International Studies at a Glance

The Division of International Studies is the campus unit charged with formulating and implementing UW–Madison’s internationalization strategy. Its mission is to promote international education, scholarship, and collaboration both on and off campus.

The Wisconsin Idea: Thinking Globally, Acting Locally

• The Division of International Studies facilitates international internships and cultivates international business partnerships to keep Wisconsin industries competitive in an increasingly interdependent economy.
• UW–Madison’s Language Institute fosters collaboration on and off campus for the study and teaching of languages, including work in secondary schools.
• Beyond bringing diverse cultures and perspectives to our state, international students contribute almost $2 million to Wisconsin’s economy each year.
• Regular outreach to government, business, teachers, and the general public through corporate partnerships, distinguished guests and lecturers, pre-K-12 initiatives, and more.
• The division partners with Wisconsin Public Radio to produce Here on Earth: Radio without Borders, reaching more than 400,000 listeners statewide.

The World Comes to Campus

• World Languages UW–Madison offers instruction in 59 modern languages, 26 ancient/classical languages, and intensive summer language workshops in lesscommonly taught languages through the College of Letters & Science.
• International Studies major, certificates in area and global studies
• Wisconsin International Scholars (WISc) honors program, providing students with scholarship, mentoring, and networking opportunities
• International Learning Community (ILC) where students live in languagespecific housing, including Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, and Arabic
• Some 3,500 international students enroll at UW–Madison each year.
• Distinguished visitors include a Diplomat-in-Residence each year

Special Initiatives

The Division of International Studies coordinates a number of special initiatives that support teaching, research, and outreach about critical global issues and emerging economies.

 

• Human Rights Initiative engages scholars from all disciplines in collaborative scholarship and events, including two annual human rights lecture series.

• China Initiative and India Initiative help scholars, alumni, and Wisconsin businesses establish international partnerships in industry and education.

• The Division of International Studies is UW’s managing unit for its membership in the Worldwide Universities Network, an international alliance of leading higher-education institutions.

Study Abroad and International Internship Opportunities

• International Academic Programs (IAP) serves as the primary study-abroad office on campus. Last year, 1,600 UW–Madison students study abroad each year. UW–Madison offers more than 180 study-abroad programs in 50 countries on every continent but Antarctica.

• The International Academic Internship program (IAI), a partnership of the Division of International Studies, the School of Business, the College of Engineering, and the Institute for Cross-College Biology Education, places dozens of student interns in companies and organizations across the world each year.

• Closer to home, the Washington D.C. Semester in International Affairs allows advanced undergraduates to combine course work with an internationally focused internship in the nation’s capital.

Partnerships

The International Institute is a joint venture of the Division of International Studies and the College of Letters & Science. Eight of these area and international studies programs are federally funded National Resource Centers, a record number nationwide:

 

African Studies Program

Center for East Asian Studies

Center for European Studies

Center for German & European Studies

Center for Interdisciplinary French Studies

Center for Russia, East Europe and Central Asia

Center for South Asia

Center for South East Asian Studies

European Union Center of Excellence

Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies Program

Middle East Studies Program

Center for World Affairs and the Global Economy

Global Cultures Program

Global Studies

International Studies Major

International Academic Programs

Cross-campus Centers for Global Studies

 

The Division of International Studies partners with schools and colleges across campus to promote cutting-edge research and development in business, health care, law, and more.

 

• Center for Global Health

• Global Legal Studies Center

• Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER)