Global Studies at SJSU is an interdisciplinary program that encourages students to look at the world holistically. The tremendous international migrations of people, movements of goods, technology transfers, and mixing of cultures makes it important to study the world as a human community in ways we haven’t considered in the past. The program is designed to train future leaders to grapple with some of the most pressing issues of our time, from a global perspective. The focus of our program on studying global issues from multiple perspectives provides students the intellectual foundation and the analytical and communication skills to prepare for careers in government, education, NGOs, international development agencies, international philanthropic organizations, law, consulting, global health organizations, writing, and graduate study. We are the only Global Studies program in the San Francisco Bay Area and one of the few in the CSU system that offers an interdisciplinary program that includes a suite of core courses in Global Studies. Global Studies is a relatively new field and our program is at the leading edge of shaping this field for the future.

Global Citizenship is an interdisciplinary certificate program, offered by the Department of Environmental Studies , intended to assist students and members of the non-student community in understanding the interconnectedness of peoples, genders, cultures, and societies and celebrating the richness of human diversity in a global context. The program complements SJSU’s goals of globalizing the campus and graduating students who are globally responsible citizens. Students will examine questions of meaning and value associated with citizenship in today’s increasingly connected world. Students will also develop their own understanding of personal, social, and corporate responsibility to the global community. In a rapidly changing world, it is necessary for college students to acquire the knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes to adapt and thrive in the enlarged and evolving global context.

University Advanced Certificate Requirements​

Advanced certificate programs offer postbaccalaureate students coursework leading to a specific, applied, focused goal. In order to be eligible for admission to an advanced certificate, students complete an intake form or apply through CalState Apply and submit an official transcript(s) (noting the completion of a U.S. bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution or the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree from an accredited and/or recognized institution from a foreign country). Students must have a minimum of 2.5 undergraduate GPA.

Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 in all advanced certificate coursework, with no less than the grade of “C” in any course. A maximum of 4 units of coursework with a grade of “C” can count toward an advanced certificate. A maximum of 4 units of coursework may be repeated. Undergraduate lower division courses are not applicable to advanced certificates. A maximum of 30% of any graduate degree program units (e.g., 9 units for a 30-unit Master’s degree) can be completed from another institution and/or units from Open University (including advanced certificate courses) at SJSU with approval from the department or school. The choice of grading requirements may have implications for transferability to degree programs (University Policy S16-17). 

The advisor/director of the program is responsible for verifying a student’s satisfactory completion of the academic requirements established for the program and for forwarding a copy of the certificate audit completion form to the Office of Graduate Admissions and Program Evaluations. The Office of the Registrar records the completion of the program on the student’s transcript.