Cross-Cultural Studies (CCS) Graduate Minor

About the Cross-Cultural Studies Program

The Cross-Cultural Studies (CCS) program is designed to provide fundamental competencies on multicultural and international/transnational issues affecting diverse populations as well as core principles of human development and sociopolitical change from a global perspective. The CCS program is supported by a multidisciplinary curriculum geared toward enhancing cross-cultural knowledge, skills, and leadership, along with lifetime professional success in a broad variety of traditional and nontraditional career paths. The CCS program includes two different options: a Graduate Minor and a Graduate Certificate. TTU/TTU-HSC system degree seekers across master’s and doctoral programs can pursue both the Graduate Minor and the Graduate Certificate, whereas the Graduate Certificate is open to non-degree seekers aiming to enhance their professional expertise by incorporating cross-cultural knowledge into their careers.

The core courses included in the CCS program are designed to provide students with a comprehensive, in-depth exploration of culture. In addition, the courses explore how arguments about cultural diversity, ethnicity, and race are constructed, substantiated, and used across disciplines. The program encourages critical thinking and analytical reasoning to develop an in-depth understanding of practical applications of cross-cultural theoretical frameworks and methodologies (qualitative-quantitative) from a multidisciplinary perspective. Students also evaluate the significance of cross-cultural knowledge and the main challenges and issues experienced by professionals across fields in today’s multicultural society.

About the Cross-Cultural Studies Graduate Minor Program

Requirements for the Graduate Minor are as follows:

• Completion of 15 hours of courses as approved by director of the CCS program.
• Nine hours of required coursework (see core courses below).
• Six hours of electives (2 courses) approved by the cross-cultural studies program director. Students can choose and combine courses from electives across disciplines in the university system.
• No courses may be taken for pass/fail credit. With approval of the program director, some special topic courses may be taken for credit more than once.

Contact: Dr. Elizabeth Trejos-Castillo, Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Studies; 806.834.6080; elizabeth.trejos@ttu.edu