Certificates and Programs

Certificates

Many students interested in international affairs opt for one of the area studies Certificate Programs. They include Asian Studies, African Studies, Arab Studies, European Studies, Islam and Muslim-Christian Understanding, Latin American Studies or Russian and East European Studies. These programs are designed to complement the study of the language and culture of a region with historical, political, and economic perspectives.

SFS students have the option of complementing their major program with an optional interdisciplinary certificate program. SFS Certificates focus upon specific themes or regions and help to structure elective course work. 

Georgetown University College of Arts & Sciences students may earn a certificate in a regional study, which is offered through the School of Foreign Service. College Certificates are the functional equivalent of minors, so they count as one of the (maximum) three academic components a student may complete toward the degree (i.e., a major plus two other components). There can be no double counting of courses between or among the programs. 

Programs & Coursework

A selected number of seniors who have achieved a minimum 3.5 GPA both in the major and overall will be invited by their major department to write a Senior Honors Thesis in the context of a designated upper-level course (350 and above), the senior seminar, or, in very special cases, a tutorial. The thesis consists of a 30–35 page research paper. If written in the context of a course, the thesis satisfies the paper requirement for that course.

Students selected to participate in the Senior Honors Thesis Program should seriously consider the invitation, particularly those students considering graduate studies. The Program offers students the opportunity to work closely with a faculty mentor, to engage in critical analysis and scholarly research, and to produce a major research paper.

Students should explore topics of interest and initiate research as early as possible. In April of senior year, students will present the thesis in a public forum before a panel.

Upon successful completion of the thesis, “Senior Honors Thesis” or “Senior Honors Thesis with Distinction” is recorded on the transcript.

Timeline: 

  1. During the summer before senior year, the Department Chairs in the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics will contact eligible students.
  2. Before selecting a course, invited students should make an appointment with the Department Chair to discuss research interests, suitable courses and potential mentors.
  3. At Registration or during Add/Drop in the fall, each student will choose a course and faculty mentor (the instructor of the course). Students are encouraged to write the thesis in conjunction with a fall course in order to have two semesters to complete the thesis. If this is not possible, students may select a spring semester course, but are urged to begin research in the fall.
  4. Students, working with their mentors, should submit copies of the Senior Honors Thesis proposal and bibliography to the Department Chair by October 3 if the thesis is written in conjunction with a fall course or by November 12 for a spring course.

The Global and Comparative Literature Program focuses on literature as a universal phenomenon with diverse forms and manifestations. The program emphasizes the study of broad currents of thought, style, or major literary schools across national boundaries.

The International Business, Language, and Culture (IBLC) Bachelor of Science program is a joint degree developed and offered by Georgetown College and the McDonough School of Business (MSB). Students in the College and MSB may apply to enter the IBLC program at the end of their first year.

The IBLC joint degree program offers students an integrative education in language and business, emphasizing the centrality of cultural and linguistic competency to the business sector, and the ways that language study effects change and innovation in the world. In addition to developing critical tools and professional perspectives essential to business, students will take up vital humanistic and cultural questions through the study of literary, historical, and linguistic traditions, illuminating social and ethical dimensions of culture that intersect with the business world.

For more specific information, including detailed curricular requirements, please see the Bulletin .

The Faculty of Languages and Linguistics currently offers several Master’s degrees that can be obtained through the Accelerated Master’s Degree Program: