Please note: Students enrolled since Fall 2006 or earlier may choose to follow the program's old guidelines.

Graduate Studies

The graduate program focuses on the period from the 19th century until the present, and addresses issues of religion, ecology, history, economy, law, society, polity, gender, and culture. Given the geographical location of Cairo, the program as a whole concentrates on the Arab region. Ten courses are needed for the degree. Students should take the six required courses and either four additional courses and sit for the final comprehensive exams, or two additional courses and complete thesis work (two courses).

Admission Requirements

Applicants for admission should have an undergraduate degree of high standing (B grade or higher). Prerequisites are often assigned depending on the individual student’s academic background. The program is designed to meet the needs of professionals who need in-depth knowledge of the modern Middle East.

Language

The equivalent of one year of Arabic study (ALNG 101 and 102 in the 2006-07 AUC catalog) is required for full admission to the MA program in Middle East Studies.

Students who have not reached this level of Arabic and meet all other admission requirements will be granted provisional admission. They may study Arabic at AUC or at any other institution in Egypt or anywhere else. We strongly encourage such students to take a summer of intensive Arabic at AUC, if places are available in the program, or at another institution in Cairo. Among the schools with such courses in Cairo are: The International Language Institute, Kalimat, Cordoba, and Dar Carbone.

The required level of proficiency to obtain an MA in Middle East Studies is equivalent to a level of 2.5 out of 5 on the US Foreign Service Institute exam. A proficiency examination will be administered by the Arabic Language Institute. Those expecting to write an MA thesis are strongly advised to attain this level of proficiency before beginning their thesis in order to be able to use Arabic sources.

Students who have not yet attained the required level of proficiency in Arabic will take an Arabic placement test before beginning their first fall semester. The test is administered by the Arabic Language Institute. Mr. Mahmoud Sami Moussa is the person to contact there (or anyone else authorized to administer the test). Students will be assigned to an Arabic class on the basis of this test.

If students who were admitted provisionally place beyond Arabic 102 (i.e. into Arabic 103 or above) at the beginning of the fall semester and they have no other prerequisites to fulfill, then they will be granted full admission to the MA program. If they must fulfill other prerequisites in addition to Arabic, these must be completed before they are granted full admission to the MA program.

Unless students have already reached the required level of proficiency, they will be placed in appropriate courses and take Arabic language courses every fall and spring semester (and summer and/or winter if necessary) in addition to their regular academic courses until they reach the required level of reading, writing, oral comprehension, and speaking of Modern Standard Arabic.

Another Middle Eastern language (Turkish, Persian, etc.) may be substituted for Arabic if a student can demonstrate proficiency at a comparable level and if the substitute language is justified by a student’s course of study. Students will nonetheless be required to study Arabic.

Students with only one year of Arabic before entering the program should expect to take an intensive (6 credit) Arabic class during one of the semesters of their MA program or a winter or summer intensive course in order to reach the required level of proficiency if they expect to obtain their degrees in two years. Students who enter the program with two years of Arabic and take a summer of intensive Arabic may be able to finish their degrees in one and a half years.

Required Courses

Ten courses are required for the MA degree (eight for those who choose to write an MA thesis and enroll in MEST 598 and 599).

The following two courses are required:

Students must choose three of the following eight core courses.

The other five courses (or three for thesis writers) may be selected from 400 or 500 level courses in Anthropology/Sociology, Arabic Studies, Economics, Gender and Women’s Studies, History, Law, and Political Science. No more than two 400 level courses may be counted towards the degree and only one course originally at the 400 level but for which requirements are added to raise it to the 500 level may be applied towards the degree. Students must consult with their advisor to ensure an adequate coverage of social science and history.

Comprehensive Examinations

In addition to the five courses required, student choosing to sit for comprehensive examination must take five additional elective courses with a maximum of two courses at the 400-level. Students register for MEST 588 in the final semester of study. At the completion of all course requirements an interdisciplinary committee examining board administers an examination. An oral exam will be given immediately following the written test.

Please refer to the MES Comprehensives Guidelines:
Students enrolled since Fall 2006 or earlier
Students beginning in Fall 2007 or later (pages 4-6 of "Information for MA Students")

Thesis

Students opting to do a thesis must register for an additional three courses from those listed in addition to the required elective courses, with a maximum of one course at the 400-level. While working on a thesis, usually in the second year of study, students register for a MEST 599, a non-credit thesis course. These students must complete a thesis in accordance with university regulations. Before commencing work on a thesis, the student must have a thesis proposal approved by three faculty members.

Note: If you plan on doing a thesis and graduating within two years (4 semesters), it is highly recommended that you begin working on your thesis preparations by the end of your second semester in order to provide sufficient time to write your thesis.

For details on the M.A. Thesis please refer to the
MES Thesis Guidelines:
Students enrolled since Fall 2006 or earlier
Students beginning in Fall 2007 or later (pages 3-4 of "Information for MA Students")

Please also read the Thesis Proposal Guidelines.