About the Online Global and Regional Studies Certificate
Our world is defined by its connections and separations: divided by national borders, distinct regional identities, and different economic systems among other barriers, yet linked by global exchanges of information, money, and people. The objective of the Certificate in Global and Regional Studies is to introduce you to a wide variety of analytical approaches and conceptual frames that will help you understand the forces that shape culture, commerce, conflict, and other international relations worldwide.
Few aspects of our lives are untouched by global connections: consider pressing global concerns such as post-pandemic inflation, climate change, and Russian expansion. Alongside these large-scale events, we see globalization in our own lives in the growing need to foster virtual collaboration and inclusive environments at work and in economically significant cultural phenomena like the World Cup soccer tournament and the international sensation of K-pop music. Ideas travel broadly, bypassing borders as if they were not there; money, commerce, and trade flow at global and international as well as local and regional scales.
The Certificate in Global and Regional Studies combines several approaches to explore these facets of our interconnected world. While an international studies curriculum might focus on the relationships between nations, global studies captures the complexity of how people, trade, and culture move worldwide, and regional studies focuses more closely on the governance and economies of particular geographic areas and cultural formations. With global and regional studies courses, you gain greater competence in understanding and mastering the impact of the connections, forces, and inclusions that define the world today. In addition, you develop analytical, writing, and communication skills around these issues.
Global and Regional Studies Certificate Requirements
- The Certificate in Global and Regional Studies is a 4-course, 4 c.u.* credit program of study taught by University of Pennsylvania faculty.
- To earn a certificate, students complete four courses offered (two in global studies and two in regional studies), in any order. See courses below.
- Students who complete the basic certificate may pursue an advanced certificate (6-course, 6 c.u.*) by adding two additional courses (one in global studies and one in regional studies).
Flexible Course Schedule and Tuition
Penn LPS Online courses in the Certificate in Global and Regional Studies are offered on an accelerated (8-week) schedule. Courses in the online certificate program are largely asynchronous with some synchronous sessions to be scheduled by the instructors. All Penn LPS Online courses are taught at the undergraduate level by Penn instructors.
You have the option to enroll in individual global and regional studies courses without committing to the entire online certificate, enjoying the flexibility and expertise offered by Penn LPS Online to suit your schedule and interests. Visit the Cost of Attendance page for course tuition and fee rates.
Watch a video to get an overview of the Certificate in Global and Regional Studies from Senior Lecturer Deborah Harrold.
If you are having trouble viewing this video, watch it on YouTube.
*Academic credit is defined by the University of Pennsylvania as a course unit (c.u.). A course unit (c.u.) is a general measure of academic work over a period of time, typically a term (semester or summer). A c.u. (or a fraction of a c.u.) represents different types of academic work across different types of academic programs and is the basic unit of progress toward a degree. One c.u. is usually converted to a four-semester-hour course.
The Certificate in Global and Regional Studies prepares you to:
- Gain command of key concepts and theories to support your analysis of global and regional issues in the world of work
- Think critically about global commerce, international relations, and culture over time in different places
- Develop a broad understanding of global movements of people, goods, money, and ideas across regions and in different historical moments, with knowledge based on specific regions supporting a global view
- Identify and have a good understanding of current trends and historical transformations, and thus be better able to analyze change in the future
- Gain confidence addressing global and regional issues because you have learned ways to approach new and different material
- Manage the challenges of a multinational workforce and leadership in global careers
Online Global and Regional Studies Courses
Certificate students who complete two global studies and two regional studies courses listed below earn a Certificate in Global and Regional Studies. Those students are then eligible to pursue an Advanced Certificate in Global and Regional Studies by taking two additional courses (one in global studies and one in regional studies).
Global studies courses (at least 2 required for basic certificate; at least 3 for advanced certificate):
- GLBS 1000: Introduction to Global Studies
- GLBS 2000: Globalization: Social, Economic, and Political Aspects
- GLBS 2200: Global Human Rights
- GLBS 2800: Contemporary Issues in Global Health
- GLBS 3900: Applied Economics in Global Contexts
- CLCH 3100: Global Environmental Issues
Regional studies courses (at least 2 required for basic certificate; at least 3 for advanced certificate):
- GLBS 3200: Latin America and the Caribbean: Themes, Trajectories and Disruptions
- GLBS 3800: Portraits of Contemporary Russia: Politics, Culture, and Conflict*
- ICOM 1000: Intercultural Communication
- MODM 3000: Religious Traditions of the Middle East*
- MUSI 2000: Contemporary African Music
- RELC 2500: Asian Religions
*This course may not be offered every academic year. Check the course page or our course guide to see when upcoming terms are added.
Courses are subject to change.
Meet the Faculty
- Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Term Professor in the Humanities
- Graduate Chair of Russian and East European Studies
Careers related to Global and Regional Studies
Understanding and being able to analyze global effects and how it affects economic development and the global political economy is central to many career areas, from marketing and product development to finance and technology, trade and engagement with larger markets, education, and government.
