<p>One of my kids has done 2 years at a community college and is looking to study Middle Eastern Studies/ Intl Affairs -- but wants to continue taking Arabic (has already taken some Farsi too but is willing to drop that). The problem is grades haven't been that good (about a 2.7). The state university doesn't offer this as a major and the nearest major (govt) looks like it will take a long time to finish. Dreams of a smaller liberal arts college but many don't offer much Arabic. Strengths are writing and languages, weakness is math. Was thinking of Georgetown University's Bachelor's in Liberal Studies. It looks like it could be completed at night with a concentration in "international affairs" and there are classes in the area for Arabic (and the possibility for internships) but would it look bad to have a "liberal studies" degree? It is offered through their School of Continuing Studies and I presume it's on the degree. Plans to go to grad school. </p>
<p>In a lot of ways, the program is a good fit (not much in the way of math/science requirement, cool courses, etc) but we're wondering about whether a liberal studies degree will be frowned upon-- especially from a kid who is close to traditional school age. </p>
<p>There aren't many schools with an Arabic major - my D only applied to schools that offer that option and couldn't consider any LACs (not even Macalester, which emphasizes international studies). Here are some that your S might investigate:
CUNY--Queens College
Georgia State University
Hofstra University
Ohio State University--Columbus
Rochester Institute of Technology
SUNY--Binghamton
University of Georgia
University of Oklahoma
University of Rochester
Villanova University</p>
<p>Mini, you're right-- AU has a lot of what my kid wants <em>and</em> the DC location for internships that GU has. AU was a top choice out of hs-- and I thought it was a match (gpa was about a 3.0 unweighted with a huge upward trend and SATs were in the mid-1800s)-- but was rejected so I don't know if there's a chance now. </p>
<p>gadad, thanks-- those are a lot of schools we never looked at! I'll start investigating.</p>
<p>I graduated with a degree in Middle Eastern Studies eons ago from UT Austin. There was a large contingent of students from the middle east who attended UT for petroleum engineering and other majors so plenty of opportunity to practice Arabic in social settings. Most of the textbooks whose authors I admired graduated from Berkeley, so I had the impression that was the "best" Middle Eastern Studies program in the US. I will admit, however, to having done no formal research on the issue. </p>
<p>Classes in my major were tiny. I think there were about 6 of us in my Tunisian folklore class and not many more in the history of religion from the Stoneage to the Hellenistic period and other similar gems. There were lots of opportunities to go abroad for the summer. I did an internship in Noakchott, Mauritania (which speaks Hassaniya). There was an archaelogical dig that wanted a middle eastern studies major to act as interpreter, etc.</p>
<p>Given the current need for people who speak Arabic, and for those who understand the Middle East, I wouldn't see much of a problem with Georgetown's liberal arts degree.</p>
<p>To be sure, why not speak to someone at the school in the career center, and to human resources at the Justice Department or the CIA? They'll tell you if the particular degree is discounted.</p>
<p>TheAnalyst, I'm not sure UTx will admit someone out-of-state with such a low gpa. </p>
<p>Chedva, Thanks! That's a great idea.</p>
<p>And just to clarify... The gpa isn't low because of partying, etc. The gpa is low because this kid has ALWAYS had a pt job to earn own spending $ and has volunteered TONS (1,000-2,000 hrs a year) since 16yo.</p>
<p>I think the Liberal Studies program at Georgetown sounds like a great idea.</p>
<p>Also, yes, American University offers three years of Arabic and one special topics course. Has he only had one year of Arabic? And he doesn't want to major in Arabic? </p>
<p>This would be good, then.</p>
<p>ARAB-102 Arabic Elementary I
ARAB-103 Arabic Elementary II
ARAB-202 Arabic Intermediate I
ARAB-203 Arabic Intermediate II
ARAB-302 Advanced Arabic I
ARAB-303 Advanced Arabic II
ARAB-396 Special Topics: Survey of Civilizations and Culture
LFS-490 Independent Studies in Selected Topics</p>
<p>The Undergraduate Overseas Arabic Flagship Program might provide some possibilities for him.</p>
<p>Of the list of schools suggested by gadad, I know that Ohio State and SUNY Binghamton have nice Arabic programs. Also, consider the University of Arizona. Here is the web site. Arabic</a> Languages at the University of Arizona</p>
<p>Also, he might want to investigate the possibility of getting his bachelor's degree at American University in Cairo. Classes are in English. Obviously the opportunities for Middle Eastern Studies and Arabic language studies are very good there.</p>
<p>That's not a bad idea. They have a spanking new campus, and it would likely cost less than any of the U.S. options, and give him future work/internship opportunities.</p>
<p>S. will take 8 semesters of Arabic for his IR major at Tufts (2 down, 6 to go). Currently no Arabic major, but they do have Middle Eastern studies.</p>
<p>The new campus supposedly has 12 new student houses to accommodate 480 students. The vast majority of students, I'm told (my d. was studying in Cairo last summer), live in apartments, not university housing.</p>