Community colleges throughout the United States have declared "global competence" as a learning objective for their students since the last decade of the 20th century. The North Carolina (NC) Community College system is no exception, as its statewide mission statement lists preparing students to be globally competent as a goal for all 58 community colleges in the state. What is unclear is how music departments offering Associate in Fine Arts (AFA) degrees in NC community colleges perceive the statewide mission statement goal of global competence. The purpose of this study is to discover and examine the perceptions and attitudes of music program department chairs and faculty regarding the statewide mission statement goal of global competence as it applies to music programs in community colleges that offer an Associate in Fine Arts (AFA) music degree. Using Yin's descriptive multiple-case study as a methodology through the theoretical lens of Hegelian dialectics, this study will help paint a clearer picture of how music department chairs and faculty acting as leaders in NC Community College music degree programs view and implement the statewide goal of global competence. The study will also provide more information regarding how global competence is understood and viewed by music department chairs and faculty in order to provide guidance in how to best implement this aspect of the mission statement in music programs in community colleges. [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/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]