CERTIFICATE IN GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT
A 10-credit certificate to develop skills, knowledge, and understanding that prepare you for leadership and engagement in our global society.
AT A GLANCE
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Flexible start dates (duration between 3 and 15 months)
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Available study abroad destinations: Kenya | Rwanda | South Africa | Vietnam
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Credit: 10 U.S. credit hours (~ 20 ECTS credits) for eligible university students
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Eligibility: Undergraduate - any field and level of study
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Tuition: US $335 per credit hour (US $3,350 total)
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Onsite program fees (extra): US $1,790 (field course) + US $1,790 (internship)
This Certificate is available to undergraduate university students (similar Certificates are available for high school students, graduate university students, and professionals - please check our other pages for further information). There are no specific prerequisites or requirements. Students can be enrolled in any major or minor and can be at any level of undergraduate study. While we try to always place students in cohorts with similar levels of study, please understand that this may not always be possible.
Our programs are designed to follow U.S. academic culture and standards. While it is possible to complete the entire Certificate in one summer (with some advance work), students have the opportunity to spread the courses across a whole year, including two back-to-back summers. The pace especially for the onsite experiences is generally accelerated and the workload is demanding. The U.S. grading scale of A to F is used. Students will receive a variety of assignments. They include a reflective personalized essay on cultural intelligence, a reflective personalized essay on global change leader competencies, a variety of assignments relating to the different modules of the field course, a weekly blog or vlog for the onsite time, an internship placement report, and a final culminating reflective essay as well as a 20-minute portfolio presentation.
10 U.S. credit hours (~ 20 ETCS credits) for eligible undergraduate students via our U.S. academic school of record, The College of New Jersey (TCNJ). After successful completion of the Certificate, you will receive a comprehensive GEI transcript. Please check with your academic advisor at your home institution to confirm how many credits can be accepted for your degree program and whether the institution is willing to issue its own credits. If desirable, TCNJ can issue a formal TCNJ transcript for credit transfer. For this, TCNJ charges an additional US $125 per U.S. credit hour.
The language of instruction is English.
It is generally possibly to start the Certificate program at any time. The majority of the components are flexible, time-wise. The only component that has fixed dates is the international field course which is typically available during J-Term (roughly the first three weeks of January) as well as throughout the summer (with four different start date options from late May to August).
We accept applications on a rolling basis at any time of the year.
Tuition: US $335/credit hour ($3,350 total)
Onsite program fee (field course): US $1,790
Onsite program fee (internship): US $1,790
INSTRUCTORS & COORDINATORS
Meet our core team
All of our instructors and coordinators are highly experienced and resourceful professionals.
Program timeline
We are officially incorporated in New York and headquartered in Berlin. Our GEI Regional Study Centers are located in Kigali (Rwanda), Nairobi (Kenya), Cape Town (South Africa), and Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam).
Our study abroad and internship programs generally focus exclusively on our GEI Regional Study Centers in Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, and Vietnam. That said, institutional affiliate partners regularly request that we provide their faculty-led and custom programs also in neighboring countries. As such, we have the operational capacity and experience to provide programs across our three regions – in East Africa (Burundi, DR Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda), Southern Africa (Botswana, eSwatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe), and Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam).
We welcome applicants from all nationalities in our programs. If you seek academic credits or continuing education credits, please make sure that your home institution will accept the (typically U.S.) credits that we offer. More details about credits can be found on our program pages.
Yes, your application is only complete with the payment of a non-refundable deposit payment of US $300 that goes towards your total program fee.
Sure, if you’re still looking for answers, we’ll be happy to connect you with one of our alumni.
We have signed a School of Record agreement with The College of New Jersey (TCNJ). Undergraduate student participants of our courses are generally eligible for U.S. credits via TCNJ. You can find more information in the following blog post: Academic Credits.
Credits are not typically included in regular program fees. They typically cost an additional US $125 per U.S. credit hour, payable to us.
It can take up to 4 weeks for you or your home university to receive a transcript.
The continuous monitoring of safety and security at our program locations has been an intimate part of our daily work since the very beginning of our operations. All of our decisions are made after careful consideration of every resource at our fingertips – our GEI Regional Study Center staff, our diverse in-country institutional partners, contacts in the field, relevant local government and police sources, local diplomatic missions, and a variety of news sources. Our program managers subscribe to various countries’ travel warnings and advisories, including those of the U.S. State Department. Resident managers make every reasonable effort to stay informed, and they disseminate updates to GEI staff and program participants about any changes that have implications on local safety, security, and health risks. And, when necessary, we take immediate action, including program relocation or evacuation.
Over the years of operating in Africa and Asia, we have unfortunately been forced to occasionally deal with diverse crises, ranging from civil unrest, terrorist attacks, politically motivated violence, or street crimes to car accidents, public health and medical emergencies, and natural disasters. As terrible and sad as every single one of these events has been, they have strengthened our ability to foresee and prevent many potential problems, and to respond swiftly and decisively to any crisis that really hits us. They have also helped us to develop the networks and relationships to those institutions and individuals who can make the difference in the event of an emergency.
Yes. Participants of our study abroad and internship programs receive a comprehensive health insurance that includes evacuation coverage. This is part of the program fees and arranged by GEI.
No. We are not a travel agent and typically only provide in-country services. Our partners and clients regularly recommend StudentUniverse for affordable international options.
No problem to arrive earlier or depart later. But you will be responsible for covering the added costs. If desirable, please contact us with your travel plans. If we’re able to assist with housing, transportation services, and excursions, we’ll gladly do so. Late arrivals are not permitted, unless previously discussed with GEI.
Depending on the program and the program location, we offer different types of accommodation: hotels, guest houses, serviced apartments, or homestays. As a general rule, study abroad programs utilize trusted guesthouses in gateway cities and trusted guesthouses, serviced apartments, or homestays in host communities. The latter are particularly applicable to interns. You can find additional information in the following blog post: Accommodation – What to expect.
Most of the modern electronic devices no longer need power converters. Please check if all your devices can cover the current between 110–230 Volt.
In gateway cities, we typically select hotels and guesthouses where Wi-Fi is relatively reliable, as long as you take into account that you’ll be staying in a developing country where internet speed can be slow and patchy. Homestay host families don’t always have an internet connection readily available. In such a case, we offer mobile hotspots that you can rent at an additional fee. At the host communities, we’ll make every effort to also provide internet access, even though speed and reliability are likely to be significantly poorer.
In the great majority of cases yes! A lot of the participants we host have dietary restrictions or food allergies. Please make sure to let us know in advance – on your application form – precisely what restriction or allergy you have. We will then try our very best to accommodate your needs, whether at a hotel or guesthouse or with a host family or serviced apartment.
Yes, as long as you're actually eligible for the program in question. Our programs are generally inclusive.
Yes, the deposit counts toward your program balance and will hence be deducted from the final payment.
No. Your deposit is not refundable. However, should you not be able to join a program, deposits can be stored for one year and used for another GEI program after discussion with your GEI coordinator. Please contact us immediately if you need to cancel your participation.
Yes. GEI offers a variety of merit scholarships, trailblazer scholarships, and opportunity scholarships and grants. You can find further information as well as additional resources for external funding opportunities in the following blog post: Scholarships & Grants.
Don’t wait until the last minute to take care of this important point. Various options are possible (scholarships, fellowships, financial aid, grants, or loans) and seeking multiple resources, including from friends and family, may be a very good idea.
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