Please contact ACDIS to apply for the certificate and/or with any questions: acdis@illinois.edu 

The Program in Arms Control & Domestic and International Security (ACDIS) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is pleased to offer a Certificate in Global Security for undergraduate students. Students who complete the certificate will be prepared to use their knowledge and skills in government, the private sector, NGOs, academia. Also in fields such as international relations, diplomacy, politics, business, law, health, finance, and media. We have ACDIS Certificate alumni all over the world!

The purpose of the certificate is to:

  • Provide students with a coherent framework for developing foundational knowledge within the multi-disciplinary field of global security studies
  • Complement studies by students in their existing major(s)
  • Inform students about opportunities for internships and professional careers in the private and public sectors concerned with national and global security

Credential
This certificate will provide students with an important credential to present to prospective employers. Although current university rules preclude citation of the Certificate of Global Security on their official transcripts; students can add this credential to their CV's. ACDIS will provide a printed document certifying completion of the certificate requirements once students graduate from the University of Illinois.

Certificate Completion Requirements

  • 15 credit hours in courses in global security from the approved 'Certificate Course List'.
  • GLBL/NPRE 483 Seminar in Security (1 credit) as the required core class for the certificate.
    • May count as either a social science/humanities course or a natural/science/engineering/technology course.
  • Breakdown of the 15 credits:
    • 6 credits must come from social science/humanities courses
    • 6 credits must come from natural science/engineering/technology courses.
    • The remaining credits may come from any course or courses on the approved ACDIS Certificate Course List
  • All courses to be applied to the Certificate must be taken for full credit; they cannot be taken pass/fail or audited. Certificate courses may also be applied to majors.

Completion and Graduation
Students will provide the following to ACDIS:

  • An official transcript from the Office of the Registrar, either paper or digital. 
  • A current mailing address for certificate recipient.

Students have 90 days after the final transcript is available to submit it to ACDIS at acdis@illinois.edu

Students must meet with the ACDIS Director, or an advisor identified by the ACDIS office, to verify completion of the certificate.

Register for the Certificate in Global Security
Students must be in good standing and currently enrolled at the University of Illinois in order to register for the program. Students must meet with the ACDIS Director or Associate Director for an advising appointment to apply. Applications must be made prior to the completion of the required coursework.

Please contact ACDIS to schedule an appointment: acdis@illinois.edu 

Also check out our For Students section to find more information on internships, programs, graduate student policies, and student publications.

Click the following link to see a full course listing of class possibilities offered that meet criteria for the Undergraduate Certificate in Global Security

Courses offered in FALL 2024:

