Academic caliber and program options will likely be big components of where you choose to commit to an Arabic degree abroad. After all, a degree is a substantial investment of your time, money, and brain space, so you want to make sure the whole package is the right fit for you.

Four-year undergraduate programs are most common among Arabic degree options abroad. Degree certificates for one year of coursework are also available for those who just want to dip their toes in the Arabic waters. Arabic Graduate programs are less frequent and more specialized; common specializations for students in Arabic master’s programs include translation, literary analysis, and teaching Arabic as a foreign language.

In the Arab region, the American Universities in Beirut, Cairo, and Dubai (let’s call them the ABCD’s) offer a range of certificates, as well as undergraduate and master’s degrees in Arabic language and literature. Al-Akhawayn University in the mountains of Morocco and Kuwait University along the shores of the Persian Gulf likewise offer Arabic degree programs catered to native English speakers and based on a western education system. At these schools it will take you four years to complete a bachelor’s degree and two years to work through a masters. For more advanced students interested in full immersion (i.e. handling school administration in Arabic), University of Jordan and Cairo University offer Arabic Language and Literature degrees catered toward native speakers.

If you prefer to stay closer to home, take advantage of highly-ranked Arabic programs in the U.S. and UK, including Middlebury College, Georgetown University, University of London (SOAS), and University of Westminster London. These programs are known for their rigorous curriculum and experienced international faculty, though tuition and cost of living at these campuses may put a damper on your wallet. Leiden University in the Netherlands and University of Melbourne in Australia likewise offer strong Arabic undergraduate Arabic programs catered to English speakers.

Most serious Arabic degree programs will want you to have at least some background in the language. A short-term summer program, travel in the Arab region, or a Lebanese aunty who calls you habibi will usually do the trick. Learning another foreign language and using it on a daily basis will also earn you some brownie points in the admissions process. But if language learning and international travel are completely new to you, never fear! When applying to Arabic degree programs abroad, the most critical traits are a commitment to learning Arabic and a willingness to embrace new cultures and ways of seeing the world.