Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar

Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar
جامعة جورجتاون كلية الشؤون الدولية في قطر

Seal of Georgetown University
Motto Utraque Unum
("Both into One")[1]
Type Private
Established August 31, 2005
Affiliation Roman Catholic (Jesuit)
President John J. DeGioia
Dean Gerd Nonneman[2]
Academic staff
 37[3]
Administrative staff
 100[4]
Undergraduates 230[5]
Location Doha, Qatar
25°18′56″N 51°26′5″E / 25.31556°N 51.43472°E / 25.31556; 51.43472Coordinates: 25°18′56″N 51°26′5″E / 25.31556°N 51.43472°E / 25.31556; 51.43472
Campus Education City, 2,400 acres (9.7 km2)
Acceptance Rate 17.4% (2014)[6]
Colors

Blue and Gray

         
Sports 6 club teams
Nickname Hoyas
Website qatar.sfs.georgetown.edu

Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar, also known as SFS-Q, is a branch campus of the Georgetown University Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service situated in Doha, Qatar. The satellite campus, which joined Education City in 2005, is a joint venture between Qatar Foundation and Georgetown University.[7] SFS-Q has a total undergraduate enrollment of 230 and a 17.4% acceptance rate.[8] Currently, a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service degree is offered with the ability to major in one of three fields: International Politics, Culture and Politics, and International Economics.[9] The curriculum of these majors is identical to that offered in Georgetown's main campus. Additionally, many SFS-Q undergraduates choose to complete their junior and/or senior years at Georgetown's home campus in Washington, D.C.[10]

History

In 2005 the SFS joined four other U.S. universities in opening a campus in Education City. The initiative came from Qatar Foundation, who wanted a top-notch institution here which would focus on liberal arts with a specialization in global affairs.[11] All costs for the development of this campus are paid for by the non-profit Qatar Foundation. The requirements for the Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service degree are the same as those of the Washington campus. Classes started in August 2005 with 25 students. By August 2007, the student body had grown to 110 students, and by 2011 to approximately 200.[12] As of January 2013, one third of students are Qatari, one third are non-Qataris residents in Qatar, and one third are international students. Currently, there are students from 44 nationalities.[11]

Georgetown University began studying the feasibility of opening a campus of the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service in Qatar in October 2002, when the Qatar Foundation, which funded the entire enterprise, first proposed the idea. They came to Georgetown after meetings with U.S. Ambassador to Qatar, Patrick N. Theros. Theros was himself a School of Foreign Service alumnus, and suggested Georgetown be included.[13]

Academics

Majors

Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar only offers four year undergraduate degrees. Contrary to some belief, apart from language courses, including Arabic and French, all courses in SFSQ are taught in English and the curriculum in the specified majors are identical to those offered in Georgetown's main campus in Washington D.C. Currently, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar only offers a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service degree.[14] However, in their second year of study, students are given the chance to focus their studies and choose one of three available majors:[9]

In their first two years of study, students are expected to complete a set of core courses including economics, theology, philosophy, government, and English language courses. In their second two years they are allowed to customize their study in choosing to focus on particular electives or areas of study. In total, students require 120 credit hours and 40 courses in order to graduate from the university, including passing a proficiency in a second language.[15]

Certificates

Apart from the three majors, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar offers two certificates:

Honors system

Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar offers two types of honors: Latin Honors and Honors in Major.

Scholarships and financial aid

Studying at Georgetown University SFSQ is quite expensive. The annual tuition is averaged at around $40,000 USD with living expenses estimated at $10,000 USD/year including food, housing, and personal spending.[19][20] However students at Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar have access to ample scholarship and financial aid opportunities.

Transfer credits

In an effort to supplement theoretical learning, Georgetown University encourages students to study abroad during their junior year. SFSQ students have the ability to study in hundreds of universities abroad as long as they are pre-approved by Georgetown's office of international programs.[22]

Finally, students can transfer in and out of Georgetown from other universities. They must go through the application process but Georgetown recognizes credit from other universities on a course by course bases. A minimum of two years course work needs to be done at Georgetown University in order to earn the degree.[23]

Research

Georgetown University SFSQ launched a journal on political science in September 2014 called The Journal of Georgetown University-Qatar Middle Eastern Studies Student Association. Georgetown University's oldest newspaper The Hoya claimed that it would become "the first academic political science journal published by students in the Middle East". It is published by Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Journals.[24]

Faculty list

Dr. Ibrahim Oweiss in his classroom at SFS-Qatar

In addition to semestral visits of faculty members from the main campus. As of June 2011, Georgetown SFSQ employs 36 full-time faculty members.[3]

Campus

Main article: Education City

The School of Foreign Service in Qatar shares the Education City facilities with other universities but has a building of its own which was inaugurated in February 2011. The new 360,000-square-foot (33,000 m2) building features a three-story high atrium, an auditorium with a seating capacity for 350 people and 14 classroom and lecture halls.[25] It includes offices, classrooms, a library and other facilities for more than 200 undergraduate and graduate students.[26] The facility was designed by renowned architect Ricardo Legorreta of Mexico City.[27]

