• Degree Requirements
• Program Curriculum
• Certificate Program

Degree Requirements: Depth and Breadth

In addition to meeting the depth requirements for your major you also will need to fulfill the breadth requirement to complete your UW-Madison degree. The breadth requirement consists of 40 credits, or one third of the total required for graduation in the College of Letters and Science; other schools have similar requirements. There are many options for fulfilling the breadth requirement, through courses in many different programs and departments. The Global Cultures Program focuses on comparisons between cultures, and draws on courses from many departments.

The Global Cultures Program Curriculum

Students may choose from a list of well over 100 courses, offered in different departments. Freshmen courses include two categories:

1. Introductory courses that describe cross-cultural comparisons; and
2. Introductory surveys that describe an important culture or world region outside the United States.

A required foundations course:
ILS 209- Introduction to Global Cultures (Fall semesters) is specifically designed for students in the program.  The course is team-taught by faculty from different departments and focuses on comparison of cultures in relation to several common themes such as the ideal of justice, the human image in art or literature, attitude toward the life cycle, and religious beliefs.
OR
GEOGRAPHY 101- Introduction to Human Geography (Spring semesters) is designed to acquaint you with the recent global patterns and processes that have come to be known as globalization through the use of a human geographic perspective. The course will  explore globalization through the use of a series of human geographic lenses, including social and cultural geography,   political geography/geopolitics, environmental geography, economic geography, and urban geography.

Students who wish to complete the certificate program may choose additional upper-level courses in comparative cultures from an extensive list, or may combine such courses with study abroad at any of almost 80 sites available through the UW-Madison's Office of International Studies and Programs (IAP).  The capstone course requirement for seniors helps integrate the knowledge gained by students during their comparative course work and/or overseas study.

Certificate in Global Cultures:

Students who complete 21 credits in the program are eligible for a Certificate in Global Cultures. Its requirements include:

Foundations Course: Fall Semester: Introduction to Global Cultures (ILS 209) OR Spring Semester: Introduction to Human Geography (GEOG 101)	3 credits
Fifth Semester level of one foreign language	3 credits
Elective Courses from the Global Cultures list and/or study abroad through UW-Madison	12 credits*
Capstone Senior Seminar (LCA 615 or ILS 401) or Cross-Cultural Independent Study Project	3 credits
Total	21 credits

The foundations course and the capstone course may not be taken concurrently in order to declare the Certificate in the final semester on campus.

*Elective Courses:

Up to 12 credits of work completed in a year-long UW-Madison study abroad program may count toward the requirements of the certificate; up to 6 credits of a semester-long program; up to 3 credits of a summer program.

At least 6 credits of course work must be at the 300 level or above.

For students whose native language is not English, the language requirement may be waived.