Set to launch in spring 2026, Rice University’s global affairs major will give students a chance to study global issues through different lenses — political, cultural and economic — while gaining hands-on experience at home and abroad.
Bridging the School of Social Sciences and the School of Humanities and Arts, the program invites students to explore global challenges from diverse perspectives, connecting classroom learning to real-world experience.
“As Rice strengthens its global partnerships and presence, it’s critical that our students are part of that movement,” said Rachel Tolbert Kimbro, dean of the School of Social Sciences. “The global affairs major gives them a pathway to engage with the world — not just through theory but through language, culture and hands-on experience right here in Houston.”
Developed collaboratively by faculty across 13 departments, the global affairs curriculum responds to today’s borderless challenges by helping students turn global understanding into meaningful action. Drawing from courses in political science, history, anthropology, economics and modern languages, the program is designed around three core pillars that reflect Rice’s commitment to experiential learning:
- Foundations in global systems, ethics and governance.
- Cultural and linguistic competence, including advanced study in at least one world language.
- Applied experience, such as study abroad, research or community-based internships with global organizations.
“Our curriculum invites students to reconsider what ‘global knowledge in action’ means,” said Matthias Staisch, associate teaching professor of political science and program director of the global affairs major. “Knowledge emerges in and through action — among students in Rice classrooms, protestors on the streets of Buenos Aires and U.N. officials in Nairobi. We want students to see that global challenges are lived, connected and constantly in motion.”
He added that Houston itself offers a living example of these local-to-global connections.
“As the No. 1 U.S. metro area for global trade and one of the most culturally diverse cities in the country, Houston supplies proof for our belief that global challenges are local ones — and that global action begins by connecting local action across distance.”
Building on Houston’s role as a global hub — home to more than 80 consulates and world-leading industries in energy, health and trade — the program encourages students to connect local experience with global networks through research, internships and community engagement.
The global affairs major also supports Rice’s broader vision for global engagement through Rice Global, an initiative that strengthens partnerships with universities and organizations around the world. Faculty already collaborate internationally through programs such as Venice International University, and the new major will bring that global perspective directly into undergraduate classrooms.
“Our faculty have long been engaged in international collaborations,” Kimbro said. “Now we’re creating a way for undergraduates to join that effort — to become globally competent leaders who understand the complexities of our interconnected world.”
Students interested in the new major can visit politicalscience.rice.edu/undergraduate/global-affairs for curriculum updates and advising information as the program prepares for its inaugural cohort.