Welcome to the Department of English at Umm Al-Qura University where a long history of expertise in teaching meets a renewed interest in different fields of study. Our department combines the study of English literature with applied and theoretical linguistics and translation studies. Joining our department is your chance to specialize in English language studies and related literature, which will prepare and qualify you to work in the field of teaching English, as well as a number of governmental jobs and those of the private sector; this is in addition to being your gateway to higher education and the world of academic research.

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Establishment and Development

The first building block in laying down the groundwork for the Department of English came in 1962, upon the establishment of the Department of Social Studies and English Language at the College of Education. In the year 1965, after the bylaw of the College of Education was issued, the Department of English was separated from the Department of Social Studies, becoming an independent department with its own objectives and programs.

 

The Department of English was then affiliated to the College of Social Sciences, which was introduced at the beginning of 1984-1985 the academic year. Accordingly, the objectives of the department have developed based on its new specializations.

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Now the Department of English operates under the College of Social Sciences which is within the Colleges of Humanities and Educational Sciences division. The department has been classed as such considering it comprises of Linguistics, Literature and Translation as its subdisciplines, which are often classed as Humanities’ subjects.