Studies & Degrees in Middle Eastern Studies
Middle Eastern Studies Study Programs
Middle Eastern studies is an area studies field: it brings several disciplines to bear on one region. Wellesley College describes it as the study of the many facets of Middle Eastern and North African civilisations, including the languages, literature, history, religion, art, societies and politics of the region and its diaspora. The region is defined broadly. Fordham University's programme covers the area from Morocco in the west to Afghanistan in the east and from Turkey in the north to Somalia in the south, from ancient to modern times.
Students combine a regional language with courses in history, politics, religion, anthropology, economics and literature. Arabic is the most common language; Persian, Turkish and Hebrew are also taught. At Wellesley, students who take the major learn Modern Standard Arabic. At Dartmouth College, courses on the history, politics, religion, literature and culture of the region are taught in English, alongside language training in Arabic and Hebrew.
Qualifications and levels
- Major or minor within a bachelor's degree (United States). Most programmes in the United States are a major or a minor inside a liberal arts degree. Fordham University offers an interdisciplinary undergraduate major in Middle Eastern studies, with courses in history, anthropology, political science, art history, economics, religion, philosophy and literature.
- Joint degrees (United Kingdom). At the University of St Andrews, Middle East Studies is not offered as a single Honours degree. It is taken with another subject, such as Arabic, Persian, International Relations or Modern History, in a joint degree that lasts four years full-time and covers 1,500 years, from the rise of Islam to the modern Middle East.
- Bachelor's degrees in Spain. Spanish universities teach the field as Arabic and Islamic studies. An official bachelor's degree (grado) has 240 ECTS credits. The Grado en Estudios Árabes e Islámicos of the Universidad de Salamanca is an official degree of 240 ECTS credits over four academic years, taught in Spanish. The Grado en Estudios Semíticos e Islámicos of the Universidad Complutense de Madrid has 240 credits over four years; students specialise in Arabic or Hebrew, and the Arabic track adds Persian or Turkish.
- Master's degrees and doctorates. Lund University in Sweden offers a two-year Master of Arts in Politics and Society of the Contemporary Middle East of 120 credits, a social-science programme that leads to a Degree of Master of Science with a major in Middle Eastern Studies. At McGill University in Montreal, the Institute of Islamic Studies, founded in 1952, offers undergraduate programmes in World Islamic and Middle East Studies and two MA and two PhD programmes in Islamic Studies.
- Language courses. Intensive Arabic courses in the region are a usual complement. Dar Loughat, a language centre founded in 2004 in Tetouan in northern Morocco, gives intensive courses at all levels of Modern Standard Arabic and Colloquial Moroccan Arabic throughout the year.
Where to study
SpainExchange lists 30 active schools for Middle Eastern studies. The United States has 21 and the United Kingdom five; Canada, Morocco, Sweden and Switzerland have one each. Examples in the United States are The University of Texas at Austin, the University of Michigan, Dartmouth College, Wellesley College, Fordham University, Harvard University and Brown University. In the United Kingdom the list includes the University of St Andrews, The University of Manchester and King's College London. It also includes McGill University, Lund University, the University of Bern and Dar Loughat in Tetouan.
Programmes in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada are taught in English, with the regional languages taught as subjects. The Spanish degrees named above are taught in Spanish and are not in the SpainExchange list for this subject. If a programme is a major, minor or joint degree, ask the school which qualification appears on the diploma.
Careers
The subject does not lead to one regulated profession. According to the University of St Andrews, graduates go on to a wide range of careers open to arts graduates; those who use their regional expertise work in the Middle East with international agencies and educational or welfare organisations, or in the United Kingdom in the diplomatic service, specialist government agencies and journalism on the region. Fordham University names business, media, law firms, governmental and non-governmental bodies, relief and aid agencies and human rights groups as recruiters. These are the universities' own descriptions; none gives employment figures.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to learn Arabic?
In most programmes a regional language is part of the degree. Wellesley College states that students who take the major learn Modern Standard Arabic. Some universities offer Persian, Turkish or Hebrew as alternatives or additions.
How long does a degree take?
The joint degree with Middle East Studies at the University of St Andrews takes four years full-time. The official Spanish degrees in Arabic and Islamic studies have 240 ECTS credits over four years. The master's programme at Lund University takes two years.
Can I study the subject in Spain?
Yes, as Arabic and Islamic studies. The Universidad de Salamanca offers the official Grado en Estudios Árabes e Islámicos, and the Universidad Complutense de Madrid the Grado en Estudios Semíticos e Islámicos, both taught over four years.
Is a stay in the region compulsory?
It depends on the programme. Wellesley College encourages study abroad in the Middle East, North Africa or another Arabic-speaking region but does not require it. St Andrews offers some joint degrees with an integrated year abroad.