Nat ANTH 246 Forensic Science History and theory underlying methods used in forensic science. Topics include the courtroom, the units of a crime laboratory, methods of securing and investigating a crime scene, and the analysis of evidence collected from a crime scene such as blood, fibers, hair and fingerprints
Nat ATMS 120 Severe and Hazardous Weather Most extreme manifestations of weather and climate are analyzed in terms of their physical basis and their historical, economic and human consequences. Emphasis is placed on the interplay between technological advances, the evolution of meteorology as a science, and the impacts of extreme weather (winter storms, floods, severe thunderstorms, hurricanes, El Nino). Technological advances include satellites, weather radars and profilers, and computer models used for weather prediction
Nat ATMS 140 Climate and Global Change Introduces climate change and its interactions with the global environment; surveys the physical, chemical, biological and social factors contributing to global change; includes topics such as greenhouse warming, acid rain, ozone depletion, distinguishes anthropogenic influences and natural variability of the earth system; addresses societal impacts, mitigation strategies, policy options and other human responses to global change.
Nat CS 461 Computer Security I (4 hrs) Fundamental principles of computer and communications security and information assurance: ethics, privacy, notions of threat, vulnerabilities, and risk in systems, information warfare, malicious software, data secrecy and integrity issues, network security, trusted computing, mandatory and discretionary access controls, certification and accreditation of systems against security standards. Security mechanisms: authentication, auditing, intrusion detection, access control, cryptography, security protocols, key distribution.
Nat CS 463 Computer Security II (3 or 4 hrs) Program security, trusted base, privacy, anonymity, non-interference, information flow, confinement, advanced auditing, forensics, intrusion detection, key management and distribution, policy composition and analysis, formal approaches to specification and verification of secure systems and protocols, and topics in applied cryptography.
Nat ESE 118 Natural Disasters Introduces the nature, causes, risks, effects, and prediction of natural disasters including earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, subsidence, global climate
change, severe weather, coastal erosion, floods, mass extinctions, and meteorite impacts; covers scientific principles and case histories of natural
disasters as well as human responses (societal impact, mitigation strategies, and public policy). 
Nat ESE 289 Environment & Sust Field Study Group expedition to study environment and sustainability issues at a nearby field site. Includes in-class meetings, student-led presentation, and a field trip that may be short as part of a day or as long as several days. Field trip and field trip fee required.
Nat ESE 320 Water Plant, Water Crisis Study of the science of water on planet earth, the developing water crisis, and some possible solutions to it. Topics include water's unique physical and chemical properties; how it profoundly shapes the earth/ocean/atmosphere system; dynamics of oceans, atmosphere, lakes, rivers, groundwater, and ice masses; current fresh water supplies and their distribution on earth relative to population; current and future water crises and the compounding effects of droughts, floods, and global change; and prospects for some technological and economic approaches to easing the crisis.
Nat MCB 436 Global Biosecurity (1 hr.) Designed to provide students with broad coverage of key areas of scientific, legal, social, ethical, and political aspects of biosecurity, emphasizing current problems and research in the areas of biodefense, emerging infectious diseases, synthetic biology, and other topics. In combination with related reading assignments, the weekly special topics-based seminar will integrate knowledge of modern biomedical research, advances in biotechnology, and natural and manmade biological threats with the skills to analyze and develop public policies and strategies for enhancing global biosecurity.
Nat NPRE 201 Energy Systems Patterns of energy production and utilization and technical aspects of renewable energy resources, advanced fossil fuel systems, and advanced nuclear systems.
Nat NPRE 442 Radioactive Waste Management (4 hrs.) Radiation and radiological concepts and measurement, the fuel cycle and waste classification, Part 61, state and federal regulations and regulatory agencies, radiochemistry and the environmental fate of radionuclides, uranium-related wastes, low-level wastes, high-level wastes, used fuel reprocessing, private fuel storage, waste package stability, risk assessment, geologic repositories, transporting radioactive wastes, decommissioning wastes, transmutation, an international perspective on radioactive waste management, and the global nuclear energy partnership.
Nat NPRE 481 Writing on Technology & Security Development of writing skills in standard computer, desktop publishing, and electronic publishing formats. on themes such as, global and regional security environments, arms control, nuclear energy, and climate change. For graduate credit, writing projects include documentation of computational work using software appropriate for typesetting of mathematical formulas.
Nat PATH 433 Virology and Viral Pathogenisis Emphasizes basic principles of virus structure and replication, virus-cell interactions and virus-host interactions that underlie the molecular biology, pathogenesis, and transmission of viral disease.
Soc  ACE 210 Environmental Economics Economic issues surrounding environmental quality, including: costs and benefits of environmental protection; economics of environmental policies (such as those dealing with toxics, water, and air pollution, and municipal solid waste); and economics of international environmental problems (such as ozone depletion and climate change).
Soc  ACE 254 Economic Systems in Africa Examines systems of production and exchange in Africa. Through lectures, discussions, readings and films participants will study the ways African people interact in local markets and the impact of national and international markets on their welfare.
