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Studies & Degrees in Mediterranean Studies

Mediterranean studies is an interdisciplinary field that treats the sea and the lands around it as one region, instead of dividing them by country or continent. Students combine history, archaeology, languages, literature, religion and politics, and look at southern Europe, North Africa and the Near East together. Programmes usually lean one of two ways: towards the ancient and medieval Mediterranean (Greece, Rome, Egypt, the Near East) or towards the modern region and its relations with Europe.

Few institutions offer a degree with exactly this name. More often the subject is a track, a research centre or a group of courses inside classics, history, archaeology, area studies or European studies, so the course list says more than the title.

What students learn

  • The ancient world. Colorado College describes classics as the study of Greek and Latin, of ancient Greek and Roman material and intellectual culture, and of history, archaeology, literature, mythology and religion "based in the Mediterranean basin and beyond". Some programmes widen the frame: the Máster universitario en Mediterráneo Antiguo of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), taught jointly with the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and the Universidad de Alcalá, puts Egypt and the Near East on the same footing as Greece and Rome.
  • The modern region. The Master of Arts in European and Mediterranean Studies at New York University (NYU) draws on contemporary history, political science, international relations and cultural studies, with regional studies of the European Union, Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean.
  • Languages. A language of the region is normally part of the work: Greek and Latin for antiquity, or Arabic and the modern languages of the Mediterranean countries for later periods.

Qualifications and levels

  • Bachelor's degree. At this level the subject is usually studied through a degree in classics, history, archaeology or the languages of the region. In Spain a bachelor's degree (grado) has 240 ECTS credits.
  • Master's degree. NYU's master's has 32 credits and ends with a thesis or a special project. King's College London offers an Ancient History MA covering Greek, Roman and Near Eastern history; it is an intercollegiate course with UCL, Royal Holloway and the Institute of Classical Studies. In Spain official master's degrees have 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits. The UOC master's is an official degree of 60 ECTS credits, taught fully online in Spanish and Catalan.
  • Doctorate. The University of California, Berkeley runs a PhD in Ancient History and Mediterranean Archaeology, taught by more than 20 faculty members from seven departments; students are not admitted for a master's alone. NYU's Institute for the Study of the Ancient World offers a doctoral programme that covers the ancient world from the western Mediterranean to East Asia.
  • Language and study abroad programmes. Dar Loughat, in Tetouan in northern Morocco, teaches Modern Standard Arabic and Moroccan Arabic at all levels throughout the year, in classes of three to eight students and for periods from one week to an academic year. Educatrip, in Granada, organises educational trips and Spanish courses in Spain, including at the Universidad de Granada. These are courses, not degrees; ask the school what certificate or credit is given.

Where to study it

The SpainExchange directory lists 7 schools for this subject: 3 in the United States, 2 in the United Kingdom, 1 in Spain and 1 in Morocco. The American and British programmes are taught in English. The UOC master's is taught in Spanish and Catalan. At Dar Loughat all classes are given in Arabic, except for complete beginners.

When comparing programmes, check which period and which shore of the sea they cover, which languages are required or taught, whether fieldwork or a stay in the region is included, and whether the qualification is an official degree in the country where it is awarded.

Careers

Graduates work in fields where knowledge of a region and research skills count. NYU states that graduates of its master's go on to careers in public service, international and regional nonprofit organisations, cultural institutions, international business, law, media and education. Berkeley reports that most graduates of its PhD have obtained university teaching positions.

Archaeology is a small profession. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, anthropologists and archaeologists held about 10,200 jobs in the United States in 2025, typically need at least a master's degree, and their employment is projected to grow 6 percent from 2025 to 2035.

Frequently asked questions

Is Mediterranean studies a degree in its own right?

Rarely. It is usually a track or a set of courses inside classics, history, archaeology or European studies, and a few universities offer a master's or a PhD with "Mediterranean" in the title.

Which languages do I need for Mediterranean studies?

It depends on the period. Programmes on antiquity work with Greek and Latin, and programmes on the modern region with Arabic or the modern languages of the Mediterranean countries. The language of instruction is English in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Can I study the ancient Mediterranean online?

Yes. The Máster universitario en Mediterráneo Antiguo of the UOC, the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and the Universidad de Alcalá is an official master's of 60 ECTS credits taught fully online in Spanish and Catalan.

What jobs follow a degree in Mediterranean studies?

Universities name public service, nonprofit organisations, cultural institutions, media, education and university teaching. Work as an archaeologist typically requires at least a master's degree.