Certificates

CCAS offers undergraduate and graduate certificates to students currently enrolled in a qualifying degree program at Georgetown University.

The certificates provide an opportunity for the student to study the language, history, and institutions of the Arab world within the framework of his or her discipline. The certificate program’s purpose is to give a regional focus to a liberal or professional education for those individuals who plan careers in or wish to develop lifelong interests related to the area. Successful completion of the Certificate of Arab Studies is notated on the student’s transcript.

Undergraduate Certificate

CCAS offers a Certificate of Arab Studies which undergraduates may complete in conjunction with a bachelor’s degree in their chosen regular major. Students in both the Walsh School of Foreign Service and the College may be considered for the Certificate of Arab Studies.

The student’s overall plan of study is guided and given coherence by the major department advisor and by the Director of the Program in Arab Studies. The student plans their coursework based on their interests and competencies, within the constraints imposed by his or her total program. However, all candidates for the Certificate must include the following elements in their programs:

  1. Knowledge of the Arabic Language, demonstrated by
    • completing four semesters of language study; OR
    • passing the Arabic Language Proficiency Exams.
  2. Six Courses (18 credits)
    • ARST-401: Understanding the Arab World
    • HIST-161: Middle East II
    • 4 Elective Courses (at least one elective course must have an ARST prefix)
      • Politics
      • Culture and Society
      • 2 free electives (if Arabic course, must be a 300 or 400-level content course)
  3. Research Paper/Capstone (1 credit) – A 25-30 page research paper written during their final semester.

Applications

To apply, students should submit the Undergraduate Certificate Application to acquire approval of a comprehensive curriculum in Arab Studies. This should be done after declaring a major and no later than the start of a student’s junior year.

Click here to apply to the Undergraduate Certificate in Arab Studies.

 

Graduate Certificate

Graduate students interested in pursuing an area competence on the modern Arab world in conjunction with their major disciplines may enroll in the Certificate of Arab Studies.

Course requirements (15 credits):

  • Either ARST 500: 20th c Middle East History OR ARST 501: Intro to Study of Arab World
  • 2 Arab Studies electives (any course with an ARST prefix)
  • 2 free electives focused on the Arab world
  • Arabic: Four semesters of Arabic at Georgetown (through ARAB 112) or the equivalent

Please note that Arabic language courses and testing are administered by Georgetown’s Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies, not the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies. Students are responsible for making their own arrangements to register for Arabic classes or take a proficiency exam. More information about Arabic language testing can be found here.

Applications

A student desiring admission to the graduate Certificate of Arab Studies must first be accepted to a graduate degree program at Georgetown.

Click here to apply to the Graduate Certificate in Arab Studies.

 

For additional questions concerning CCAS’s Certificate Programs, please contact Dharini Parthasarathy, Assistant Director of Academic Programs, at dp1055@georgetown.edu.