With the introduction of a Global Studies Certificate Program, the University of Houston -- the second most diverse university in the country – now has a program that builds upon and studies the factors that have led Houston to become a magnet for people from all over the world.

"This is a timely program because we are now living in a global village,” said Dr. Robert Zaretsky, professor of French history at The Honors College. "All of our colleges at the university are responding to the shrinking of our world – a shrinking that is financial, economic, cultural, and linguistic."

An exciting collaboration between The Honors College and the C.T. Bauer College of Business, the Global Studies Certificate examines these changes taking place here in Houston and around the world. The program also finds a natural home in The Honors College because of its interdisciplinary focus, which incorporates fields as diverse as history, economics, sociology, literature, and business.

"We have an exceptionally diverse campus and a number of students who travel abroad already," professor Zaretsky said. "This is an excellent program for students who are seeking minors that have an international dimension."

Students earn the Global Studies Certificate by taking 18 total credits – 15 from an approved list of courses encompassing many departments and 3 in the capstone course, Global Studies and Research, which will be taught by Dr. Zaretsky and Dr. Tyler Priest, Director of Global Studies in the C.T. Bauer College of Business. Taken at the conclusion of a student’s studies, the capstone course encourages students to think critically about the reality of globalization, its effects, and its influence on our present and future world.

To encourage students to study abroad, students taking courses from a foreign university need only take 12 credits plus the capstone course to earn the certificate.

To learn more about the Global Studies Certificate, contact the program's director, Dr. Priest, at tpriest@uh.edu.