Honors Certificate

The Landegger Program is an honors certificate program that offers students the opportunity to participate in an interdisciplinary course of study that complements their academic interests and degree. We deliver to a select number of honors students a rigorous academic program that emphasizes the role of business in the international arena.

Honors students who choose to participate in the program link their studies in international relations and political economy with, for example, basic training in finance, accounting, management, studies in corporate strategy, corporate social responsibility or business-government relations. The program also integrates coursework in business ethics and global business management. Landegger Program classes combine an intensive case method approach to global corporate operations with an analysis of key economic and political issues in international trade, finance, and investment.

Within the Walsh School of Foreign Service, this multidisciplinary program offers a bridge between the undergraduate majors. At the graduate level, Landegger offers a bridge between degree programs and concentrations and graduate schools (MSFS, GSFS Regional Studies Programs, GSAS including CCTP, the Law School and MSB).

REQUIREMENTS FOR CANDIDATES

  • Fulfillment of the Honors Certificate Program requires a minimum of six qualifying courses (18 credits), with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.5.
  • Students are required to enter the certificate through one gateway course with an honors grade of A- or better.
  • Students (except MBA students) must complete a compulsory course in Accounting and Finance.
  • Students are encouraged to focus their remaining four or more courses on a specific professional concentration. Each student’s broader degree program provides other complementary courses in economics, politics, history and cross-cultural understanding.
  • All students must also pass a proficiency examination in at least one foreign language.
  • BSFS Candidates, effective with the class of 2019: Double counting between majors and certificates is limited to no more than two classes per major. All majors will allow double counting of two classes. Some certificate programs may allow fewer than two courses to double count.

MBA candidates: In order to fulfill the honors certificate requirement, MBA candidates must complete:

  • Four out of the six courses (12 credits) within the School of Foreign Service or draw from specifically identified IBD electives taught at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. The gateway course is included in this four course series.
  • The remaining 6 credits by taking a combination of specifically listed module courses taught at the McDonough School of Business and identified as IBD electives.

CCT candidates. In order to fulfill the honors certificate requirement, CCT candidates must complete:

  • Four out of the six courses (12 credits) within the School of Foreign Service or draw from specific module courses taught at the McDonough School of Business and identified as IBD electives. The gateway course and the compulsory accounting and finance course are included in this four course series.
  • The remaining 6 credits by taking specifically identified IBD electives offered in the CCT Program or additional IBD electives offered either in the School of Foreign Service or the McDonough School of Business.

CANDIDATE FORMS

Students awarded the honors grade in the Certificate Gateway Courses will be invited to participate in the Honors Certificate Program as Candidates. Invitations into the Program will include a requirement to submit documentation which includes a Candidate Record Form, a current updated resume, and a current digital photograph.

Candidates should ensure that their Candidate Record Form and other required documentation (resume and photo) is on file with the Landegger Program Office and that contact information and course information is up to date.

Prior to graduation, all graduating candidates will be asked to participate in an Employment Survey and an Exit Interview Survey. Graduating candidates will be given the opportunity to sign up for exit interviews beginning in April of their graduating year.

ADMISSIONS

The International Business Diplomacy Program is an academic honors program of the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. Students who want to be considered for full admission as honors candidates in the IBD Program, should be enrolled in a full-time degree program within the School of Foreign Service. Joint-degree students are eligible so long as part of their degree is conferred by the School of Foreign Service. Cooperative inter-school arrangements also permit a select number of Georgetown MBA students and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Communication, Culture and Technology Program (CCTP) students to qualify for the Program each year, based on their preparation in international affairs and fulfillment of other IBD Program requirements.

Qualifying students may join the IBD Program after taking one of the Landegger Program gateway courses. Students, who complete this course with an honors grade (A or A-) and meet the other IBD requirements, will be invited to become full candidates for an IBD Honors Certificate.

GATEWAY COURSES

Gateway courses are open to both undergraduate and graduate students. Prospective candidates may register for gateway courses in either the fall or spring semesters. The IBD Program currently accepts approximately 90 students each academic year as full honors certificate candidates. Although registration for gateway courses is generally restricted to students in the School of Foreign Service, a certain number of spaces are reserved for students in the Georgetown MBA Program through an exchange-of-seats agreement. Students in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences program in Communication, Culture and Technology may also register for designated gateway courses. Evaluations in the gateway course are based strictly on each individual’s performance; grades are not allocated or “curved” to reach a minimum or maximum number of certificate candidates per educational degree or academic program every year.

ACADEMICS

The IBD Honors Certificate curriculum is designed to build upon core requirements of the MSFS and BSFS programs. Students pursuing other School of Foreign Service degrees, MBA and CCTP students must already meet the BSFS/MSFS core requirements or be prepared to fulfill equivalent requirements in economics, politics/international relations, history and foreign languages in order to receive the IBD Honors Certificate.

LEARNING GOALS

Learning Goals for the Honors Certificate include:

  • A thorough understanding of major principles, theories, and public policy issues relating to the role of international business in an interdependent world political economy.
  • A basic command of applied accounting and finance skills needed in business transactions.
  • Skills development in: critical thinking and analysis; ability to understand important elements in current and emerging policy issues; formulation of actionable policy recommendations; formulation of corporate strategy; political and economic risk assessment capability; oral briefing and presentation capability; and, effective team dynamics through group work and role-play scenarios.

COURSE PETITION

Students accepted into the IBD Program may petition the Landegger Program for approval of courses not listed for IBD certificate credit. Students will be allowed only one of their curricular choices to be a petitioned course. Students may petition courses either before or after they actually take the course.

Student petitions should include:

  • a statement of how the course fits within the Landegger Program philosophy and field of study, and why it is particularly relevant to the student’s academic curriculum and/or career preparation,
  • a copy of the course description, syllabus, reading list and course requirements, copies of relevant papers and other evaluated work, if the course has already been completed, and supporting statements by individual faculty when required.
  • Undergraduate students participating in the study abroad program may petition to have a course or combination of courses taken abroad count for one of the six IBD course package requirements. Approval for study abroad courses is granted only after the students’ return and submission of sufficient course-related material to permit an assessment of “honors” performance in the classes.

SFS students have access to a wealth of information specific to international affairs via the Georgetown Library, especially the flagship Lauinger Library. The offerings of the library are integral to the academic experience.

RESEARCH AND SUBJECT GUIDES

Bibliographers at the Library maintain and regularly update resource hubs of particular use for SFS students.

Foreign Affairs and Policy / Foreign Service / SFS
African Studies
Arab and Middle Eastern Studies
Arabic Language, Linguistics & Literature
Asian History
Asian Religions
China Studies
Conflict Resolution: War, Genocide, Terrorism
European History
French
German
International Business
International Development
International Trade
Islamic Studies
Italian
Japan Studies
Korea Studies
Latin American Studies
Nations of the World
Russian, East European & Eurasian Studies
Security and Intelligence Studies
Spanish, Portuguese and Catalan Literature and Linguistics
South Asia Studies
Southeast Asia Studies
Western Europe

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Main campus students and faculty have access to the GU-Qatar library and as a member of the Washington Research Library Consortium (WRLC), Georgetown makes available the resources of major university libraries throughout the Washington, D.C. Materials from these sources may be accessed by the Georgetown community through the main library website.

Our Washington, DC location means that students and scholars with special research needs have ready access to the unparalleled Library of Congress, the U.S. National Archives and other libraries and archives in Washington and the surrounding area.