Fields of Undergraduate Study: Academic Degrees & Course Listings

This section lists the fields of undergraduate study that are currently offered at the American University in Cairo. The fields are given in alphabetical order irrespective of the department in which they are offered and regardless of whether they cover a degree program, a minor or a specialization within a degree program. Entries under fields of study in which a degree is offered include faculty names, introduction to the field, objectives and main features of the degree, requirements for the degree, as well as a listing of courses and their description. Titles of minors and areas of specialization are listed according to the alphabetical order, but the reader is referred to the main field for requirements and course description. Entries under interdisciplinary fields of study include the names of faculty involved and requirements but the reader is referred to main fields of study for course description.

Courses are identified by a prefix, which is related to the department offering the course, and a number, which describes the level of the course. Courses numbered 100-199 are freshman-level courses normally not open to juniors or seniors. Courses numbered 200-299 and 300-399 are normally taken by sophomore and junior students. Courses numbered 400-499 are designated for seniors, although superior students of sophomore or junior standing may be admitted by permission of the department offering the course. Also, in some departments, graduate students may earn a limited number of credits in 400-level courses.

Courses numbered 500-599 are listed in the graduate section and are open to graduate students; however, a senior student who has a B average may take two graduate courses, not exceeding six credits, either for graduate credit or for completion of requirements for the bachelor’s degree. In this case the chair of the department concerned must notify the registrar’s office. Students in the five-year bachelor of science program in Mechanical Engineering are permitted other exceptions.

The departmental prefixes used in labeling courses are given below:

Not all departmental prefixes represent fields in which a degree is offered; some represent minors and others only courses.

Note Concerning Course Schedules

Most course descriptions indicate the semester that each course is usually offered, but this information is subject to change and some courses are not taught every year. The registrar’s office distributes a detailed schedule of courses offered at the beginning of each semester which contains accurate information on which courses are offered, at what time and by whom they are taught.

For long-term planning, students should consult their advisers and/or individual departments for help designing their programs of study. Students coming from the United States, especially year-abroad students, should contact the university’s office in New York for current information about specific course offerings.