The new student center opened in 2009 and offers students recreational facilities.[28] It includes a fitness room, bowling alley, arcade room, and indoor basketball court, as well as a bookstore, a coffee shop, and some other commercial outlets.[29]

Other future Education City projects include new dormitories and a student center. The new 850,000-square-foot (79,000 m2) housing complex opened in Spring 2011, and is the first ever LEED platinum residential hall.[30]

Student housing

Student housing is managed by Qatar Foundation and shared among the Education City campuses. As of 2011, the per semester cost of student housing is 7800QAR or approximately 2100 USD. Dormitories are either male-only or female-only, with no co-ed housing available.[31]

Library

The three-story library houses more than 90,000 books and other scholarly resources related to the study of international relations. In conjunction with the Georgetown University Libraries in Washington DC it offers access to more than a million digital resources, including online subscriptions to more than 80,000 academic journals.

The library is equipped with many state-of-the-art facilities including group study rooms, private study cubicles, computers, wireless internet, scanners, printers, and photocopy machines.

The library staff provides users many services including book loan privileges, research assistance, and intercampus loans from Georgetown's main campus library as well as other Education City Libraries. The Writing Center is also within the library and offers students advice on writing skills and strategies.[32]

Student life

Seeking well-rounded individuals who strive for education and knowledge, the school's student body represents twenty-eight different countries and five continents.[26] Forty percent of students are Qatari, and sixty percent of students are female.[5] A total of twelve student groups exist on the school's campus.[12]

Student activities include:

The university also has a wide range of health services that it provides to all of its students.[34]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ From the Epistle to the Ephesians 2:14. See official explanation. Other translations available.
  2. ↑ "New Dean Named at School of Foreign Service in Qatar" (Press release). University of Georgetown. May 25, 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
  3. 1 2 http://qatar.sfs.georgetown.edu/academics/faculty/
  4. ↑ http://qatar.sfs.georgetown.edu/services/
  5. 1 2 Buckley, Erin (October 21, 2008). "SFS-Q Boasts Increasingly Global Student Body". The Hoya. Retrieved October 21, 2008.
  6. ↑ http://qatar.sfs.georgetown.edu/admissions/faqs/
  7. ↑ http://www.thehoya.com/sfs-to-establish-qatar-campus-1.1881423
  8. ↑ "FAQs". Georgetown University - School of Foreign Service in Qatar. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
  9. 1 2 http://qatar.sfs.georgetown.edu/academics/degree/
  10. ↑ "Experiential and Applied Learning". Georgetown University - School of Foreign Service in Qatar. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
  11. 1 2 "Interview with the Dean Gerd Nonneman". Investvine.com. 2013-01-12. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
  12. 1 2 Blazey, Elizabeth (October 3, 2008). "Student Life Begins to Boom in SFS-Q's Infant Years". The Hoya. Retrieved October 4, 2008.
  13. ↑ "SFS-Q: Georgetown’s Intercultural Initiative". The Hoya. December 8, 2009. Retrieved December 8, 2009.
  14. ↑ http://qatar.sfs.georgetown.edu/academics/
  15. ↑ http://qatar.sfs.georgetown.edu/academics/degree/116700.html
  16. ↑ http://bsfs.georgetown.edu/policies/academics/
  17. ↑ http://bsfs.georgetown.edu/majors/ipol/honors/theses/
  18. ↑ http://bsfs.georgetown.edu/majors/culp/honors/theses/
  19. ↑ http://qatar.sfs.georgetown.edu/admissions/faq/#20
  20. ↑ http://qatar.sfs.georgetown.edu/admissions/faq/#22
  21. ↑ http://qatar.sfs.georgetown.edu/admissions/financialaid/
  22. ↑ http://oip.georgetown.edu/
  23. ↑ http://qatar.sfs.georgetown.edu/admissions/faq/#13
  24. ↑ Kshithij Shrinath (9 September 2014). "SFS-Q Launches Journal on Middle East". The Hoya. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  25. ↑ http://www.georgetown.edu/story/sfsqataropening.html
  26. 1 2 "Qatar Campus Constructing New Facility". Blue & Gray. January 26, 2009. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
  27. ↑ "School of Foreign Service". Legoretta & Legoretta. 2008. Retrieved April 29, 2008.
  28. ↑ "Student Center". Qatar Foundation. 2008. Retrieved October 21, 2008.
  29. ↑ http://www.myeducationcity.com/en/student_center
  30. ↑ "Residence Hall". Qatar Foundation. 2008. Retrieved October 21, 2008.
  31. ↑ "Admissions FAQ". School of Foreign Service in Qatar. 2007. Retrieved September 29, 2007.
  32. ↑ http://www.library.georgetown.edu/qatar/
  33. ↑ http://qatar.sfs.georgetown.edu/campus/organizations/113128.html
  34. ↑ http://qatar.sfs.georgetown.edu/campus/health/

External links

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