Global Studies Certification Program

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The Global Studies Certification Program is an initiative designed by GGC faculty and staff to recognize student achievement in international competence. It is available to all students enrolled at Georgia Gwinnett College.

Students may declare their intent to complete this certification program at any time. However, applicants will only be considered before graduation. To do so, they should contact the Office of Internationalization to complete the approval process for making a certification declaration.

Participants in the Global Studies Certification Program demonstrates students’ commitment to global learning. Taking courses with an international focus amplifies the global dimension of students’ majors. In addition, by engaging in a credit-bearing education abroad experience, and enhancing their experience with a second language, students will expand their view of the world and their place in it, and their perspectives on their own societies at home.

Admission Requirements

Possess a 2.7 Cumulative GPA
Have completed 24 hours of academic credit (with at least 12 hours completed at GGC)
Complete/Sign Certification Agreement (This process involves the student, faculty mentor and Certification Coordinator)

Program Completion Requirements

To complete the program, a student must:

Complete at least two (2) i-courses at the 3000-4000 level with a grade of “C” of better. NOTE: Students who took a course in 2012-2013 or 2013-2014 that is subsequently identified as an i-course may submit a request for the course to fulfill this requirement. The Certification Coordinator will verify whether the course qualifies as an i-course and respond to the student’s request.
Complete the Global Studies Certification Capstone Course (GLOB 4000 ) with a grade of “C” or better. NOTE: Capstone course Registration: pre-registration for the Certification Capstone Course signals the completion of all other certification requirements.
Complete a credit bearing study aboard program, or a course offered in an international location; earning a grade of “C” or better and a minimum of 3 credit hours for the experience.
Satisfy the foreign language requirement by demonstrating proficiency in at least one language other than the student’s native language. the foreign language requirement for the Global Studies Certification can be satisfied in any one of the following manners:
- Two courses at GGC: Completes two GGC courses at any level (in the same language) in Chinese, French, or Spanish with a grade of “C” or better.
- Transfer courses in foreign language: Transfers into GGC with two courses at any level (in the same foreign language) in any USG recognized modern foreign language with a grade of “C” or better.
- AP or IB Credit: Completes Advanced Placement (AP) or IB examinations and scores at the recommended score/level, he/she will receive academic credit in those circumstances and subsequently satisfy the Certification’s proficiency requirement.
- CLEP Testing: Completes CLEP testing for a foreign language and score at the recommended score/level to receive academic credit.

Global Studies Certification Language Proficiency

The following is a reference chart, which provides additional descriptive factors regarding the range of proficiency standards to satisfy the foreign language requirement of the Global Studies Certification:

Language Category Based on Difficulty	Class A: Western European Languages (Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, etc.)	Class B: Other World Languages (Asian languages, Middle Eastern Languages, Creole, indigenous languages of Africa and the Americas, Eastern European Languages, etc.
ACTFL Standard Goals (http://actflproficiencyguidelines2012.org/)	Intermediate Low (Reading, Writing, or Speaking)	Novice Mid (Reading, Writing, or Speaking)
Satisfaction of Requirement With College Foreign Language Credit
College Coursework	2 semesters in the same language, completed with a “C” or better1	2 semesters in the same language, completed with a “C” or better1
CLEP Score	50 (Spanish, French, and German)2	N/A
AP Scores	3, 4, or 5 (Spanish, French, Italian, and German)3	3, 4, or 5 (Chinese and Japanese)3
IB Scores	HL 4/SL 5 (Spanish, French, and German)	HL 4/SL 5 (Arabic and
Satisfaction of Requirement Without College Foreign Language Credit
Language Testing International Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) or Writing Proficiency Test (WPT) (http://www.languagetesting.com/actfl-tests-for-higher-education)	Intermediate Low	Novice Mid

[1] Any level, need not be consecutive

[2] Credit in German is currently not awarded through the CLEP, although students are allowed to transfer in credit in German.

[3] At present, students must make a 4 or 5 on the German, Italian, or Japanese AP exam, in order to receive credit, although they can receive credit for Chinese, French, or Spanish 1002 with a score of 3.