The Hamilton Lugar School is home to four departments and some 20 centers and institutes.

HLS students can choose from a wealth of courses and programs, united by their multicultural, multidisciplinary approach.

A long history of global engagement

The four departments and 23 centers, programs, and institutes at HLS carry forward IU’s proud tradition of global involvement and leadership.

During the Cold War, for example, IU was one of the only universities to offer Russian language studies, at a time when such proficiency was vital to our national security. We founded our acclaimed Robert F. Byrnes Russian and East European Institute in 1953. 

Since that time, we have been steadily expanding our Area Studies centers, which focus on regions or issues of vital commercial and diplomatic importance such as the Center for the Study of the Middle East or the Center for the Study of Global Change. Only last year HLS established its brand-new Institute for Korean Studies.

And our four departments allow you to pair the study of the history, culture, and languages of a country or region with a close examination of pressing contemporary issues.