Why Arabic?

The geopolitical and economic importance of the Middle East to the world necessitates increasing engagement and professional competency in Arabic languages and cultures. The Arabic Studies major at NCSU offers a structured path for those students who understand the value, and professional advantage, of obtaining cultural and linguistic proficiency in a critical region of the world.

Students in Arabic Studies will acquire skills to effectively communicate in Arabic using both spoken and written forms of the language. Interdisciplinary study will build confidence and enable students to appropriately interact with diverse populations in the Middle East. In addition, students will develop important cultural competency in the Middle East, with many completing study abroad programs in the region.

Career opportunities for graduates with the Arabic Studies degree:

The demand for multilingual personnel extends to all fields of enterprise and is continuing to grow. Many apply the cognitive, reading, and writing skills they acquire to various positions in management, global communications, administration, international business, and government.

Previous graduates who have taken Arabic language courses at NCSU have gone on to careers with extensive ties to the Middle East and/or are based in the region. Arabic has proven a professional advantage for students in myriad fields, including government and military service, business administration and marketing, politics and diplomacy, scientific research, education, journalism, NGO operations, and graduate and professional studies. Many Arabic majors add a second field of concentration, however, double-major training is not an absolute requirement for professional success in many career options.

Study Abroad

Students in the major are strongly encouraged to study in an approved Arabic language program in the Middle East, either during the summer or regular academic year. Courses taken while abroad generally meet Arabic degree requirements. Please contact Jodi Khater to discuss current study abroad options and course credit.

College	College of Humanities & Social Sciences
Discipline	Humanities
Academic Department	World Languages and Cultures
Departmental Contact	Dr. Jodi Khater
Major Overview	Arabic Studies
Plan Requirements	Arabic Studies
Semester Sequence	Foreign Language and Literatures: Arabic Studies
Related Majors	None
Minors	None
Related Minors	Middle East Studies Minors from other disciplines provide to be excellent complements to the Arabic major. A student will often select a minor that holds a special interest and/or offers additional training in a professional field.
Skills You Could Develop	Language proficiency in both written and spoken Arabic Multilingual communication and functionally useful linguistic fluency in the Arab World Cultural competency in the Middle East Confidence to interact appropriately with diverse populations in the Middle East Critical thinking Enhanced cognitive, reading and writing skills
Learn More About This Major	Why Study Arabic?
Career Titles	Translator and Interpreter Global Communications International Business Public Affairs Foreign Service Government and Military Service Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) and Non-Profit Organization (NPO)
Learn More About Careers	Make Your Career Goals a Reality-Career Development Center Career One Stop Videos Occupational Outlook Handbook