What makes us UNIQUE

Only the second such program within the University of California system, the new Ph.D. program in global studies at UCI provides a critical transdisciplinary degree that stands out from other programs for its cutting-edge curriculum, diverse faculty, and embracing of scholarship from across the social sciences and humanities engaging multiple theoretical perspectives and methodologies.

Global studies is a fast-growing field of inquiry dedicated to understanding pressing global issues such as conflict, inequality, migration, human rights, climate change, health, racial formations, global cultures, diasporas, and development from an interdisciplinary perspective. Global scholars analyze the social, cultural, political, environmental, legal, and economic consequences of these issues, understanding them as multidimensional, multi-level, and historical processes.

Developed with the inclusive aspirations of a liberal education, the department decolonizes western assumptions that prioritize American and European values. Global studies explains concepts - such as democracy - from local perspectives where the idea can take on vastly different meanings. This foundation gives students a more nuanced understanding of taken-for-granted ideas such as justice, human rights, and development and helps open their imagination to thinking globally.

And if that wasn't enough, the UCI campus is located less than 10 miles from Newport Beach, is the #1 university doing the most for the American dream (New York Times College Access Index), and a top 10 best value university (Princeton Review).