Departments & Programs

Islamic Studies

Certificate in Islamic Studies
Purpose

The Certificate in Islamic Studies offers two tracks, a Cultural Concentration and a Language Concentration, and is intended to provide students with comparative and interdisciplinary training needed to prepare them for graduate work in disciplinary and area studies units or to work for non-academic careers in government, non-government organizations, and business where knowledge of Islam and the Muslim world is required.

Students must take courses that focus on three areas of the Muslim world while concentrating on a specific region. By requiring such comparative work, the certificate will provide students with a well-rounded understanding of the Muslim world as well as with theoretical and methodological depth. The capstone courses allow students to explore in detail issues and problems common in Islam and the Muslim world.

Required Courses for the Cultural Track

Students must complete 21 credit hours of course work, including

  1. REL-A 270 Introduction to Islam (3 cr.)
  2. Course work that focuses on three distinct regions of the Muslim world (9 cr.)
  3. A 400-level Capstone course (3 cr.)
  4. A two-course concentration in one region of the Muslim world (6 cr.)
  5. A minimum of 9 credit hours of the certificate must be at the 300-400 level.
Required Courses for the Language Track

Students pursuing the Language Track must complete 27 credit hours, including

  1. All of the requirements for the Cultural Track (above), and
  2. An additional 6 credit hours of a third-year language common to the Muslim world.