Undergraduates now can ‘internationalize’ any major

Enrollment under way for new Global Certificate program

In today’s international landscape, practical intercultural skills and perspectives are becoming increasingly vital to career success. A new certificate program for undergraduates at Washington University in St. Louis is designed to strengthen global competency and enhance job marketability.

The Global Certificate (GC) program, open to all students in all schools (even double-majors and pre-health), begins next semester. An information session is set for 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 2, in Room 236 of the Danforth University Center.

“The Global Certificate is a powerful way to ‘internationalize’ any major or professional plan, cross borders and disciplines, engage, explore and connect,” says Priscilla Stone, PhD, assistant provost for international education and director of overseas and undergraduate studies in Arts & Sciences. “The goal is to foster a desire in students to become more engaged global citizens.”

Highly interdisciplinary in nature, the certificate program connects faculty experts in wide-ranging international topics with undergraduates from all divisions.

Students may begin exploring GC courses as early as their freshmen year and must formally apply to the program by their junior year.

To earn the certificate, students must complete 18 units of study, including two foundational seminars, each from a different undergraduate school; participate in an international internship or study abroad program for a minimum of four weeks (usually completed during or after junior year); and select internationally focused upper-level electives from across the university.

Seniors round out the experience by creating a Global Certificate portfolio.

The GC’s first two foundational seminars will be offered in spring 2012. The two courses are: “Bugs, Drugs and the Global Society: Topics in Global Health,” taught by Sarah Van Vickle-Chavez, PhD, and Craig Smith, PhD, both lecturers in biology in Arts & Sciences; and “Global Discourses in Art and Architecture,” taught by Igor Marjanovic, associate professor of architecture in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts.

For more information on the GC, visit ias.wustl.edu/global_certificate.