Georgetown University in Qatar

Department website: https://guq.qatar.georgetown.edu/

Clyde Wilcox
Acting Dean

Brendan Hill
Senior Associate Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs

Anne Nebel
Associate Dean for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment

Fr Ryan Maher, S.J.
Associate Dean for Mission and First-Year Advising Dean

Morgan Fisher
Advising Dean

Julien Moutte
Senior Advising Dean

Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) is Georgetown’s campus in Education City, Doha. Established in 2005 in partnership with Qatar Foundation, the campus offers a four-year undergraduate program in international affairs leading to the Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service (BSFS) degree. Students complete a multidisciplinary liberal arts core before pursuing one of five majors within the BSFS. Beginning in Fall of 2027, GU-Q will offer an MA in International Politics and Security, with an accelerated 5-year BSFS/MA path for qualified GU-Q undergraduates.

Georgetown University in Qatar students are subject to the Academic Policies and Regulations of the university and to the academic policies pertaining specifically to the BSFS degree outlined in this Bulletin. Policies specific to Georgetown University in Qatar on the Undergraduate Regulations tab.

Undergraduate Programs List

• Africana Studies (Qatar) Minor
• American Studies (Qatar), Undergraduate Certificate
• Arab & Regional Studies (Qatar), Undergraduate Certificate
• Arabic (Qatar) Minor
• Arts, Heritage, and Cultural Diplomacy (Qatar) Minor
• Culture and Politics (Qatar), BSFS
• Energy Studies (Qatar), Undergraduate Certificate
• French (Qatar) Minor
• Indian Ocean Studies (Qatar) Minor
• International Economics (Qatar), BSFS
• International History (Qatar), BSFS
• International Politics (Qatar), BSFS
• Media & Politics (Qatar), Undergraduate Certificate
• Science, Technology, and International Affairs (Qatar), BSFS
• Women’s and Gender Studies (Qatar) Minor

Graduate Programs List 

• International Politics and Security (Qatar), MA

Degree Requirements, Academic Policies, and Core Curriculum

All GU-Q students complete the same degree requirements, academic policies, and core curriculum requirements as students in Washington, D.C. There are, however, some slight differences in the sequencing of certain core courses at the Doha campus.

Every student is required to take two courses in Writing and the Humanities: Art, Literature, Music, and Media (HALM, formerly HALC)

• Fall Year 1: WRIT 1145 or WRIT 1155
• Spring Year 1: WRIT 1165 or other designated HALM course

Note: HALM courses cannot double-count between the core and any other academic program

GU-Q students must fulfill the core Government requirement as follows:

1. GOVT 1400 Comparative Political Systems (Spring Year 1)
2. GOVT 1600 International Relations (Fall Year 2)

Note: Failure to complete the core government sequence as described above will adversely affect a student’s ability to declare the IPOL major and/or register for upper-level courses in government and politics.

Students are expected to complete most of the core curriculum requirements during their freshman and sophomore years.

Core Curriculum Requirements

Core Curriculum Requirements

All GU-Q students complete the same core curriculum requirements as students in Washington, D.C. There are, however, some slight differences in the sequencing of certain core courses at the Doha campus.

GU-Q students fulfill the core Writing and core Humanities: Art, Literature, and Cultures (HALM) requirements in one of the following ways:

1. Take WRIT 1155 (Fall Year 1) followed by WRIT 1165 (Spring Year 1) or
2. Take WRIT 1155 (Fall Year 1) followed by any HALM course (before Fall Year 3)

HALM courses cannot double count between the core and any other academic program.

GU-Q students must fulfill the core government requirement as follows:

1. GOVT 1400 Comparative Political Systems (Spring Year 1)
2. GOVT 1600 International Relations (Fall Year 2)

Failure to complete the core government sequence as described above will adversely affect a student’s ability to declare the IPOL major and/or register for upper-level courses in government and politics.

GU-Q students are required to take two Engaging Diversity courses, one domestic and one global. At GU-Q, domestic diversity is defined as pertaining to the Arab World and global diversity is defined as pertaining to the rest of the world.

Students are expected to complete most of the core curriculum courses during their freshman and sophomore years.

