Graduate Certificate—Global Islam & Muslims

Overview:
The Graduate Certificate in Global Islam and Muslims is a pioneering program ideal for students will benefit from literacy about Islam and Muslims for their professional goals and/or research trajectories. While achieving this certificate, students will work with affiliated faculty whose regional specializations include North Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, South Asia and whose interests span the rise of Islam up to the modern period. They will be given the opportunity to complete coursework across a variety of academic fields and disciplines including anthropology, Arabic, art history, comparative literature, history, law, philosophy, sociology, and the study of religion.

This certificate program capitalizes upon a long legacy of leadership in this field within and beyond the academy: UCLA was among the first universities in North America to offer a degree in Islamic Studies, granting its first PhD in Islamic Studies in 1961. Across the past seventy years, the program’s graduates have become leading scholars in the field and have worked for such institutions as the US State Department and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

In addition to acquiring religious and cultural literacy in subject matter relevant to their research and professional interests, upon completion of the certificate program, students will be eligible to TA for one of the core undergraduate courses in Islamic Studies.

Curriculum & Requirements:
The graduate certificate program in Global Islam and Muslims provides a four-to-five course, 16-credit certification for students who wish to integrate literacy about Islam and Muslims into their degree programs. It will offer core courses common to all certificate students as well as more specialized courses that will meet the needs of students from different professional and disciplinary perspectives. It is intended to be completed within 1–2 academic years. No additional requirements are expected of students beyond completion of necessary certificate coursework a grade of B+ or higher. All students will be required to complete the following:

• The core course
• Two secondary courses
• One or two elective courses

Core Course (4 units):
ISLM ST 200: Introduction to Islamic Studies (4 units)

Secondary Courses (8-10 units):
ARABIC 206: The Qur’an (4 units)
ISLM ST 207: Islam in the West (5 units)
ISLM ST 215: Islam and Other Religions (5 units)
ISLM ST 251: Islamic Thought (4 units)

One or Two Elective Courses (4-10 units):
Dependent on student interests.