Fast Facts
Academics
- 6 major programs and 8 minor programs
- Average of 950 enrolled students and 100 graduates per year
- Weekly lecture series held on Wednesdays at noon during fall and winter semesters on topics like Race: Myths and Realities, Challenges to Democracy, Engaging Global Inequality, Environmental Stewardship, Women and Politics, and more
- Notable authors present at the Book of the Semester lecture every fall and winter semester
- Kennedy Mentors available to help juniors/seniors map out their path to global careers each fall/winter semester
Scholarships
- Advise students on 18 different scholarships including the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, Boren Awards, Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS), and Critical Language Scholarships (CLS)
- 5 of those scholarships are unique to the Kennedy Center—Global Opportunity Scholarship, Kennedy Scholars, Kennedy Research Fellows, Diplomacy Scholarship, and the ISP Discount
International Study Programs
- 4 program types are offered: study abroad, international internships, direct enrollment, and field school programs
- 2,360 students participated in 206 programs in 48 countries in 2022
- 17% of students study abroad while at BYU
- Annual Photo Contest awards cash prizes each year for photos taken on international study programs around the world
- Program participants can create and submit videos to the Film Festival for a chance at cash awards and a spot on our BYU Stories Abroad YouTube Channel
Student Organizations and Clubs
- 4 diplomatic simulation programs—Model United Nations (MUN), Model Organization of American States (MOAS), Model Arab League (MAL), and Model European Union (MEU)
- Additional clubs and student organizations explore professional opportunities in diplomacy (FSSO), development (SID), national security (NSSA/Praemon), international law (ILSA), and global business (GMSA)
Outreach
- Administer the China Teachers Program—a nonprofit organization sending degree-holding professionals on a one-year service experience in China
- Support the International Society—an association of business professionals with international interests who are members or friends of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- Host a Model United Nations (MUN) conference for high school students each year
- Creator and owner of CultureGrams, a widely known and loved resource for education, private, and public organizations since the 1980s—available for purchase through many schools across the U.S. via ProQuest
- Producer of films including Helen Foster Show: Witness to Revolution, The Kennedy Way, and ten documentaries in the Beyond the Border Series, including our award-winning films on energy in Central Asia (Fault Lines and Pipelines), Korean Reunification (Unfortunate Brothers) and Brazil’s unique identity (Fronteira da Grandeza)
Social Media
- 8 social media accounts that connect alumni, students, and friends of the Kennedy Center
- 1200+ recorded lectures from scholars, diplomats, and international professionals on our YouTube channel
Notable
- BYU was Ranked #1 in the nation for Boren Scholarships and #2 in the nation for Boren Scholarships and Fellowships in 2022
- Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Open Doors Report ranked BYU and the Kennedy Center's International Study Programs as 14th largest in the nation
- BYU and the University of Utah were selected by the U.S. Department of Education to partner in both an Asian and Pacific Studies Consortium and a Latin American Studies Consortium hosted by the Kennedy Center
- BYU’s MUN has competed since 1965 and had a 13-year streak where both countries received the top “outstanding” award
- Collegiate Model EU was created in partnership with University of Washington and Scripps/Pomona as part of BYU’s Center for the Study of Europe Title VI National Resource Center (NRC)