The University of Massachusetts Amherst
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International Relations

Common questions about the International Relations Certificate Requirements

Many students have questions about how to get the Five College International Relations Certificate.  Read on for some common questions and their answers…  1.  How many courses are needed for the Certificate? That depends on how much language study you have done.  If you already have intermediate-level competence in a foreign language, you need 7 courses (21 credits).  If not, you will need an additional 1 to 4 courses (3 to 12 credits) depending on how many language courses you need to attain intermediate-level competence (passing courses numbered 240 or 246). 2.  Can courses used for my major be counted for the Certificate? Yes.  However, you may not take more than 4 of your Certificate courses in the same discipline (department). 3.  Can courses used for my General Education requirements be counted for the Certificate? Yes, just remember the limit of 4 from any one discipline. 4.  I found a course listed on the Certificate website but not on SPIRE. The Certificate website lists include all the courses at all Five of the Colleges that are accepted as meeting each requirement.  You have to check SPIRE or the Five College course finder (go to the website www.fivecolleges.edu and then click on “find a course”) to see what courses are being given in a particular semester.  The Certificate website lists all of them so you can think about what courses will need to take in later semesters. 4.  If the same course appears on the Certificate website on the lists for two requirements, can I use it for both? No.  You need to take seven different courses to meet requirements 1-5 and 7 (the requirements other than language competence). 5.  Can the Certificate be used for the Global Education requirement? Yes.  You need to tell Arts and Sciences Advising in Machmer that you want to pursue Option 3, certificate program. 6.  What average is required in courses for the Certificate? You must earn at least a B in each course (this rule makes the Certificate somewhat more demanding than other minors). 7.  How do I inform people that I earned the Certificate? Once your certificate record has been processed, a notation will appear on your UMass transcript.  This usually happens the September after you graduate because of processing time.