European Union Studies Certificate

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To earn the EU Studies Certificate, students must complete the certificate curriculum (18 hours) and fulfill the practicum experience requirement. Students must have a 3.0 cumulative GPA in curriculum courses upon completion of the program. An official certificate is awarded upon graduation, and the certificate is noted on a student’s permanent transcripts.

Certificate Requirements

The EU Studies Certificate Curriculum (18 Hours)

POLS 4242 - European Union: Politics, Economy, and Foreign Policy 3 Credit Hours

Multidisciplinary Menu (12 Hours)

A student must complete four courses from an approved menu of courses dealing substantially with the EU. These courses must be distributed among at least three different discipline areas: Social Sciences, Humanities and Fine Arts, Business and Economics, and Natural and Health Sciences. The program’s campus representative decides which courses qualify for the certificate and maintains an updated list of approved courses in the different discipline areas. No more than one course in this menu can be taken at the 1000-2000 level, with the exception of EU Studies online courses (see below) and study abroad courses. Students may substitute for up to two menu courses by performing an internship and/or composing a thesis.

Capstone Seminar in EU Studies (3 Hours)

Taken either as a Directed Study (POLS 4920 ) or online course, this is ideally the last course in the certificate program. It has three learning objectives: (1) to update students on EU developments and reinforce their general knowledge of the EU, (2) to provide in-depth knowledge of important EU issues, and (3) to allow students to conduct intensive research on EU-related topics.

Practicum Experience

Since it is deemed crucial that students demonstrate more than an academic knowledge of the European Union to be certified as adequately prepared in the subject, a “real-life” practicum experience pertaining to the EU must be performed either in the form of an overseas visit or an internship. The overseas option is broadly defined and can be accommodated by a wide range of activities, including study or research abroad. The same flexibility applies to the internship, which can be served domestically or internationally. A student’s specific practicum experience must be approved by the program’s campus representative.