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Education

Intercultural Relations

Graduate Certificate, full-time or part-time program

Effectively engage across cultures and differences

Join a community of professionals who are committed to designing initiatives to enhance diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice goals in organizations and communities in their current careers and new fields. 

Discover how to collaborate with diverse populations and promote communication, mutual respect, and understanding. Transform the way you perceive yourself in relation to others, and your work with individuals and communities in today’s interdependent global context.

In this 4-course, 12-credit graduate certificate program, you'll develop intercultural relations and leadership competencies, as well as skills to enhance inclusion and promote understanding. Learn how these skills can be integrated into work with diverse populations, and gain techniques and strategies for implementing positive change. Apply skills in reflective engagement to effectively embed intercultural relations into your professional practice.

The 4 courses that make up this certificate program are also part of our master's degree program in International Higher Education. So, you'll be able to continue your studies and earn your master's degree if you wish.

We are not enrolling new students in this certificate program at this time. Please check back in Spring 2024.

Graduate Program Inquiry Form

Program Structure

Intercultural Relations

12 Credits
Q: When I complete the certificate in Intercultural Relations, can I continue on in the Master of Arts in International Higher Education?

A: Absolutely. The 4 courses you'll take for this graduate certificate program—Intercultural Communications, Identity and Belonging in a Categorized World, Enhancing Inclusion in Organizations, and Values Differences and Moral Judgments in Contemporary Contexts—are also part of the master's degree program.

"My classes at Lesley helped me to gain a nuanced understanding of what culture is."
Kwadwo Poku ’09, MA in International Higher Education & Intercultural Relations
kwadwo poku intercultural relations alum
Kwadwo Poku ’09
“Attempting to find one definition of culture is similar to trying to describe entrepreneurship—each term carries many different interpretations,” says Kwadwo. He knows firsthand the intricacies of both. The MIT Legatum Center’s mission is to catalyze entrepreneurship for prosperity in low-income countries. And as the recruitment and alumni manager, he supports MIT students who have received a Legatum Fellowship as they embark on the process of launching for-profit businesses in developing countries.
faculty Louise Michelle Vital
Michelle Vital
Core faculty Michelle Vital seeks to unpack challenges in marginalized communities and discover how higher education can address those challenges. She endeavors to learn more about others and the cultural influences that underpin their lived experiences. She writes, “My positionality as a first-generation American and daughter of Haitian immigrants has largely shaped how I view and understand the world and has proved instrumental in the academic and professional decisions I have made.”

Faculty

Total approximate cost for this graduate certificate program.
Intercultural Relations
Estimated Cost

All graduate students are reviewed for merit scholarships through the admissions process and are awarded at the time of acceptance. Other forms of financial aid are also available. Review all graduate tuition and fees, and what they cover. Tuition and fees are subject to change each year, effective in the Summer term.

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Total approximate cost for this graduate certificate program. Tuition and fees are for the 2023-2024 academic year.
Use our step-by-step guide to apply for federal and university funding. Scholarships, grants, Work-Study, and loans. It’s all right here.

Next steps to apply

Ready to get started? We're here to make the application process as smooth as possible. Tell us if you're a U.S. or international student to get your customized application guide.