The purpose of this mixed methods research is to explore how global studies programs are designed and implemented at public community colleges in the United States and to identify the challenges and the opportunities facing the faculty and administrators tasked with establishing global studies. Despite the fact that most global programs have been designed by political science faculty, they tend to be independent of one another and distinct in goals and character. By examining the nature of similar programs in select community colleges across the United States, the study identifies both the challenges and opportunities that program developers face. Using a multi-phase approach to data collection using both quantitative and qualitative data, this research allowed for the analysis of the information to continually loop back and help connect the research to the other phases. Through document review, including website analysis, the study identified which of the 925 public, tribal, and independent community colleges have global, international, or similar programs. Using Geographic Information Systems, the study produced first-of-its-kind maps to represent findings visually, allowing the project to identify regional trends in the spatialization of global studies programs in the United States, including in relation to local demographic changes. While only 22 community colleges offer full global studies programs, multiple others are responding to the need for more globalized/international framing in related ways, in areas with similarly growing percentages of foreign-born residents. From these findings, eight faculty and administrator participants were selected for interviews. Interviews revealed that GS is as much a perspective as it is a discipline. It is a way of looking at and making connections in the world and is very much influenced by the life and academic experiences of the instructors and administrators involved in these programs. Interview data integrated with the quantitative GIS mapping further linked global programs to environmental conditions as well as personnel-makeup. Overall findings reveal how global studies programs differ from staple programs such as English or political science in that they exist as a function of the right people being at the right place at the right time. As they seem to be somewhat of a personality driven program, the loss of these individuals involved can lead to the loss of global studies at the community college. Based on this research, recommendations are made for academic organizations and groups, community college administrators, and community college faculty so that we can ensure that existing global studies programs continue to thrive and that new programs can get the support that they need as they are developed in community colleges across the United States. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]