Studying International Affairs: The SFS-Qatar Approach

The School of Foreign Service in Qatar prepares students for a variety of careers in international service by providing a four year liberal arts education focused upon the multidisciplinary study of international affairs.

Completion of a two-year multidisciplinary core curriculum prepares students for entry into one of three majors offered:

1. International Politics - a multidisciplinary program that allows students to explore the structure of the international system and how state and non-state actors compete and cooperate with one another.
    
2. Culture and Politics - a multidisciplinary program that enables students to understand the connections between culture, society and politics in international affairs.
    
3. International Economics - a multidisciplinary program that enables students to acquire the skills required to understand markets and economic relationships among countries, and to evaluate the effects of policy on the economic welfare of individuals, firms, and countries.

In all majors, students customize their program of study by selecting courses in fields related to their areas of interest.  Students not only complete major courses on campus, but have the opportunity to take courses alongside students in the United States or to study overseas at one of more than 100 universities.

Certificate Programs

Students may also complement their major field of study by pursuing specialized coursework that deepens their understanding of a particular region.  Two such program are offered at SFS-Qatar:
 

1. The Certificate in American Studies is a program that focuses on the American experience and how it informs political decision making. The program provides students with a solid understanding of the historical development of the American people, providing the necessary context for the exploration of cultural and social themes across a variety of disciplines, as well as the advanced study of American political processes and institutions;
    
2. The Certificate in Arab and Regional Studies provides students with an interdisciplinary understanding of the Arab and Islamic worlds.  The program capitalizes on the unique geographical, cultural and academic situation of SFS-Qatar to highlight the connection of regional history with current issues, as well as to stress the impact of culture on the self-understanding of the Arab and Islamic world and its relationship with the West.