Program

Global Competency (Certificate)

Domestic applications

Summer 2025: Applications closed

Fall 2025:  Apply Now! 

Winter 2026: Apply Now!

Summer 2026:   Applications open June 2, 2025 at 9:00 am

International applications

Please visit the International Application Deadline page to find out when applications may be available.

Faculty
Language, Literature & Performing Arts
Department
Global Learning Global Citizenship
Credits
15.00
Length of program
Self-paced
Credential type
Certificate
Admission type
Open Enrolment - General Admission Requirements
Offered
Fall
Winter
Summer

Overview

Build your cultural expertise and become a global citizen with the Certificate in Global Competency. This 15-credit credential will give you the knowledge and skills to adapt, innovate and lead in an increasingly interconnected and rapidly changing world. You’ll gain skills in critical thinking and intercultural communication skills while expanding your knowledge of diverse world views.

You can complete this certificate while in your current program and will apply your new skills to a global or local learning experience such as an exchange, field school or volunteer opportunity. This credential is an asset for careers in international education, refugee and immigrant services, international business, global supply chain management, environmental sustainability, international relations and more.

Admissions Requirements

Cost

Calculate your tuition and see the approximate cost of taking your program at Douglas College with the tuition & fee estimator. See costs broken down into categories including tuition fees, textbooks, student activity fees, U-Pass and more. 

For more information, refer to the tuition fee charts. 

Program Requirements

Curriculum framework

Graduation Requirements

 

Academic Requirements:

  • Successful completion of 15 credits of coursework:
    • 12 credits of coursework deemed Global Competency Certificate (GCC) eligible (see list of GCC-eligible courses and notes below) [1][2]
    • Three (3) credit global citizenship course: GLGC 1101, or AIST 3030, or NURS 3318
  • 50% (7.5 credits) of all coursework must be completed at Douglas College
  • A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00
  • Time limit to complete the program graduation requirements: 4 years. Any courses completed outside of that time limit will not be usable. Students may seek the permission of the Department/Program to complete a credential outside the approved time limits.

Non-academic Requirements:

  • Completion of a GCC-eligible international or intercultural learning experience (see list of GCC-eligible experiences below)

List of GCC-Eligible Courses

Applied Community Studies

  • CFCS 1112 Working in Communities
  • CFCS 1142 Introduction to Aboriginal Child, Youth and Family Practice
  • CFCS 2332 Strengthening the Family Spirit - Working from Aboriginal Perspectives with Elders' Teachings
  • CFCS 2432 Understanding Indigenous Perspectives and Experiences
  • CFCS 3900 Perspectives in International and Community Development
  • CSSW 1100 Introduction to Social Work Practice
  • CSSW 1122 Interviewing and Counselling Skills
  • CYCC 1142 Introduction to Aboriginal Child and Youth Care Practice
  • CYCC 2452 Enhancing Resilience in Aboriginal Children and Youth
  • ECED 2361 Indigenous World View and Early Childhood Education
  • ECED 2365 Global Perspectives and Early Childhood Education
  • INTR 1102 Allyship and the Deaf Community
  • INTR 2110 Positionality in the Deaf Community
  • INTR 2201 Deafhood: Pathways to Identity & Diversity 
  • SOWK 2100 Introduction to Social Work Practice
  • SOWK 2422 Social Work Practice with Groups and Communities
  • SOWK 3250 Social Work with Indigenous People
  • SOWK 4100 Social Work Between Systems
  • SOWK 4260 Global Perspectives in Social Work
  • THRT 2306 Inclusive Leisure Practice
  • THRT 3601 Community Development Concepts and Applications in Health and Social Services

Commerce and Business Administration

  • BLAW 3700 Fundamentals of International Trade Law
  • FINC 3305 International Financial Management

Health Sciences

  • NURS 3315 Leadership: Partners in Health Promotion
  • NURS 3411 Nursing Art & Science: Vulnerable Populations
  • NURS 3415 Applied Nursing Ethics, Leadership and Moral Courage
  • NURS 4515 Leadership: Influencing Health Care Reform
  • PNUR 2171 Family Health Promotion of Psychiatric Nursing Practice
  • PNUR 2285 Psychiatric Nursing in Addictions and Mental Health
  • PNUR 4501 Psychiatric Nursing Leadership and Management 
  • PNUR 4572 Psychiatric Nursing Community Concepts

Humanities and Social Sciences

  • ANTH 1100 Introduction to Social & Cultural Anthropology
  • ANTH 1101 World Prehistory: Ancient Peoples and Places
  • ANTH 1130 The Anthropology of Religion
  • ANTH 1160 Indigenous Cultures of Canada
  • ANTH 1170 Anthropology in Developing Countries
  • ANTH 1800 Global Indigenous Experiential Learning
  • ANTH 2020 Visual and Sensory Anthropology
  • ANTH 2210 Archaeology in the Americas
  • ANTH 2220 Anthropology of Healing
  • ANTH 2230 Ecology and Culture: Global Diversity and Inequality
  • ANTH 2240 The Anthropology of Gender and Sexuality
  • ANTH 2250 The Anthropology of Music
  • HIST 1101 History of World Societies, 3000 BCE to 1500 CE
  • HIST 1102 A History of World Societies, 1500 to 1914
  • HIST 1103 World History, 1900 - 1945
  • HIST 1104 World History Since 1945
  • HIST 1105 Global Issues in Historical Perspective
  • HIST 1113 Canada Before Confederation
  • HIST 1114 Canada After Confederation
  • HIST 1120 Modern Africa
  • HIST 1125 The Modern Middle East
  • HIST 1140 American History: An Introduction
  • HIST 1155 Asian History: An Introduction
  • HIST 1165 Health and Medicine in History
  • HIST 1170 Global Indigenous Histories
  • HIST 2201 Early Modern Europe
  • HIST 2206 History of the British Isles
  • HIST 2210 History of British Columbia
  • HIST 2215 Canadian Lives: An Introduction to Social and Cultural History
  • HIST 2250 Modern China: An Introduction
  • HIST 2252 Modern South Asia: An Introduction
  • HIST 2260 Women, Gender, and Sexuality in Canada, 1600-1870
  • HIST 2261 Women, Gender, and Sexuality in Canada, 1870 to the Present
  • HIST 2270 History of Indigenous People in Canada
  • HIST 3300 The Atlantic World: Africa, Europe and The Americas, 1500 - 1900
  • HIST 3305 Europe Since 1945
  • HIST 3306 Modern Germany: From 1871 to the Present
  • HIST 3315 Canada Since 1945
  • HIST 3325 Immigration, Diversity and Multiculturalism in North America
  • HIST 4480 The Holocaust in Modern Memory
  • INST 1100 Introduction to International Studies
  • SOSC 3141 International Organizational Behaviour

Language, Literature and Performing Arts

  • CMNS 1104 Foundations of Intercultural Communication
  • CMNS 1217 Intercultural Communication in the Workplace
  • CMNS 1220 Communication and Social Change
  • CMNS 2200 Global Media and Communication
  • CMNS 2317 Intercultural Conflict in Interpersonal Relationships 
  • GSWS 1101 Contemporary Issues in Gender, Sexualities and Women's Studies
  • LING 1102 Linguistic Diversity and Cultural Diversity

Science and Technology

  • BIOL 1110 Principles of Biology: the Biosphere
  • ENGR 1100 Engineering and Technology in Society
  • SPSC 1105 Introduction to the Study of Sport and Leisure in Society
  • SPSC 2205 Socio-cultural Aspects of Health and the Body
  • SPSC 2281 Sociological Aspects of Sport
  • SPSC 2292 Introduction to the Administration and Management of Sport, Recreation and Leisure Services
  • SPSC 2381 The Rise of Modern Sport and Physical Education
  • SPSC 5398 Dance Education
  • SPSC 5499 Curriculum Issues: Physical and Health Education

List of GCC-Eligible Experiences

  • All GCC-eligible experiences are approved by the GCC coordinator, the GCC Faculty Advisory Committee, or their designates.[3]
    • International experiences:
      • Faculty-led programs
        • Belize
        • Czechia
        • France
        • Germany
        • Ghana
        • Greece
        • Iceland
        • Ireland
        • Italy
        • Mexico
        • Philippines
        • Rwanda
        • Scotland
        • Spain
        • Switzerland
        • Uganda
        • Wales
      • Indigenous global learning programs
        • Arizona
        • Hawaii
      • GLO (Global Learning Online) experiences
        • Rwanda PEFA COIL
        • French Culture COIL
      • International exchanges
      • International work co-op placements
      • Summer study abroad programs
      • Disney work and learn program
    • Intercultural experiences:
      • Government of Canada Explore Program
      • Government of Canada Odyssey Program
      • ELLA Experience Package

[1] Global competency courses are designated as “GCC-Eligible” on the curriculum guideline.

[2] Only two (2) of the following courses: CMNS 1104, CMNS 1217, CMNS 2317.

[3] Other international and intercultural experiences may be deemed GCC-eligible if they meet the inclusion criteria for GCC-eligible international and intercultural experiences. For more information, consult the GCC coordinator.

Program Guidelines

Program Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this program and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the program, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

(Current)

Career Pathways

With the skills developed from a Global Competency Certificate and further education, you may find opportunities in the following fields:

  • International Education
  • Refugee and Immigrant Services
  • International Business
  • Global Supply Chain Management
  • Environmental Sustainability
  • International Relations