​Known as much for producing discourse-shaping research as for its warm and supportive atmosphere, the Department of Middle East Studies welcomes students of all backgrounds who seek a superb academic foundation in the history, cultures, and conflicts of the region and who wish to experience its richness and complexity firsthand. Featuring an inter-disciplinary approach that combines the humanities and social sciences and an expert yet accessible faculty, the department is committed to turning students into scholars who can contribute to a deeper understanding of this fascinating part of the world.​

The department is also positioned at the forefront of an emerging revolution in Arabic-language studies, designed to grant an authentic and unmediated window onto the societies of the modern Middle East. Through its intensive “Arabic in Arabic" program, students trade passive instruction in grammar and syntax for active tutorials with native speakers in reading, writing, and spoken Arabic. Additional languages offered by the department are Persian, Turkish, and Hebrew.

Thanks to their deep and nuanced knowledge and advanced abilities in writing and research, our graduates are frequently accepted to doctoral and post-doctoral programs at the leading departments of Middle East studies in Israel, Europe, Canada, and the United States, as well as to faculty positions at these institutions. Graduates who wish to apply their skills and expertise to the professional realm also find fulfilling and influential careers in government, business, the nonprofit sector, and journalism.

Learn more about the department's master's program and Ph.D. studies​ >>