College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Political Science
www.kent.edu/polisci

About This Program

The Global Issues undergraduate certificate program explores critical global issues and develops valuable skills to make a difference in our interconnected world. Read more...

Contact Information

• Mike Ensley, Ph.D. | mensley@kent.edu
• Speak with an Advisor
• Chat with an Admissions Counselor

Program Delivery

• Delivery:
  • In person
• Location:
  • Kent Campus

Admission Requirements

The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students who graduated from high school three or more years ago.

First-Year Students on the Kent Campus: First-year admission policy on the Kent Campus is selective. Admission decisions are based upon cumulative grade point average, strength of high school college preparatory curriculum and grade trends. Students not admissible to the Kent Campus may be administratively referred to one of the seven regional campuses to begin their college coursework. For more information, visit the admissions website for first-year students.

First-Year Students on the Regional Campuses: First-year admission to Kent State’s campuses at Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Salem, Stark, Trumbull and Tuscarawas, as well as the Twinsburg Academic Center, is open to anyone with a high school diploma or its equivalent. For more information on admissions, contact the Regional Campuses admissions offices.

International Students: All international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions) by earning a minimum 525 TOEFL score (71 on the Internet-based version), minimum 75 MELAB score, minimum 6.0 IELTS score or minimum 48 PTE Academic score, or by completing the ELS level 112 Intensive Program. For more information, visit the admissions website for international students.

Transfer Students: Students who have attended any other educational institution after graduating from high school must apply as undergraduate transfer students. For more information, visit the admissions website for transfer students.

Former Students: Former Kent State students or graduates who have not attended another college or university since Kent State may complete the reenrollment or reinstatement form on the University Registrar’s website.

Admission policies for undergraduate students may be found in the University Catalog's Academic Policies.

Some programs may require that students meet certain requirements before progressing through the program. For programs with progression requirements, the information is shown on the program's Coursework tab.

Program Requirements

Certificate Requirements

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Certificate electives must be from at least two different disciplines.

Graduation Requirements

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Communicate the basic concepts of sustainable development policy approaches to global issues and their relevance to the student’s major field of study.
2. Articulate the importance of international cooperation for addressing global issues.
3. Articulate the importance of strong local, national and international public institutions for addressing global issues.

Full Description

The Global Issues undergraduate certificate examines a range of global issues through the framework of sustainable development, an approach to public policy-making that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Sustainable development policies seek to address the world’s most pressing "wicked problems" through cooperative action as a global community. Examples include poverty, hunger, inequality, access to education, health and well-being, climate change and sustainable communities. The certificate is an excellent complement to any major and enables students to more fully understand how their major field of study can have a positive impact on the world around them.