Discover International Studies

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Dr. Elizabeth K.:  Hello. My name is Dr. Elizabeth Kath, and I'm a Senior Lecturer teaching in the Bachelor of International Studies here at RMIT. Today I'm going to tell you a little bit about our fabulous degree. I'm going to describe some of the key features of the degree, which might make the Bachelor of International Studies the degree for you. I will describe the general structure of the degree and how it's composed to equip you with key global skills that prepare you for your future. I'll tell you a bit about our industry connections and some of the career outcomes of our fantastic graduates. It's really my privilege to be part of this degree, and I'd love to welcome you to our program. 

Before I start, I'd like to acknowledge the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nations on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the university. RMIT respectfully acknowledges their ancestors and elders past, present, and emerging. And while we conduct our work remotely, I want to pay my respect to the wider unceded lands of this nation. 

So welcome to the Bachelor of International Studies. This is a degree that will expand your worldview through the exploration of intercultural, social, and political issues. From policymaking in China, to community development in South America, if you're passionate about cultural diversity and international affairs, RMIT's Bachelor of International Studies will prepare you for a dynamic and challenging career. 

Overall, the Bachelor of International Studies provides great breadth and depth. We do also provide three specializations, which are Development, where you will explore international systems and global processes, learn how to negotiate cross-culturally, and delve into strategic and ethical leadership. Then there is the Global Security specialization where you will explore international security challenges faced by leaders. In this specialization, you will learn how strategy, communication, and policy help manage our security challenges. Our third specialization is in Languages. Here you will develop communication skills that go beyond multilingualism. You will explore the nature and politics of language and grow a stronger appreciation of cultures and communities different from your own. 

This slide gives you a general estimate of where ATAR's currently sit for the Bachelor of International Studies and our specializations. Feel free to pause the slide if you'd like to look more closely. 

Here you can see the general structure of the Bachelor of International Studies. Keep in mind that the different streams that we offer vary mainly in terms of some first-year core courses. The exception is the language stream, which requires six units of study and at a higher level. In this degree, we provide the core building blocks of your education in international studies, but we also try to provide great flexibility for students to be able to adapt their degree in the direction that they find sparks their interest as they move through the degree. So with this in mind, you'll see that the first year is quite structured. This is where you don't have to think too much about where your specialized interests are. You have an opportunity to explore many different themes that we work with in this degree. 

As you gain a sense of what sparks your interest most, you'll find that in year two and year three the degree really opens up to allow you to tailor to your personal interests. So you'll see that there are more opportunities for elective choices in year two and in year three. Some examples of the kinds of program electives and language electives that we provide include: Culture and Politics in Latin America, Digital Technology and Globalization, Gender Development and Globalization, Introduction to Global Security, Indigenous Field Work, Contemporary Foreign Policy, Global Language, Global Feminisms. As you can see, a very diverse range. And you will gain a sense as you move through the degree, a sense of what really sparks your interests. The language electives that we offer include French, Japanese, Spanish, Chinese, Mandarin, German, and Italian. You also have the opportunity to study other languages at other institutions and to gain credit into our degree, so don't feel that the language electives offered should limit you in any way in terms of language choices. 

In the third year of you will find that the degree really opens up and allows you to tailor it to your personal interests. This includes the research project in the final year, where you can choose your own topic and you have academic advisors helping you to learn the nuts and bolts of conducting research on an original question. You also have an international internship that allows you to spend time in an institution of your choice, an organization of your choice, where you will gain real-world industry experience and oftentimes connections in industry as well that help you as you move forward into your career. 

Speaking of industry connections, we really take seriously in this degree the transition from study to professional life. We're always finding ways to provide students with opportunities to build connections with the industries that students typically move into when they finish their study. This includes providing opportunities to work on industry projects with real clients, taking part in local and overseas internships, as I mentioned earlier, with your final year internship. Students have opportunities to enter project competitions judged leading industry experts, attending field trips, receiving mentoring by industry professionals, and we also have an advisory committee of industry representatives who provide advice to our degree to keep it very relevant to the industries that typically employ graduates from our program. 

We also have a whole network of industry partners who contribute to this degree and are really enthusiastic about supporting students in their study experience and their transition to work after they graduate. Some of our current industry partners include the Australian Red Cross, Australian Volunteers International, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Institute for Policy, Advocacy and Governance, SisterWorks, and ACICIS Australian Consortium for In-Country Indonesian Studies. 

In this degree, students have worked with a very diverse range of industry projects. Just a few examples of some of those industry projects: students have had the opportunity to take part in the Big Issues, Big Idea program as part of an assessment which encourages them to develop a nuanced and empathetic understanding of disadvantage. RMIT international students have also worked with award-winning SisterWorks, an Australian organization that seeks to empower migrant and refugee women in Melbourne through entrepreneurial activities. Another example is that in 2019, RMIT international studies students acted as observers at the Hobart Meeting of the Commission for Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources. They accompanied RMIT interpreting experts during international deliberations. As I said, these are just a few examples, but there are endless examples I could provide you of industry projects that students have been involved in while they've been studying in this degree. 

The Bachelor of International Studies is a truly global degree. And while of course you can complete your entire degree while based here in Melbourne, we also provide many opportunities for students to travel overseas as part of their study experience. This includes some of the third-year activities that I mentioned to you earlier (the internship and the research project), but you also have opportunities for exchange during your degree. So really you can adapt your study experience in whichever direction you like, and that includes many different ways that you can spend time overseas while you're moving through the degree. 

To give you a sense of the breadth of RMITs partnerships, we currently have partnerships with 215 universities around the world. This includes three in North America, three in South America, one in Africa, 21 in Europe, 12 in Asia, and two in Oceania. 

The next two slides feature two of our fantastic graduates: Ingrid and Tina. So here we featured one of our fantastic graduates, Ingrid, who has some comments about the relevance of the Bachelor of International Studies to her professional life which is in the Australian indigenous context. Feel free to pause this slide to read Ingrid's comments if you wish to. 

Here's another of our wonderful graduates, Tina, who provides some further comments on her experience of the degree and the skills that she acquired during her time with us. Again, feel free to pause this slide if you'd like to read Tina's comments. 

Graduates from our program have excellent employment outcomes. They've gone on to work in a very diverse and impressive range of organizations. There are far too many to list on one slide, but a few examples include Oxfam, UNDP, UNICEF, World Vision, Deloitte, and the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre. As a result, we have a very strong and diverse alumni network. Graduates who are working in fascinating careers all over the world who often come back to talk to students who are currently in the degree, and provide us with advice about their career experience, and support to students who wish to go on to have similar careers. 

Finally, just a few important dates that you should keep in mind. The 2021 orientation is the 22nd to the 26th of February. Classes begin 1st of March, 2021. And the last day to enroll for semester 1 is 8th of March, 2021. 

So let me end by saying thank you for taking the time to hear about our fantastic degree that prepares you for your global career. For more information about the Bachelor of International Studies at RMIT, check out our website, and of course don't hesitate to drop us a line. Take care and have a lovely day 

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