Major Fields of Study

At GU-Q, students can pursue one of the five majors offered in the School of Foreign Service:

• Culture and Politics
• International Economics
• International History
• International Politics
• Science, Technology, and International Affairs

Minors

GU-Q students may complete any combination of three programs to include: 1 major and 2 minors; 1 major, 1 certificate, and 1 minor; 1 major and 2 certificates. GU-Q students may not double major.

Minors Available to GU-Q Students

The following minors are available to students at GU-Q:

• Africana Studies
• Arabic
• Arts, Heritage, & Cultural Diplomacy
• French
• Indian Ocean Studies
• Women's & Gender Studies

Other Minors: On occasion students have pursued minors available to SFS students on the DC campus. Please be aware that many of these DC-based minors cannot be completed by GU-Q students as they require foundational courses not offered at GU-Q. Priority enrollment in any course offered at GU-Q is reserved for students completing their core and major requirements. If you are interested in pursuing a DC minor, please speak with the relevant advising dean.

Certificate Programs

Certificate programs mark secondary levels of concentration within the bachelor’s degree. They are strictly optional and are awarded only in conjunction with the undergraduate degree. Certificate programs should be viewed as a means for focusing interests and structuring elective coursework. Interested students should discuss the certificate and its role within the general bachelor’s program with the relevant advising dean

GU-Q students may complete any combination of three programs to include: 1 major and 2 minors; 1 major, 1 certificate, and 1 minor; 1 major and 2 certificates. GU-Q students may not double major.

Certificates available to GU-Q Students

• Certificate in American Studies (CAST)
• Certificate in Arab and Regional Studies (CARS)
• Certificate in Energy Studies (CES)
• Certificate in Media and Politics (CMAP)

Please note, GU-Q students may not pursue main campus certificates.

Zones of Conflict / Zones of Peace

Zones of Conflict / Zones of Peace (ZCZP) is a 3-credit experiential learning course offered at Georgetown University in Qatar.  This award-winning program offers students a deep dive into a given ethnic, political, religious, or social conflict with a faculty expert who then leads students on a trip to that conflict zone with the goal of gaining a better understanding of the root causes of the conflict and the difficult process of reconciliation.  On these trips, students visit significant sites in the conflict region and meet with politicians, journalists, activists, community organizers, and other change-makers vital to understanding the conflict.  Past destinations have included: Jordan, Israel/Palestine, Rwanda, Germany/Poland, Cyprus, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, South Africa, Cambodia, Timor-Leste, the United States, Oman/Tanzania, Japan, China, the Basque region, Nepal, and Finland/Estonia.

Each ZCZP class is limited to between 15 and 18 students who are selected through a competitive application process that takes place each fall semester before registration begins.

Academic Internships

Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in Qatar is pleased to partner with organizations in Doha to provide academic internship programs for our students. These internships greatly enhance Georgetown’s commitment to applied and experiential learning. These experiences provide students with additional context for their classroom learning, and thus a deeper understanding of key academic concepts. It also helps them develop important professional skills and explore ways in which they can meaningfully apply their academic skills after leaving Georgetown.

Only degree-seeking students studying at GU-Q are eligible. Students apply to work at one of the partner organizations for the fall or spring semester. Students work 10-15 hours per week at a partner organization doing substantive work under the guidance of a mentor at the organization. In addition, students will be registered for INAF 3951 International Affairs Internship for one credit, graded on a pass/fail basis. As part of this course, students complete 10.5 total hours of Georgetown classroom instruction over the semester, which is designed to complement the internship and connect academic skills to applied practice. Students who complete the work and course requirements earn one academic credit that counts toward the Georgetown degree and a notation on the official Georgetown transcript.

The aims behind these internships and the one-credit course components are to:

• Provide professional mentorship and oversight of the internship experience,
• Connect the experiential learning process (internship) to the curriculum while giving students substantive professional experience, and
• Provide a student space for structured reflection and narrative development, which they can use to more critically focus their studies and professional goals.

Students must carefully review the detailed GPA and language requirements by each organization:

• Preference is given to juniors and seniors, but sophomores may be considered.
• A strong academic background, excellent writing and research skills.
• Students must be in good academic standing.

