A certificate program to educate students about the U.S. Foreign Service will restart at North Carolina Central University (NCCU) in January after a seven-year hiatus.
The 12-credit (four classes) foreign service training certificate starts with the foreign service seminar (POLS 3339), a course originally offered in 2018. Professor Allan Cooper, Ph.D., who taught that course, brought in several ambassadors to speak to students.
The course was not offered in 2019 and the following year the COVID-19 pandemic struck.
“We thought it wouldn’t work as well in an online format,” Cooper said.
The hope in offering the foreign service certificate is it will offer a way for NCCU students to get a foot in the door for a career.
“The Foreign Service has lagged behind in taking advantage of the diversity of the country and representing that diversity in the embassies abroad,” Cooper said.
The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), a professional association, agrees.
“Diversity levels at recruitment and at lower grades are encouraging,” according to the AFSA website. “As FS members rise through the ranks, however, the number of minorities and women thins out.”
The U.S. Foreign Service employs about 15,600 people and has 276 posts abroad.
The NCCU foreign service training certificate requires the seminar, a course about security, another about international diplomacy & law plus an experiential learning component.
Though based out of the political science department, the certificate program is open to all majors.
“The foreign service is looking for people who have a wide variety of backgrounds and education degrees,” Cooper said.
