Earn a Cultural Studies Certificate Online

If you opt to earn a cultural studies certificate online, you’ll study cultural theories and methods in relation to research problems and social, political, or economic phenomena. You’ll learn how to critically reflect upon current and historical issues in cultural studies and apply your knowledge across disciplines.

Best of all, you’ll do so through a short study including just four to eight classes over six months to a year and a half. By the end of your certificate program, you’ll have earned 12 to 24 credits hours which can, in many cases, transfer to a bachelor’s or master’s degree program.

Structure of a Cultural Studies Certificate Online

There are two types of a cultural studies certificate online:

  1. An undergraduate-level cultural studies certificate (for students who have graduated high school but have not yet earned a bachelor’s degree)
  2. A graduate-level cultural studies certificate (for students who have a bachelor’s degree)

You might earn an undergraduate cultural studies certificate online to see if you want to earn a bachelor’s degree in the subject or augment a bachelor’s degree you plan to earn in another subject. Or you might earn a graduate-level cultural studies certificate online to enhance an existing bachelor’s degree or master’s degree or determine if you want to earn a more advanced degree in the subject.

Curricula for a Certificate in Cultural Studies

In most cases, cultural studies certificate online programs have two components: (1) core curricula and (2) elective curricula. It is through these two components that you can broaden, focus, or specialize your knowledge.

To get a sense of cultural studies as a discipline, you’ll likely explore the subject broadly by taking classes in areas such as:

  • Literary theory
  • Cultural diversity
  • Cultural studies as a discipline
  • Critical theory
  • Popular culture
  • Global issues
  • Social movements
  • Ethnicity, race, and religion

You might also delve more deeply into areas of cultural studies such as communication and critical cultural studies, social cultural studies, and literary cultural studies. To learn about these areas and others, you might study:

  • Globalization, the economy, and culture
  • Race in the imaginary 
  • Politics of life and death
  • Religious myth and relics
  • Women and gender
  • Cinema and film across the globe  
  • Language, literature, and culture

Keep in mind that the curricula in an online certificate in cultural studies may engage you entirely in a broad, general study of culture or a highly nuanced study in a very specific area of culture (such as media or race).

What Is Cultural Studies? Find Out.

If you’ve wondered what cultural studies is or how it might enhance your existing education or career, find out by pursing a cultural studies certificate online. Choose a sponsored program on this page to get started right away.