Global Studies Certificate

Global Studies Center
4100 Wesley W. Posvar Hall
Elaine Linn, Assistant Director for Academic Affairs
eel58@pitt.edu
www.ucis.pitt.edu/global

Global Studies is an exciting - and evolving - interdisciplinary field. It is concerned with transnational structures, processes, and interactions, and how these affect social, economic, cultural, political, and ecological environments. Scholars of Global Studies understand and analyze how these structures, processes, and interactions both connect people and places and disrupt established norms, communities, institutions, and relationships. That is, they think globally about these processes.

Within the Global Studies Certificate, graduate students from Pitt’s professional schools can tailor a unique plan of interdisciplinary study within their field of interest drawn from more than 200 courses across 6 global concentrations. The certificate allows students to adopt a transnational lens that can inform their research projects, and to conduct research in one of 35 languages offered at Pitt.

Global Concentrations: To complete the certificate, student choose one of five global concentration/themes:

Cultural Dynamics
Peace, Conflict, and Security
Ecology and Sustainability
Health and Well-Being
Politics and Economy

In addition to the certificate, the Global Studies Center offer numerous complementary programs and opportunities that support students’ intellectual and personal development: research skills, career exploration and career readiness, experiential education and civic engagement, and a critical understanding of current events. The center offers scholarships for students studying less commonly taught languages.

Language Proficiency

Building on Pitt’s vast offering of over 30 languages, a minimum of two years of college-level study (four semesters) in a foreign language is required. Students can fulfill this requirement by passing a proficiency exam at the intermediate-mid proficiancy level.

Content Courses

Four Global Thematic Courses (12 credits): After students select a global concentration, they choose from a comprehensive and dynamic list of courses ensuring three disciplines are represented to provide an interdisciplinary perspective on their chosen global concentration. Courses for the certificate are allowed to count towards other credentials (i.e. majors, minors, certificates).

Research Paper

Submission of a digital portfolio.

12 Credits

Add to Portfolio (opens a new window)