Middle Eastern Studies

This two-year program is specifically designed for students who wish to obtain a broad knowledge of the Middle East. It allows the student to structure his or her own course of study in such areas as contemporary Middle Eastern studies, Middle Eastern history, Islamic studies, Islamic art and archaeology, Arabic, Persian, Hebrew, or Turkish language or literature as well as ancient Near Eastern Studies including Egyptology, Assyriology, Comparative Semitics, Archaeology of the ancient Near East. The interdisciplinary nature of the overall program allows for students to enroll through either the Division of the Social Sciences or the Division of the Humanities.

The requirements are satisfactory completion of:

• 6 quarters of a Middle Eastern language (through at least two year proficiency)
• 1 quarter core colloquium, Approaches to the Study of the Middle East
• 3 quarters of an approved integrated Middle Eastern survey course (e.g., Introduction to Judaic Civilization; History of the Islamic Middle East, 600 to the Present)
• 7 courses in relevant electives
• 1 course in thesis preparation, or reading and research
• Master's Thesis

Language Requirement

Placement examinations are given so that entering students may register for courses at the appropriate level of instruction.

Middle Eastern Studies

All students in the MA program are required to take the core colloquium, Approaches to the Study of Middle East (CMES 30001/HIST 58001). Students must enroll in one of the following three quarter sequences: Islamic History and Society (NEHC 31000, 31100, 31200/HIST 35704, 35804, 35904) or Islamic Thought and Literature (NEHC 30601, 30602, 30603/SOSC 22000, 22100, 2220).

Electives

In consultation with advisors, students select courses providing instruction in skills related to their future careers. These courses may be in research methodology; statistics; cross cultural, demographic, or economic analysis; or computer training. They may be selected from the offerings of departments in the graduate divisions.

Master's Thesis

Students are required to submit a Master's Thesis that should deal with a problem relevant to the student's intended career and should give evidence of the specialized disciplinary aspects of his or her training.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS Online Application FormNon-refundable application fee 3 Letters of RecommendationGRE and TOEFL ScoresStatement of Academic PurposeWriting SampleTranscriptsADMISSIONS DECISIONSAdmissions decisions are emailed in early March. Direct all questions about your application directly to theadmissions office. English Language Requirements IELTS band: 7 TOEFL paper-based test score : 600 TOEFL iBT® test: 100

Want to improve your English level for admission?

Prepare for the program requirements with English Online by the British Council.

• ✔️ Flexible study schedule
• ✔️ Experienced teachers
• ✔️ Certificate upon completion

📘 Recommended for students with an IELTS level of 6.0 or below.

Enroll in the course

Loans for domestic students

Admitted students may need to apply for loans (private or federally supported) and/or the federal work-study program to cover any tuition and living expenses not covered by a University award. If you need to subsidize your graduate studies through loans and/or work-study, you will need to complete the Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) and apply for student loans through the University's Student Loan Administration. Visit the Student Loan Administration to download loan forms and to search the frequently asked questions. Students admitted for Autumn Quarter who wish to be considered for a student loan should submit a loan application to the SLA office by the May 15 priority deadline; notifications concerning loan approval are sent out in the summer. SLA also determines eligibility for the work-study program, but job assignments cannot be made until the student is actually on campus.

Merit-based Scholarships and Fellowships

All applicants who indicate on the graduate application that they would like to be considered for financial aid will be reviewed for merit-based scholarships and fellowships; there are no separate forms to complete. The Division of the Social Sciences has limited resources, which are allocated based on the criteria of academic record and scholarly promise; financial need and U.S. citizenship are not factors. We offer a limited number of partial tuition scholarships (one-third tuition, one-half tuition, two-thirds tuition) along with a very small number of full-tuition awards. Students who we admit without a financial award or with partial tuition scholarships pay the balance of tuition from a combination of their own resources and educational loans.

Financial Aid
Incoming MA students who request aid on their applications are eligible for a limited number of awards of up to half tuition. For the second year all successful students, those with a GPA of 3.5 or above, are likely to receive additional funding, many at the full tuition level. Second year students can also apply for Foreign Language and Areas Studies (FLAS) awards, which add a stipend.