Learning to communicate across diverse cultures and backgrounds is a crucial skill—and one employers are actively looking for.
A new offering from the School of Literatures, Cultures & Linguistics is helping students develop that skill and learn how to apply it in the workplace.
The Certificate in Intercultural Competence offers undergraduate students the chance to show employers and graduate programs that they have the global and intercultural skills needed to succeed in and out of the classroom.
Maia Clifford, an incoming senior majoring in psychology with a minor in Spanish, recently completed the certificate after learning about the opportunity through her advisor.
“I decided to pursue the certificate because I think cultural competence and humility is extremely important in all areas of the workforce, especially in healthcare, which is what I plan to pursue,” said Clifford. “I want to be prepared to work with a variety of different colleagues and patients who will all have different backgrounds, cultures, and ways of life that are different from my own.”
The certificate was meant to supplement her main course of study—but Clifford said it was more impactful than she could have imagined going in.
“The classes I’ve taken for this certificate have been some of the most important classes in my undergraduate career, despite the fact that they weren’t required for my degree,” she said.
It wasn’t just the course material that left a mark on her, either.
“I had the opportunity to not only learn the content of the courses, but also hear the perspectives of classmates from a variety of backgrounds,” said Clifford. “This combination of studying social and cultural patterns while also hearing first-hand accounts of individuals who have lived the course content has shaped a new understanding of what it means to be culturally informed. This experience taught me that being culturally competent means being informed while maintaining respect and an open mind—because there’s always more to learn.”
Clifford plans to pursue a master’s degree in nursing, followed by a doctorate in nursing to become a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. Through it all, the knowledge and skills she acquired through the Intercultural Competence Certificate will be her constant companion.
“As a future nurse, I plan to use what I learned from the certificate to adapt my care strategy for each unique patient, and share what I have learned with my coworkers,” said Clifford. “I plan to be an advocate for the importance of recognizing the language, racial, and religious differences that occur in places like hospitals and clinical care settings.”
While the healthcare field is the one she’s most familiar with, Clifford also noted the importance of intercultural education across a variety of careers.
“For students who plan to enter any other field of work, it’s equally important to be informed and have interacted with those who are different from themselves in order to be respectful and productive members of society, no matter where in the workforce they may find themselves,” she said.
It’s a skill that’s more important than ever.
“We are living in a world that needs cultural understanding and acceptance more than ever,” said Clifford. “This certificate represents an active attempt to educate oneself on the importance of embracing diversity in our society. Recognizing differences is the beginning, and taking courses on different cultures, languages, and ways of life is a step towards [making this] world a safer and more inclusive place for everyone.”
Editor's note: This story first appeared in the SLCL Fall 2025 print newsletter.