International Negotiation and Crisis Simulation

The International Negotiation Simulation Exercise in conjunction with Georgetown University’s Institute for the Study of Diplomacy (ISD) and SFS-Qatar, trains students at campuses in Washington, D.C. and Doha in negotiations, decision-making and crisis management. This one-day simulation offers students the hands-on opportunity to practice diplomacy through complex international negotiations and real time crisis decision making activities. The simulation exercises are hypothetical situations based on a current international problem, and participants gain experience in high-level diplomatic negotiations between key players. Students are assigned to teams and special guests and faculty mentors lead the exercise. Participants carefully read a background paper and scenario, and then absorb short “confidential” negotiating instructions. The learning objectives are to understand different perspectives, motivations and challenges in grappling with foreign policy issues.

IPOL 3939 International Negotiation Lab (1 credit)

Students have the option to earn academic credit in this program, which is structured over a 1 week period, by completing all mandatory modules and academic components connected to the negotiation lab and the one-day simulation. This experiential learning simulation is usually offered in the fall semester. The class is graded pass / fail and appears on the Georgetown transcript.

IPOL 3939 International Negotiation Lab Learning Goals:

• To learn the theory behind negotiation both historically and currently and to successfully engage in the practice of negotiation.
• To gain in-depth and practical knowledge on a particular and current crisis and its underlying political dynamics.
• To learn to write short policy briefs based on the results of the simulation.
• To provide students, through targeted readings and assignments, the tools necessary to engage in negotiation in the future.
• To engage with other students in collaborative learning.

Cross-Registration

Generally starting with the 4th semester, Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) students may enroll in classes at other Education City Partner Universities pending space available in the class, and the approval of an academic advisor and the Associate Registrar for GU-Q. Generally, students may not take more than one consortium class in a semester and can take no more than four consortium courses over the period of their degree. Exceptions to these restrictions require the approval of the Academic Advisor and the Associate Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs.

GU-Q students may not cross-register if:

• they are in the first year of studies;
• they have taken the same or a similar class previously;
• they are requesting a class which is the same as/similar to one offered at Georgetown;
• they are requesting a class that is not deemed equivalent to a Georgetown three-credit class.

Applying for a Cross-Registration Class

• Complete the Education City Cross-registration form. This is the only form that will be accepted, and must be completed online and printed off for appropriate signatures. Old/handwritten forms will not be accepted. In addition, you must submit a copy of your passport with the registration request form. Forms will not be accepted if they are incomplete in any way.
• Registration at the university in which you plan to enroll is on a first-come, first-served basis. Once your form has been processed by the Associate Registrar for GU-Q, you will then need to take the form to the host university to be registered for the course.
• The host university will advise you if your application is successful.
• Once your cross-registration course enrollment is confirmed by the host university, you must submit the course information to the Associate Registrar for GU-Q to have the courses added to your academic record.

Reminder: By enrolling at another university in Education City, you are agreeing to follow their university rules and policies, which includes attending classes even if GU-Q is closed. Not all universities follow the same academic calendar and you must adhere to the requirements of the host university.

Study Abroad for GU-Q Students

Students who study away from their home campus are exposed to new ideas and perspectives, as well as to peoples, cultures, and values that are different from their own. Given GU-Q’s curricular focus on international affairs, we believe that such experiences are a valuable component of the Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service degree.

In the 3rd year, GU-Q students are eligible to apply through a competitive process for the programs offered by the Office of Global Education. Please note that some forms of Qatar-based financial aid cannot be used on these programs. Students should check with their financial aid advisor before making your application to any of these external sites.

GU-Q students can also apply through a competitive process for a limited number of slots to study on the Georgetown University campus in Washington, D.C. for one semester in their 3rd year. Most Qatar-based financial aid can be applied to one semester of study on Georgetown’s campuses in Washington, DC and the Georgetown Villa Le Balze Program in Fiesole, Italy; students should check with their financial aid advisors early in the process. Courses taken on main campus are applicable to a student’s BSFS degree and the grades earned factor into a student’s cumulative GPA. Information about the application process will be sent to eligible students. The application form is here.

GU-Q students may also apply to study in Washington, DC in the summer. This option is open to all students who have completed their first year at GU-Q. Most forms of Qatar-based financial aid will not routinely cover summer study on main campus; students should check with their financial aid advisors before applying. Courses taken on main campus are applicable to a student’s degree and the grades earned factor into a student’s cumulative GPA. Information about how to register for main campus summer courses will be sent to all students early in the spring semester each year. The clearance form needed to apply to summer study in DC is here.