Related to Major
International Studies
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
For more information, visit the School for International Studies website.
Explore Your Possibilities
“Having a career goal really helps motivate students to succeed at school.” 81% of SFU students strongly agree or agree! (2025 Brainstorm Student Interests Report)
Explore the list of career outcomes below for ideas about what you can do with your major. Some are actual roles held by SFU alumni, and others are occupations commonly associated with each major.
Remember that knowledge from your major is just one thing you have to offer an employer. As careers become less linear, changing direction ha become the norm. Don’t worry about where you’ll be in the future – just focus on your next job. Use these ideas as a starting point to make a list of possibilities you are curious about and lean into your interests, skills and values in your exploration.
Options commonly associated with the major
- Human Rights Advocate
- Humanitarian Aid Worker
- Regional Consultant
- Diplomat
- Economic Development Officer
- Immigration Officer
- Foreign Services Officer
- Activist
Other Possibilities
Job titles beyond the typical options
- Tourism Development Advisor
- Refugee Settlement Worker
- Media Correspondent
- International Business Advisor
- UN Representative
- Policy Analyst
- Public Affairs Consultant
- Intelligence Analyst
Further Education
Possibilities with additional education or training
- Lawyer
- Cybercrime Investigator
- Social Justice Commissioner
- Restorative Justice Facilitator
- Politician
- Journalist
- Financial Analyst
- International Development Worker
Fields of Work
There are myriad fields where you could find yourself following your undergraduate degree. For example:
- Arts and Culture
- Environment
- Health
- Manufacturing
- Scientific and Technical
- Telecommunications
What fields interest you? If you are uncertain, take the initiative and start exploring different fields. If your preferred fields turn out to not be what you expected, pause. Technology, climate change, automation, globalization and other factors may impact these fields and offer new or different opportunities.
The North American Industry Classification System gives you an overview of all industries and their subsectors.
WorkBC lets you browse careers, the education expectation, salary ranges, descriptions, and specific information about each job.
Core Skills (Major-Specific)
In the course of your undergraduate degree you’ll develop a wide array of skills. While many of these skills encompass essential skills important now, and for the future, you’ll also develop specialized knowledge and skills unique to your discipline learned through coursework.
Content knowledge and technical skills vary widely between occupations and are generally only used in one line of work. The type of skills that you’ll need depend on the scope of the work.
You want to understand what skills you developed and the one’s you want to use, so when someone asks you about your discipline content knowledge and skills you can speak clearly and confidently about them.
+ MAJOR Specific Skills
- Organizational and conflict management skills developed from evaluating political experiences locally and internationally and identifying priorities and proper courses of action in each situation.
- Written and verbal communication skills developed from interpreting data to negotiate with people and achieve the best solutions for all parties involved.
- Quantitative and qualitative research skills from gathering and organizing information using appropriate technology and information systems.
- Critical thinking skills from evaluating and synthesizing information to solve complex global problems.
- Analytical and observation skills from evaluating complex textual and cultural phenomenon.
- Interpersonal skills and cultural awareness that allows you to respectfully acknowledge different opinions, diverse backgrounds, capabilities, and limitations.
- Teamwork skills from overseeing, supervising, and contributing to group projects.
Foundational Skills
With ongoing economic, political and technological changes affecting the labour market, Canadians need diverse skills to thrive. According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025, in the next five years, 170 million jobs will be created and 92 million jobs will be displaced. Driving structural labour market shifts are macro trends that include digital access and adoption, an aging population and a greater focus on climate change solutions.
Skills for Success
· Adaptability: The ability to adjust to changing circumstances and embrace new approaches.
· Collaboration: Effectively working with others to achieve common goals.
· Communication: Articulating ideas clearly, actively listening and understanding different perspectives.
· Creativity & Innovation: Generating novel ideas and solutions and being comfortable with experimentation.
· Digital: Proficiently using and managing digital tools and technologies for a range of tasks.
· Numeracy: Analyzing and interpreting data to make informed decisions.
· Problem Solving: Identifying challenges, analyzing information and implementing solutions.
· Reading: Comprehending and extracting information from various sources.
· Writing: Communicating effectively in written form for different purposes and audiences.
These skills are highly valued and sought after by employers. You have likely developed a diverse range of these skills through your education, paid and volunteer roles, travel, and community activities.
Get involved
There are plenty of opportunities to get involved in activities, events, programs and services outside of the classroom. By engaging in student leadership programs, volunteering, paid work, student clubs and groups, you’ll develop new skills, make connections, and gain experience. It might even take you in a new career direction!
Explore on-campus opportunities like workshops and events, as well as volunteer and paid positions.
Access job and volunteer postings, and register for workshops and events.
Want to gain experience and earn money while studying? Consider applying to the co-op program.
Apply for on-campus volunteer and paid positions, participate in career and leadership development programs and workshops, and access your Co-Curricular Record.
Not-for-profit network by students for students. Find student unions, clubs and other resources and services.
Related Professional Associations
Professional associations are a valuable resource for occupational research, work search and building connections. They may offer career information, job boards, networking, mentorship, volunteer opportunities and additional resources. Attend events as a guest, or as a Student Member.
Resources
Take your career exploration one step further by doing more research into the fields you're interested in. Here are some organizations and resources to get started.