The M.A. program in Islamic and Near Eastern Studies offers students an opportunity for dedicated, interdisciplinary study of the history, literatures, and cultures of the Middle East.  It is designed for individuals who do not have a great deal of undergraduate training in Arabic or other Near Eastern languages, and is well-suited for those preparing for careers in education, law, business, government, and private agencies whose work touches upon some aspect of Islamic and Near Eastern Studies.  The M.A. will also serve as an excellent base for students wishing to go on to complete a Ph.D. in the field. Students will be expected to have successfully completed third-year Arabic or Persian before receiving the M.A. degree.  The general admissions standards established by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences must also be fulfilled for acceptance.

Degree Requirements

• A minimum of 30 credits from graduate-level courses, which may include up to 6 units transferred from another institution.
• Successful completion of third-year Arabic or Persian.
• Ability to use Arabic or Persian source material and scholarly articles, to be demonstrated in at least one major seminar paper.
• A second major research paper to be written either in a second seminar or in an independent study to be supervised by one of the faculty associated with the program.
• Students have the option of writing a Masters Thesis in place of the two major research papers, in which case the guidelines issued by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences are to be followed.
• At the end of their program of study, degree candidates are required to complete successfully an oral examination, lasting no more than one hour, based on either the two research papers submitted for this purpose or the Masters thesis.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Students are expected to maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in courses approved for their degree programs. Students with scholarship grants and/or stipend awards are expected to maintain a significantly higher grade point average.

Applicants

• Applicants must submit official transcripts of all previous college work
• GRE scores
• Nonrefundable $45 application fee,
• At least three letters of reference,
• A 500-word essay describing the applicant's interest in the program (part of the application form)
• An example of written work, typically a 12-25 page paper on a relevant subject
• The completed application form of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.