Discover the Arabic Curriculum
USD's Certificate in Arabic provides official recognition of Arabic language proficiency and cultural expertise. This credential demonstrates intercultural competence in Arabic-speaking regions, the ability to understand contemporary issues through Arabic media and knowledge of Levantine and Egyptian cultures — all valuable skills for today's global job market.
Explore Arabic Courses
Read descriptions of our Arabic classes on our Courses page! Not all courses offered below will be available every semester. Make sure to check course offerings on the registration portal for each upcoming semester.
Program Requirements
Each student declares their major(s) and minor(s) under a single catalog of record that is identified on the student's degree audit (available on Degree Works).
The program requirements below are based on the current course catalog and may not be applicable if a student is declared in an earlier catalog.
Find all previous course catalogs under on our Archived Catalogs of Record page.
12 units
Option 1
At least 6 of the 12 units must be in upper-division (300+ level) courses.
12 units
Option 2
Prerequisites: Fourth-semester competency in Arabic and approval by the department chair.
The Arabic Certificate
Option 1
At least 6 units from | 6 | |
ARAB 101 | First Semester Arabic | |
ARAB 102 | Second Semester Arabic | |
ARAB 201 | Third Semester Arabic | |
ARAB 202 | Fourth Semester Arabic | |
Upper-Division Arabic Courses | ||
ARAB 303 | Media Arabic | 3 |
ARAB 306 | Arabic Dialects | 3 |
Total Units | 12 | |
Option 2
Prerequisites: Fourth-semester competency in Arabic and approval by the department chair. | ||
6 units from | 6 | |
ARAB 141 | Topics in Arab-American Literature, Film or Culture | |
ARAB 142 | Topics in Arabic Literature in Translation, Film-Global | |
POLS 359 | Politics in the Middle East | |
THRS 315 | Islamic Thought and Culture | |
THRS 318 | Islam, Women and Literature | |
Upper-Division Arabic Courses | ||
ARAB 303 | Media Arabic | 3 |
ARAB 306 | Arabic Dialects | 3 |
Total Units | 12 | |
Additional courses may be used to satisfy the requirements in Option 2, depending on the topic. Consult the Program Director for information about these courses.
To complete the Arabic certificate, students must earn a grade point average of 2.0 with C- or better in all classes. At least 50% of the units for a certificate must be completed at USD, and courses may not be taken Pass/Fail unless the course is only offered on a Pass/Fail basis. No more than 50% of the units used to satisfy the requirements for a certificate program may also be used to fulfill requirements for an academic major or minor.