Message from the Dean

The American University in Cairo opened its doors in 1920, in the aftermath of the Great War and a year after Egyptians took to the streets in the revolution of 1919. Its founders had an ambitious idea of what a university could be: rigorous yet open, cosmopolitan yet rooted in Egypt — training students in disciplined methods, pressing them toward the largest questions, and keeping them in conversation with the city, country, and world around them. More than a century later, that idea still describes what we do.

The most urgent problems facing our world are complex: the promise and the threats of artificial intelligence and technological advance, the realities of climate change, political polarization, and growing economic inequality. None of them will be solved by technical expertise alone. Each of them turns on human questions — what we value, how we govern ourselves, what kind of future we are willing to argue for, and who bears the cost. Those are the questions the humanities and social sciences have always asked, and they are the questions you will take up here — from a campus that stands squarely in Egypt and looks outward to the world. 

Universities are renewed through the fresh perspectives of their students. In often seminar-style classes, you will explore the great ideas of humanity and sharpen your capacity for critical thought and creative expression — skills that will never become obsolete. Our community-based learning courses and innovative curricula encourage you to apply what you learn far beyond the walls of the university, working alongside members of your community to bring about thoughtful, positive, and sustainable change. These are also the qualities employers consistently say they are looking for: critical thinking and effective communication, a commitment to lifelong learning and problem-solving, and a balance between leadership and teamwork.

The School of Humanities and Social Sciences (HUSS) comprises nine departments: Applied Linguistics and Educational Studies; Arab and Islamic Civilizations; Arts; English and Comparative Literature; History; Philosophy; Political Science; Psychology; and Sociology, Egyptology, and Anthropology. Together they offer seventeen majors for the bachelor's degree and twenty-two minor programs of study. Whichever field you choose, you will find a well-rounded preparation for life after college, grounded in rigorous disciplinary thinking and open to new perspectives. 

You will explore it in the company of faculty who excel not only as teachers but also as researchers, scholars, and artists with renowned international reputations. Their dynamic scholarly and creative work provides the intellectual foundations that define the School — and, together with the students they inspire, has earned AUC recognition as Egypt's global university and a preeminent liberal arts institution in the region.

The world you are entering is changing quickly, and there has never been a better moment to study these questions. You will be well prepared, and we are glad you have chosen to begin here. 

Sincerely,

Maurice A. Pomerantz

Dean, School of Humanities and Social Sciences

The American University in Cairo