Degree Requirements

The Center for Middle Eastern Studies offers an interdisciplinary Master of Arts program especially suitable for students considering an academic career yet who have not had the appropriate academic background for direct entrance into a doctoral program. It is also designed for students who wish to use their knowledge of the Middle East in careers other than university teaching and research. Students are admitted to the Master of Arts program in the Division of the Humanities. Language and area studies preparation may be supplemented by relevant course work in one or more departments or professional schools across the university—most commonly in the divisions of the Humanities, the Social Sciences, and the Divinity School. Students who enrolled through the Social Sciences Division before 2024 will receive their degree from that division.

There are three tracks for the MA program in Middle Eastern Studies: Ancient, Modern, and Human Rights. The ancient track, offered in collaboration with the faculty of the Department of Middle Eastern Studies, focuses on the cultures and languages of the ancient Near East. The modern program covers the history, politics, and cultures of the region from the rise of Islam until the present. The human rights track, offered in collaboration with faculty at the Pozen Center for Human Rights, combines training in the history, politics, and cultures of the Middle East with theoretical and practical training in human rights work. The application process, degree requirements, and the rules and conditions for financial aid are similar for all three tracks.

Ancient Track

The requirements are satisfactory completion of:

• Six quarters of the same ancient Middle Eastern language
• One quarter core colloquium: Approaches to the Study of the Ancient Near East
• Three survey courses in the History, Archaeology and Cultures of the Ancient Near East (see below under “Core Courses”)
• Eight courses in relevant electives
• A master’s thesis 

Modern Track 

The requirements are satisfactory completion of:

• Six quarters of the same modern Middle Eastern language
• One quarter core colloquium: Approaches to the Study of the Middle East
• Two History courses selected from an approved list (a list will be made available at the beginning of each academic year)
• Nine courses in relevant electives
• A master’s thesis 

Human Rights Track 

The requirements are satisfactory completion of:

• One quarter core colloquium: Approaches to the Study of the Middle East
• One quarter International Human Rights Law and Practice
• One quarter in human rights method (Human Rights Fieldwork, Human Rights Ethnographic Methods, or similar)
• Two History courses selected from an approved list (a list will be made available at the beginning of each academic year)
• One year of the same Middle Eastern language (3 courses)
• Four additional courses in human rights
• Six electives in Middle Eastern studies
• An optional quarter-long internship, ideally to be completed over the summer
• A master’s thesis or reflection on experiential internship 

For all tracks, only courses taken for a quality grade count toward fulfilling the requirements. No P or R grades will be accepted. CMES students are not allowed to audit any courses. A grade in any course lower than a C will not earn credit and will thus require that the student take at their own expense a substitute course. 

Elective courses may concentrate on one area or explore several of the fields of ancient or modern Middle Eastern studies through related disciplines such as Anthropology, Archaeology, Art History, Classics, History, Linguistics, Literature, Political Science, and Sociology.

Typical Two-Year Program in the Ancient Track

Typical Two-Year Program in the Modern Track

Typical Two-Year Program in the Human Rights Track

Placement interviews will be given so that entering students may register for courses at the appropriate level of instruction. The languages offered include: Akkadian, Arabic, Armenian, Egyptian (Ancient), Hebrew (classical and modern), Hittite, Persian, Sumerian, Turkish, and Uzbek.

For the modern track MA, all students are required to take the core colloquium Approaches to the Study of the Middle East (CMES 30001). Students must enroll in two History courses from an approved list.

For the ancient track MA, students are required to take the core colloquium Approaches to the Study of the Ancient Near East and must enroll in at least three survey courses in the History, Archaeology and Cultures of the Ancient Near East, covering at least three different geographic areas (Egypt and Nubia; Mesopotamia; Anatolia; the Levant; Iran; etc.). Relevant courses are listed on the website of the Department of Middle Eastern Studies at the beginning of each academic year. These courses should be chosen in consultation with the Faculty Advisor for the CMES Ancient Track MA.

For the human rights track MA, students are required to take the core colloquium Approaches to the Study of the Middle East (CMES 30001), as well as International Human Rights Law and Practice and one quarter-length course in human rights method (Human Rights Fieldwork, Human Rights Ethnographic Methods, or similar). Students must also enroll in two History courses chosen from an approved list.

Students are required to submit a master’s thesis focusing on a problem relevant to the student’s intended career and should give evidence of the specialized disciplinary aspects of their training. For the human rights track, students have the option of writing a shorter reflection paper on their experiential human rights internship (see below).

The student’s program adviser and a faculty member with special interest in the subject of the paper will guide the research and writing of the paper and judge whether it exhibits proof of competence in the field. During the writing of the paper, the student may register for a thesis preparation or reading and research course. Three lecturer-preceptors also provide support and counselling at various stages of this process. The thesis title will be listed on the student’s transcript.

Students in the Human Rights Track have the option of a quarter-long internship with a human rights organization, clinic, legal office, or NGO. Students are encouraged to work with UChicagoGRAD to help with placements. This work is ideally to be completed over the summer after the first year in the program.