/think tanks
- Transnational
corporations, e.g., marketing, media, banking, commerce
- United Nations
and other international governmental organizations
- U.S.government:
local (e.g., town council), state (e.g., NC Senate), or national (U.S.
Congress/Senate)
- Consulting
- International
health organizations
- Governmental
and non-governmental international development organizations, e.g.,
United States Agency
for International Development (USAID)
- Intelligence
and defense, e.g., Central
Intelligence Agency, military
- International
diplomacy and foreign service, e.g., State Department
- Peace Corps
- Law school
- Business school
- Public administration
(MPA)
- Public Policy
(MPP)
- Masters or
PhD programs in international relations, language studies, economics,
international studies, comparative literature, political science, or
your own area of focus (this is the advantage of an interdisciplinary
major!)
- The University of Richmond lists Masters and PhD programs
in International Studies
- Harvard's
Graduate School of Education offers a one-year MEd
in International Education Policy
- Consider graduate
certificate programs to augment a field of study. For example,
UNC offers a Certificate in International Development.
- Harvard's
Kennedy School of Government offers a Master
in Public Administration in International Development (MPA/ID)
- The Defense Intelligence Scholars Program of the Defense
Intelligence Agency provides a small select number of college graduates
seeking to serve their country through a career in intelligence the
opportunity to obtain a quality education that will get their career
off to a successful beginning. Scholars will enroll in the Master of
Science of Strategic Intelligence (MSSI) degree program at the National
Defense Intelligence College.
Please note: Neither UNC nor the Curriculum in International and Area Studies endorses these links; we merely provide them as possible resources.
- University
of North Carolina-Chapel Hill's University Career Services (UCS)
- UCS's internship
links
- UCS's international resources
- UNC - Chapel Hill's
chapter of AIESEC, a network of more than 97 countries, 800 universities,
5000 companies, & thousands of students worldwide dedicated to increasing
international cooperation and cultural understanding.
- Northwestern University has an excellent list of
non-profit and governmental organizations (some are Chicago-specific
but many are national or international)
- International
Business Center has information on international careers and other
resources
- The Opportunities and Jobs section of the Organization
of American States website has information on fellowships, internships,
and careers
- UC Berkeley has compiled a list of international
job listing sites
- Rutgers Public Policy and Administration department
has a listing of opportunities and resources in international development
- Idealist posts non-profit
job opportunities in the
- Philanthropy
News Digest also maintains a list of non-profit jobs
- E Jobs links to environmental
opportunities in the
- The online
World Directory of Development
Organizations and Programs is a good resource to locate organizations
you might wish to volunteer with or work for
- BUNAC coordinates work
and volunteer opportunities abroad
- The Communication Initiative
advocates the importance of effective communication for sustainable
development. Their website has a classified section for posting job
vacancies.
- Dave's ESL Café posts
opportunities to teach English abroad
- The U.S. Office of Personnel
Management (OPM) has developed the Federal Government's Employment
Information System which provides worldwide job vacancy information,
employment information fact sheets, job application and forms. By using
USAJOBS you have access to not only Federal job information listings,
but also some state and local government as well as private sector listings.
USAJOBS is updated daily. All Civil Service job vacancies at the State
Department are listed on this website.
- Institute of International Education Fulbright opportunities
- ESL Teacher
Recruiter www.eslteacherrecruiter.com
- OverseasJobs.com
- TeachAbroad.com
- TransitionsAbroad.com
has a thorough list of resources for those looking to work abroad, as
well as on traveling, studying, and living abroad
- GlobalPlacement.com
offers placement for internships worldwide.
- The University
of Wisconsin-Madison maintains the Go Global! International
Jobs Website, as well as a page with links for jobs and
internships
(very comprehensive)
- The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has compiled a
pdf list of international organizations
- NGOabroad is a service
that matches your skills with international humanitarian needs
- The Development
Executive Group lists positions in international development. A
position for international development correspondent was open
as of 9/12/07, particularly suited for graduating INTS majors also majoring
in journalism.
- The International Affairs Council
based in
- iHipo.com is a combination
of a social networking and job search website which offers young professionals
and students the chance to browse through 1000+ challenging international
job and internship offers from prestigious employers.
- UniversalGiving
web-based service helps people give and volunteer with exceptional organizations
all over the world. Simply choose a country and an area of interest,
and they will get you started on your pathway to an enriching volunteer
trip.
- Intraxinternabroad Intrax
Intern Abroad pairs successful, ambitious students with leading companies
to create professional internships in major business centers around
the world.
Unless specified otherwise, to be put in touch with any of the career contacts listed below, please email Christiana Hilkey . (Alumni: If you'd like to serve as a career contact in your field, please let Christiana know!)
Foreign & Government Service
Are you interested in a career in foreign or government
service after graduation? Several INTS alumni have generously offered
to provide guidance and advice. A 1991 International Studies alumnus
is currently working with the U.S. Embassy in
Teaching English Abroad
A 2006 INTS alumnus has offered to serve as a
career contact for students interested in teaching English in
Peace Corps
INTS majors interested in working with the Peace Corps after graduation can contact Brian Pedersen, currently serving as the Peace Corps representative with University Career Services.
International Business and Finance
Three alumni have offered to share their experiences in this field. One currently works in financial services and risk management with GE Money in Prague, and is responsible for driving growth, policy, and risk strategy for the GE Money Central, Eastern Europe, and Middle East Region, which includes Austria, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Russia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. Another alum works with Marc Jacobs International in New York, whose parent company, Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy, "is always looking for multilingual, internationally-minded interns and employees." The last alum works in international sales and manages sales for Beaulieu Commercial Carpet in Latin America and the Caribbean.
International Development
An INTS alum working in international development since 1998 would be happy to be a contact for students interested in getting into the field. He has worked primarily with civil society and independent media projects, as well as education, and is currently working as a consultant for a US NGO and a European NGO.
International Communications
A 2005 alumnus working with TransPerfect Translations
in
Graduate School
Two INTS alums, one in an International Affairs MA program and the other who went to law school, are willing to speak to students about applying to grad school and their experiences in their programs.