Soc  ACE 310 Natural Resource Economics Economic principles are used to analyze a broad range of natural resource policy and management issues. Economic concepts developed include public goods, social welfare, discounting, dynamic efficiency, and resource scarcity. Natural resources examined include biodiversity, fisheries, forests, minerals, soil, and water resources.
Soc  ANTH 278 Climate Change & Civilization Examination of how climate change impacts society. With the increasing need to understand how climate changes and society intersect at present, it is becoming important that we address critical questions about how lessons from the past inform present needs. Case studies from around the world are discussed.
Soc  CMN 280 Comm Technology & Society Introduction to theory and research on both old and new communication technologies; focus will be on how these technological systems develop and are used, and what implications of these systems have for culture and society.
Soc ECON 420 International Economic Principles Principles-level course in international economics for non-majors. The first half of course, international trade, covers such topics as comparative advantage, protectionism (tariff and nontariff), impact on income distribution, and industrial policies. The second half, international finance, covers topics such as balance of payments, exchange-rate determination, currency crises, dollarization, and macroeconomic policy in an open economy. Issues relating to globalization will be covered in both halves.
Soc  GGIS 210 Social & Environmental Issues Introduction to the complex relationship between people and the natural environment from a social science perspective. Explores different approaches to environmental issues, and examines the role of population change, political economy, technologies, environmental policymaking, and social institutions in causing and resolving contemporary social and environmental global issues
Soc GGIS 221 Geography of Intl Conflicts Focuses on contemporary cultural conflicts, competition among nations for economic and mineral resources; treats territorial disputes from a cultural and geographic perspective. Case studies vary to illustrate types of contemporary conflicts
Soc  GGIS 379 Intro into GIS Systems Investigates the fundamentals of geographic information science as well as the basic skills in the execution of that theoretical knowledge with industry standard software packages. Student will learn the basics of projections and coordinate systems, how geographic information is stored and manipulated
Soc GGIS 410 Green Development (4 hrs.) Theory and practice of sustainable development. Course materials draw upon theoretical and case study material from the social and natural sciences to analyze environment and development relations with emphasis on the Global South.
Soc GLBL 220 Governance Gateway course into the Governance thematic area for Global Studies majors providing an introduction to important themes, problems and approaches to global governance in a series of issue areas, including security, economics, migration, and the environment. Covers the historical development of the international system as well as contemporary controversies. Case studies are used to explore the strength and weaknesses of current governance approaches, and students will conduct independent research into existing structures.
Soc GLBL 240 Global Health Introduction to issues and problems in global health. As the world becomes more and more interconnected it is important for students to be aware of health issues from a global perspective. We will consider a variety of issues that influence the health of different population and countries. The topics to be discussed include: the environment, nutrition, education, the medical system, culture, and agency involvement in health. Case studies will be used to demonstrate some successes at addressing these issues and problems that were encountered.
Soc HIST 400 War, Soc, Politics, & Culture Topic: Vietnam War Description: For many Americans, the word "Vietnam" immediately brings to mind "The Vietnam War" and a host of images and ideas. Often Vietnam is equated with war, not a country or a people. This course will analyze the American War in Vietnam and much more. We will study the history of European colonialism, Vietnamese resistance, the American-Vietnam War's origins and effects, and the war's ongoing legacies. The massive herbicide spraying, for instance, still harms the environment and health of Vietnamese and others in the region; American veterans also suffer the results of Agent Orange sprayed during the war. The course includes learning about the politics and culture of post-war Vietnam and the Vietnamese diaspora.
Soc PHIL 436 Phil of Law and of the State Examination of issues in the philosophy of law, such as the nature of law, law and morality, justice, liberty and authority, punishment, and legal responsibility.
Soc  PS 283 Intro to Intl Security Surveys the major issues associated with arms control, disarmament and international security. Also examines the military, socio-economic, and political dimensions of weapons systems, military strategy, the ethics of modern warfare, nuclear proliferation, and regional security issues
Soc PS 390 American Foreign Policy Considers the major foreign policy decisions currently confronting the United States government: analyzes their background, principal issues, and alternative actions, as well as the policy formulation process.
Soc  SOC 275 Criminology Nature and extent of crime; past and present theories of crime causation; criminal behavior in the United States and abroad, and its relation to personal, structural and cultural conditions; the nature of the criminal justice system and the influences of the exercise of discretion among actors in the criminal justice system.
Soc SOC 350 Technology and Security Examines the social and cultural origins of modern technology and technological innovation; the effects of technology and its change on society. Topics include the impact of technology on beliefs and values, accommodation and resistance to change, and technology and the Third World.
Soc UP 260 Social Inequality and Planning How are inequalities produced and contested in an urban environment? This course examines this question by analyzing how the urban landscape shapes and is shaped by race, class, and gender inequalities. Uses comparative cases to explore successful intervention, both from formal and informal, across multiple scales from the local to the global.