Middle Eastern Studies

专业详情

The study of the region extending from Morocco to Kazakhstan is coordinated, encouraged, and stimulated at the University of Chicago by the Center for Middle Eastern Studies (CMES). Established in 1965, the CMES has been supported by the Divisions of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Chicago and by grants from the U.S. Department of Education and the Mellon Foundation for more than forty years.

The Center for Middle Eastern Studies offers an interdisciplinary Master of Arts program designed for students who wish to use their knowledge of the Middle East in careers other than university teaching and research. The program is also suitable for students considering an academic career who have not had the appropriate academic background for direct entrance into a doctoral program. Language and area studies preparation may be supplemented by relevant course work in a professional school or department. Students may be admitted to the Master of Arts program in either the Division of the Social Sciences or the Humanities and will receive the degree from the division through which they have registered. Students with significant previous training in Middle Eastern or Islamic studies who wish to earn a doctoral degree leading to careers in research and college or university teaching should apply for admission directly to one of the graduate doctoral departments or committees of the University.

There are two tracks—modern and ancient—for the MA program in Middle Eastern Studies. The modern program covers the time period from the rise of Islam until the present. The ancient track, offered in collaboration with the faculty of the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, focuses on the cultures and languages of the ancient Near East. The application process, degree requirements, and the rules and conditions for financial aid are similar for both programs.