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NNU Cultural Competency Program

A guide for the NNU Cultural Competency Program

Options to Satisfy the Cultural Competency Program Requirement

Each student must meet the University's General Education cultural competency requirement while attending NNU through one of the three following pathways: 

  1. Participating in an international study program outlined in the Study Abroad section of the NNU Undergraduate Catalog. 
  2. Completing one course with a Cultural Competency Experience (CE) designation. This course could be either a general education course, a major or minor course, or an individualized internship or research course. The distinguishing feature of the course is an embedded extensive cultural competency experience with at least 15 immersion hours in a cross-cultural setting. For example:
    1. A weekly nursing lab at a local Hispanic-serving clinic embedded in a course about community nursing. 
    2. An upper-division Computer Science course with a two-week post-semester trip to India to explore information technology companies. 
    3. A general education course in Chinese literature that is paired with a two-week trip to China.
    4. A faculty-directed research course in Costa Rica or an internship working with informational technology professionals in Europe.
  3. Completing two courses with a Cultural Competency (CC) designation. These CC courses may either be within a major or minor or may meet a general education requirement. CC courses must contain 5 hours of direct cultural experience. For example: 
    1. Students could take two Spanish language courses that include engagement in Spanish-Speaking communities or churches.
    2. Students might take a general education history CC course that includes a series of interviews with church leaders in Africa or experts in Germany, or students may take an African-American literature course that includes a trip to the Idaho Black History Museum or primary research in the Frederick Douglass Papers Collection. 

*A CC course may also be completed through a research or internship course directed by a faculty member.
*Transfer students and Professional Studies students with 60+ credits: Only one course (CC or CE) is required. 
* Life Experience and Bi-Cultural Home Experience: If a person grew up in a Bi-Cultural/Bi-Lingual home or lived overseas, life experience may be considered part of the Cultural Competency requirement. For consideration, students may fill out a request with the General Education Council. 

** Note: Life Experience Applications will be accepted until December 1st, 2023. After that date, Life Experience Applications will no longer be accepted.