Come fall, San Diego State University will offer a new Bachelor of Arts degree in Islamic and Arabic studies thanks to both an increase in students with Arabic or Muslim backgrounds and an increase in students interested in the courses. Ahmet T. Kuru, professor of the Department of Political Science and director of the Center for Islamic and Arabic Studies at SDSU said that given the center’s decade of experience and number of core faculty, it is now fully capable of offering this new major. 

 

“SDSU has a growing student population with Arabic or Muslim backgrounds, in addition to a growing number of students willing to take courses on Islam and Muslim societies, given their increasing importance in world politics and frequency of international media coverage,” he said, adding that the major “will be useful for governmental jobs, international business positions, and pursuing MA and Ph.D. studies.”

 

Students pursuing this degree will be able to study subjects like economics, history, linguistics, religious studies, political science, and women studies. And according to SDSU’s NewsCenter, no other university in the region offers this major. Kuru said that’s because schools need to have “a broad range of course offerings and a large number of faculty members from diverse disciplines.” The center, which was founded in 2000, has nine core faculty members, according to their website.

 

“This new major means an increasing depth of knowledge and expertise on Islam and Muslim/Arabic societies for our workforce, regarding governmental, international business, and academic jobs,” Kuru said. 

 

Anyone interested in learning more about the new major or the Center for Islamic and Arabic Studies at SDSU can visit cias.sdsu.edu.