Undergraduate Extended Accelerator Pathway (3-Term) - Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy

at Shorelight Group - American University USA

The Foreign Policy and National Security Thematic Area features course offerings on US foreign policy, war and diplomacy, and both national and global security concerns. The gateway course for this Thematic Area is Analysis of US Foreign Policy SISU 230, which aims to provide students with an understanding of broad historical trends and traditions in US foreign policy; the ability to assess the main theoretical perspectives relevant to the field of US foreign policy; the ability to identify the key actors, institutions, and political processes involved in the making of US foreign policy; the capacity to analyze selected contemporary policy issues; and an opportunity to demonstrate research, analytical, writing, and presentation skills.

Become a curator, archivist, or conservator with an art history degree earned in a city full of world-renowned museums including the Smithsonian. Your professors and mentors are art historians who are leaders in their field. Your classes are in the dazzling, post-modernist Katzen Arts Center, which offers cutting-edge facilities and houses the American University Museum.

The public health bachelor of science degree is an interdisciplinary program that focuses on the scientific dimensions of health. The 58 credit hour BS is the degree of choice for someone who is interested in studying infectious and chronic diseases, environmental health, and epidemiology.

Graduates will be trained to work in public health research, at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), developing vaccination protocols, or in a similar environment. Graduates will also be well positioned to continue their education in a number of different health areas, such as allied health, public health, or medicine.

The Global and Comparative Governance Thematic Area is designed for students who are interested in how a range of actors—local, national, global—seek to understand and solve the compelling security, development, environmental, and economic problems of our time. This thematic area focuses on the role that states, regional and global institutions (the United Nations, EU, World Bank, etc.), civil society, and the private sector play in addressing regional and global problems. Students also have the option of specializing in a geographical region. Students will take a multidisciplinary approach and will acquire the skills to empirically evaluate phenomena, anticipate emerging trends, and interpret data through an innovative curriculum that emphasizes theory and applied knowledge.

Our MA in international economics prepares you to tackle the most pressing issues facing our global economy. You’ll become an expert in economic research methodology and a power-user of the state-of-the-art stats software commonly used in applied economics research. Our graduates go on to careers in government, financial institutions, multinational corporations, consulting firms, think tanks, multilateral institutions, and NGOs worldwide.

The public health bachelor of science degree is an interdisciplinary program that focuses on the scientific dimensions of health. The 58 credit hour BS is the degree of choice for someone who is interested in studying infectious and chronic diseases, environmental health, and epidemiology.

Graduates will be trained to work in public health research, at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), developing vaccination protocols, or in a similar environment. Graduates will also be well positioned to continue their education in a number of different health areas, such as allied health, public health, or medicine.

MS in biotechnology opens the door to meaningful and innovative careers that improve human and environmental health. Our program immerses you in research, management, science communication, and entrepreneurship. You'll be able to specialize in one of four tracks: biodefense, drug discovery, biotechnology management, and bioinformatics.

AU’s production studios are constantly buzzing with creative activity. They’re the cornerstone of one of the best audio tech and production programs in the US. Here, students work alongside professionals and experienced faculty in state-of-the-art editing bays and recording studios. Washington, DC, offers a variety of top-notch internship opportunities and a vibrant music scene. 

You’ll develop your own artistic direction and self-expression through a liberal arts curriculum that includes hands-on courses in painting, sculpture, video, and digital photography. Here, students exhibit their work in the Katzen Arts Center alongside high-profile artists from around the world. 

The Peace, Global Security, and Conflict Resolution Thematic Area explores the causes and consequences of war as they relate to competing understandings of peace and security. Courses in this area help students assess the choices as well as challenges involved in preventing, resolving, and managing conflict. Students engage theories and historical cases from international security, strategic studies, human security, peace studies, and conflict resolution to conceptualize war and insecurity. The gateway course begins this journey by establishing the broader philosophical traditions associated with competing schools of thought. Students examine the different definitions of peace, security, and conflict as well as general patterns of violence and insecurity in the world. The course builds on this foundation by introducing students to the dynamics of political violence and different peacebuilding and conflict resolution mechanisms.