Global Concentrations

Study Abroad alumni

Academic departments are encouraged to propose a global concentration option, allowing students to showcase global competency within the major. Adopting a Global Concentration option provides a flexible framework that would not compromise students' time to degree but rather capitalize on their study abroad experiences, language skills, and UCSD global content courses.

What is a Global Concentration?

Recently endorsed by the Academic Senate Undergraduate Council, a Global Concentration for undergraduate majors at UC San Diego seeks to create "an organic, flexible framework for academic integration and global education in disciplines, increase faculty/department engagement with international education, and expand student participation in education abroad programs."

The Committee on International Education encourages UC San Diego departments to create a transcripted 'Global Concentration' for any major within a department. Departments might selectively identify some but not all majors in the department for the Global Concentration option.

The criteria for successfully completing a Global Concentration is as follows:

A minimum of eight units earned through study abroad, of which a minimum of four units would count toward the major
- This can include study, research, and internship experiences provided they are transcripted.
Demonstration of proficiency in a second language through the fourth quarter of university-level instruction)
- This is the standard set by the two colleges at UC San Diego which require second language proficiency. Students who are bilingual and bi-literate, or have been taught extensively in another language, could satisfy the requirement by providing appropriate documentation.
A minimum of two courses with department- or program-identified global content (courses which focus on non-US cultures, countries, or policies.
- This could be satisfied by courses designed for the discipline and offered by the department, or from a list of courses approved by the department and offered outside the department, including on study abroad programs. *There may be overlap between these classes and the course credits mentioned under the first criteria above!