The certificate can be easily completed in as little as 2 years, or even 3 semesters! 

ITC understands the importance of student scheduling, so one of the primary goals of the certificate is not to add a significant amount of time to a student's expected graduation date.  Another advantage is the amount of "double dipping" that can be done between the student's general education or major/minor requirements and the ITC program's courses.

There are over 100 courses available in more than 30 departments that count toward the ITC certificate. The table below shows one of many potential ways to acquire the certificate.

Introductory Course

Introduction to Intercultural Competence and Communication: 

ITC 100 introduces students to the concept of cultural competence, and provides them with the knowledge and application of skills necessary to succeed in diverse settings.

This course examines theories of intercultural engagement and requires students to consider how they might apply knowledge in diverse practical settings.

This course is unique because it requires students to be active participants in their learning. Traditional lecture and homework/reading assignments are minor features of this course. The majority of this class will include presentations through mainstream media, panel discussions, journaling, presentations, and internet resources. ITC 100 relates intercultural competence to students today.

ITC 100 is a GenEd US Diversity Course. Taking ITC 100 allows you to meet GenEd AND Certificate requirements.

Please visit the annual class schedule for ITC offerings.

Core Electives

Students will complete two electives courses. Many of which are part of General Education themes, or may be in the student's major. To view the core electives, click here.

Practicum

A major focus of the program is to start with learning and move into application. To facilitate this, the certificate has a practicum component, ITC 490 - Practicum in Intercultural Competence. The goal of ITC 490 is for students to be immersed in another culture. Because this is a two-credit course, students should design (in collaboration with the ITC Program Coordinator) an immersive experience that totals 100 hours per semester. ITC 490 has both in class and field components. 

The field component of the immersive experience is divided into three tracks, which the student can select based on their academic and professional interests:

1. on-campus
2. in the community
3. study abroad

1. Students who select the "on-campus" track will work the coordinator to identify a rigorous set of activities that place the student into a working relationship with communities of students who are different from their own.

2. Students who select the "in the community" track will work with the coordinator to select service-based activities in the local community that place them into a working relationship with a community that is different from their own.

3. Students can also fulfill the field component through local and Study Abroad opportunities. For Study Abroad the design and requirements of the internship will need to be included in a student's Study Abroad proposal, so please meet with Dr. Joel Wendland-Liu ahead of proposal submission if you are considering this option. For additional information, please click here.

ITC 490 is offered online throughout the year in Spring/Summer, Fall, and Winter Semesters.

ITC 495

The Culminating Seminar in Intercultural Competence, ITC 495, is designed for students to demonstrate that they have progressed from theory to application, thus addressing the skills competencies of the certificate. The core of this course is a critical-thinking project, where students identify issues of cultural conflict in their communities or academic disciplines, and develop plans for how these issues might be addressed through cultural understanding or training.