Updated: Wed, 10/02/2024 - 13:45

From Saturday, Oct. 5 through Monday, Oct. 7, the Downtown and Macdonald Campuses will be open only to McGill students, employees and essential visitors. Many classes will be held online. Remote work required where possible. See Campus Public Safety website for details.

Du samedi 5 octobre au lundi 7 octobre, le campus du centre-ville et le campus Macdonald ne seront accessibles qu’aux étudiants et aux membres du personnel de l’Université McGill, ainsi qu’aux visiteurs essentiels. De nombreux cours auront lieu en ligne. Le personnel devra travailler à distance, si possible. Voir le site Web de la Direction de la protection et de la prévention pour plus de détails.

McGill.CA / Institute of Islamic Studies / Graduate / PhD Program Information

Language Requirements

Students are required to demonstrate competence in certain Islamic languages.

PhD students must have completed all language requirements before they are allowed to sit for the Comprehensive Examinations.

 Islamic Languages

                  i.            PhD students are required to have completed 3 years of Arabic or Persian language study at the IIS or demonstrate their competence by taking a proficiency examination set by the academic staff of the IIS. Note that either ISLA 621D or ISLA 641D does not count for credit.

                  ii.           In addition to Arabic or Persian, all PhD students are required to have completed the equivalent of two years of language study at the IIS of another Islamic language or demonstrate competence in this language by taking a proficiency examination set by the academic staff of the IIS. Students are, of course, responsible for whatever higher levels are required for their research. 

Once you fulfill a language requirement, a form will be filled out for Enrolment Services (ES) indicating this, and a note will be put on your transcript by ES.

Exemptions

If you are a native speaker of any of the required languages for the PhD, you must advise the Student Affairs Coordinator that you would like to use that language as an exemption to part of your program requirements. You may be required to have an oral interview and possibly a written examination with one of the Faculty members at the Institute who will confirm your status as a native speaker to the Student Affairs Coordinator.

Arabic/Persian

If you already have previous knowledge of Arabic or Persian you may write the Institute’s test to prove that your Arabic/Persian is at the third-year level. 

Second Islamic Language

If you already have previous knowledge of a second Islamic Language, you may write the Institute’s Language Examination or pass an interview to prove that your knowledge is at the second year level. Depending upon the language, one of the Institute’s Faculty members will evaluate your level and indicate it to the Student Affairs Coordinator. 

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