Department of Political and Global Affairs
Global Studies & Human Geography
Welcome to the Global Studies & Human Geography course page!
Already a student? Great! Use the drop down menu above to find news & resources.
Are you a MTSU student interested in double majoring or adding a Global Studies minor? Great! You can contact us at pga@mtsu.edu to talk about your options for MTSU minors, MTSU majors, and MTSU double majors.
Interested in the program? Great! Read below for information on our program offerings and the PGA department, scholarships, and more.
What is Global Studies & Human Geography?
Broadly speaking, Global Studies & Human Geography are both fields that explore the global community – from people, cultures, and countries, to globalization, politics, language, and much more. It looks at the composition of the world and communities, the issues within our societies, and how to improve upon them.
When you major in Global Studies, there are two concentrations to choose from: Global Studies or Human Geography.
Global Studies concentration is designed for students who wish to explore the world’s peoples, cultures, and countries while developing the skills needed to work and thrive in the modern world. The focus is on how globalization is changing societies, their cultures and attitudes, politics, and economics. The effects of rapid globalization are reshaping most fields, from health care to business and logistics, from music to food security.
Global Studies prepare students to succeed in this changing world. You will be required to study abroad at least once and will develop a regional area of expertise and may choose many of your courses from various MTSU departments. Our faculty have extensive experience living and working abroad and enjoy taking students on faculty-led study abroad trips, such as Dr. Francis Koti’s Summer 2025 Tanzania course (link opens a flyer). This is a flexible degree you can craft to reflect your passions and interests.
Human Geography concentration is designed for students who want to understand the world and its cultures with an emphasis on spatial distribution of human and physical systems, patterns, interactions, etc. What does that mean in practice? You will learn how to use technology such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing, Global Positioning Systems, and cartography to study and connect your classroom materials to tangible scenarios.
Read below to see examples, such as Dr. Christabel Devadoss and her Multimedia Research in Cultural Geography course or how she often integrates video games into her lessons.
Global Studies & Human Geography Courses
In your Global Studies & Human Geography degree, you can craft your classes to reflect your interests and passions. To see an overview of the program offerings, please see Global Studies Concentration and Human Geography Concentration.
Global Studies Concentration
- GA students are required to study abroad at least once. International experience is integrated into the curriculum. GS students have studied abroad to over 30 countries.
The MTSU Study Abroad Office has ample opportunities for program offerings, study abroad scholarships and funding, and assistance with understanding the application process from visas to travel tips. Our faculty are also highly experienced in this area and will be more than glad to assist you with your goals. - Global Studies is interdisciplinary. This means that you have a core set of GS classes, but you then choose from classes in various departments across MTSU in accordance with your academic and faculty advisors — you can choose history, political science, language, business, sociology — whatever you think best reflects your interests and career goals.
- You will develop an area of regional expertise. Read below for more information.
You can see more about these world regional minors here.
What kind of courses can I take?
Just some of our GS & HG classes include:
- Introduction to Cross-Cultural Experiences
- Globalization
- Human Rights
- Urban and Regional Planning
- Geography of the Middle East and North Africa
- Special Problems and Topics in Cultural Geography: Multimedia Research
- Geography of of Sub-Saharan Africa
- Intro to Regional Geography
We offer a diverse selection of courses in the Department of Political & Global Affairs. These include classes in Political Science, International Relations, Global Studies, Human Geography, and regional studies. The flexibility and interdisciplinary nature of this degree allows for selection of classes outside of the department, usually through your cognate area.
World Regional Minors
As a Global Studies & Human Geography major, you will choose a world regional minor, which is an area of specialization or emphasis. You can choose from:
- Asian Studies
- African Studies
- Jewish and Holocaust Studies
- Latin American Studies
- Middle East Studies
- Modern European Studies
- Russian Studies
Through your world regional minor, you can take classes such as Peoples and Cultures of Africa, Popular Culture of Japan, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Asian Religions, Women of the Middle East: Representations and Perceptions, Comparative Religion, Peoples and Cultures of Latin America, Twentieth Century Europe, Marx and Marxism, The Russian Empire, Race and Place: The Struggle for Fair Housing Since 1900, and much more.
You can also take a foreign language in these areas of specialization. These options include French, Arabic, Portuguese, Chinese, Russian, Spanish, German, and more.
Global Studies Faculty
Our Global Studies & Human Geography faculty have decades of professional experience that includes working in non-profits, the public sector, community service, city management, federal and state government, and in research-intensive positions around the world.
PGA will often bring in guest speakers from different career paths, allowing students to get a glimpse of the variety of opportunities available to pursue. We also coordinate with MTSU departments and external partners to provide students with workshops, seminars, and hands-on activities related to their professional development.
You can view our faculty here.
Work Experience & Opportunities
MTSU is located about 35 miles from Nashville, allowing for students to be centrally linked to the state capital for internships and work opportunities as well as events. We are also situated centrally to thriving workforce economies in Murfreesboro, Franklin, Brentwood, and Chattanooga.
Global Studies & Human Geography students are highly encouraged to seek experience locally, nationally, and abroad. Of course, global studies students are required to gain international experience, so working abroad may be a great fit! MTSU Study Abroad has partnerships that allow for students to take internships abroad, as well as virtual global internship options if you are looking to get your first experience.
We have strong links with local government and non-profit partners that often offer internships and work placements with PGA students. We also encourage GS & HG to consider doing research, creative projects, and immersive foreign language study.
Fellowships & Scholarships
PGA has an excellent track record of award winners for national and international competitive scholarships and fellowships, including Fulbright, Gilman, Japanese Exchange and Teaching Program, Gates Cambridge Scholarship, Phi Kappa Phi Study Abroad Scholarship, Peace Corps, Critical Language Scholarship, the Boren Award, Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Fellowship, US-UK Summer Fulbright Award, and more. We have also had finalists for the Rhodes Scholarship, the Marshall Scholarship, and the Truman Scholarship. We encourage students to apply to opportunities and to seek guidance from faculty advisors and the staff at the University Honors College.
Students are also appropriately prepared for continued education at the postgraduate level. Many of our PGA graduates go on to study in postgraduate schools across the world, including Washington, DC, London, New York City, Chicago, Nashville, and in our own MA in International Affairs program at MTSU.
Check out some of our recent student winners and their stories:
Events & Community
The Department of Political & Global Affairs fosters a diverse, inclusive, and open community for all students to thrive. MTSU often hosts events and opportunities for professional and academic development, as well as for social and community involvement. PGA encourages students to get involved with our departmental student groups and competitive teams, independent and collaborative research, studying or interning abroad, volunteering, civic engagement, and taking care of your mental & physical health.
We often sponsor fun activities for students, such as an Annual PGA Bike Ride in Nashville, outings to sports events, intercultural potlucks, and more.
Various departments across MTSU and the College of Liberal Arts will bring in speakers and guest lecturers. We share information relevant to PGA students on our social media pages and via email. See some past examples below.
Find More Information
If you are a current student in PPM, please use the drop down menu to see important news and resources available to you.
If you are a prospective PPM student, feel free to look through the available tabs and to contact us with any questions you have regarding the program, PGA, and MTSU.
Full Program Requirements can be found here.
PGA Scholarships can be found here.
Study Abroad Scholarships can be found here.
Faculty can be found here.
You can submit a request for more information here.
We can be reached at pga@mtsu.edu or you may visit this page to learn how to apply today!
Our social media accounts are under the handle @mtsupga. You can follow us for daily updates and news.