Undergraduate Programs

Anthropology offers interpretations of all aspects of human life. Cultural anthropology, one of the four traditional subfields of the discipline, seeks to understand human life-worlds in all their variation across time and space using people’s lived experiences, practices, ideas, and explanations as a principal source of knowledge about the world.

Arabic Studies program is to develop a broad awareness of Arab-Islamic civilization and to develop in students the ability to examine critically the different aesthetic, intellectual and cultural components of this civilization. Each student is required to fulfill Arabic language requirements and take a common core of courses from Arabic Literature, Islamic Studies, Middle Eastern History, and Islamic Art and Architecture.

Egyptology is the scientific study of ancient Egypt's history and culture, from the earliest times to the Arab conquest, a time span of some 4,600 years. The program covers all aspects of ancient Egyptian civilization, from language and religion to art, architecture, social structure, and heritage management, and provides the first-hand experience of ancient monuments and sites.

English and Comparative Literature undergraduate program offers a thorough grounding in aesthetic appreciation and critical reading of literary texts and various cultural media. Courses encapsulate the classic works of English and European literature, from ancient times until the present. Courses also provide a strong theoretical background into the history of critical appreciation and production of literary texts, from ecocriticism to postcolonialism, and from gender to postmodernism.

Uniquely situated in the “film” city of Cairo, the AUC Film Program integrates formal film production training with the study of the historical, aesthetic, and theoretical foundations of the medium, providing students with an understanding of how various practical and aesthetic aspects of contemporary cinematic culture interact and eventually integrate various local, regional and international influences.

Graphic Design program prepares students for a wide range of professional options. Branding, advertising, publication, web, digital, and broadcast design, exhibition, and type design are all possible career paths. The major offers both theory and studio courses that will enable design students to integrate a good command of visual language with conceptual work, theory, and technology.

The history program covers a range of topics and regions, and allows students the flexibility to pursue their own interests. All courses develop in students an appreciation of the richness, complexity, and diversity of past civilizations, allowing them to examine the human experience in its fullest dimensions. The program gives students historical, academic, and personal competencies, develops intellectual sophistication, and provides a solid foundation for a wide variety of careers, from law or diplomacy to journalism or business.

Musical Arts in Performance program is a professional degree built on a liberal arts core, which prepares students for a career in teaching or performance in voice or an instrument. Students learn the theory, literature, and performance of music to the highest attainable standard in both Western and Arab music.

Music Technology program teaches students the theory and practice of music technology to the highest attainable standard in the context of a liberal arts environment. The program prepares students for a career in sound engineering, including music recording, editing, production and broadcasting.

The philosophy major stresses a firm grounding in both the history and the various fields of philosophy. Because of the ways in which the study of philosophy complements other disciplines, it is always good for a student to double-major in another discipline.

Students with a Major in Political Science also have the opportunity to enroll in a dual degree program and qualify for an MA degree in International Human Rights Law, alongside their BA in political science.

Psychology is the multifaceted scientific study of human behavior and mental processes. The BA program at AUC emphasizes physical, cognitive, emotional, personal, and social development from conception to death.

Sociology is the systematic study of society with particular attention to social interaction and the social making of humans. It investigates the forces that hold society together and threaten to pull it apart by analyzing interaction at every level, from micro-group interaction to competition of nation-states.

The Theatre program offers a bachelor’s degree and a minor in theatre. The curriculum balances the substantial fundamental study of the literature, history, and theatre theory with practical theatre experience in performance, directing, design, and technical theatre. The program offers a liberal arts approach to theatre study, an approach that aims to enrich the students’ awareness of theatre arts' role within society.

The Visual Arts program allows students to develop their independent vision and creative practice as artists in an educational environment emphasizing conceptual research and expression across media. The curriculum balances studio-based coursework with historical and theoretical.

Political Science's honors program is a crucial part of the department's academic life, and a capstone experience allowing students to conclude their time at AUC by working one-on-one with a department member. Honors students will take small, closed-enrollment classes together in the Fall semester of their senior year.