Degree Programs
Graduate students are admitted for the fall semester only. Please carefully review the details concerning the annual December 15th application deadline, our programs, and admissions requirements. Most applicants are notified about admissions decisions in February and March of the following year. Graduate courses are not offered online, and all degree programs must be completed on campus.
Applications for Fall 2024 admissions have closed. Check back in September for applications for admission in Fall 2025.
Ph.D. Program in Middle Eastern Languages & Cultures
The Ph.D. program in Middle Eastern Languages & Cultures (MELC) is offered through the Department of Middle Eastern Studies.
Hebrew Bible / Ancient Near East Track
The HB/ANE track is designed to immerse students in the critical, academic study of the Hebrew Bible in its ancient Near Eastern context.
Middle Eastern Literatures and Cultures Track
This track provides graduate students with comprehensive and in-depth training in Middle Eastern literary and cultural production. The course of study is engaged within and across national and linguistic boundaries, disciplines, genres, and historical periods. Students are trained in comparative and theoretical approaches to literature, film, and media.
Middle Eastern History Track
The Middle Eastern History track provides students with training in the discipline of History, with a geographic focus on the Middle East region, with the primary goal of training Ph.D.s for academic jobs in history programs.
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The doctoral program in Islamic Studies at UT Austin provides in-depth multidisciplinary training in the study of Islam coupled with a strong grounding in languages and theoretical approaches in religious studies.
Linguistics Track
For those interested in linguistics, this track offers courses in theoretical linguistics. Theoretical interests of faculty include comparative Semitics, dialectology, historical linguistics, language contact, second language acquisition, sociolinguistics, and syntax.
Master's Program in Middle Eastern Studies
The MA in Middle Eastern Studies (MES) is offered through the Center for Middle Eastern Studies. The MA in MES is an interdisciplinary academic degree designed to broaden and deepen the student’s knowledge of the languages and cultures of the Middle East.
Middle Eastern Studies
Our MA program sustains a consistent level of attention to the breadth of the study of the Middle East. Ensuring breadth in the MES graduate curriculum, faculty consistently offer courses in their respective areas of expertise in relation to the Middle East region. Their courses originate in diverse fields, including art history, Asian studies, history, sociology, government, anthropology, and religious studies.
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Dual Master's Programs
MA Middle Eastern Studies / MA Global Policy
The Center for Middle Eastern Studies and the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs offer a dual degree program leading to two graduate degrees, the Master of Global Policy Studies (MGPS) degree and the Master of Arts (MA) in Middle Eastern Studies. The dual-degree combines advanced studies of globalization with a focus on the politics, history, economy, and cultures of the Middle East.
Learn MoreMA Middle Eastern Studies / MPAff
The Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs and the Center for Middle Eastern Studies offer a joint program leading to the Master of Public Affairs and the Master of Arts in Middle Eastern Studies. The program combines advanced policy studies with interdisciplinary area studies, responding to an increased need in both public and private sectors for policy specialists with a thorough understanding of the economics, geography, history, and culture of the Middle East and North Africa.
Learn MoreMA Middle Eastern Studies / MA Journalism and Media
The School of Journalism and Media in the Moody College of Communication and the Center for Middle Eastern Studies offer joint programs leading to the Master of Arts in Journalism and Media and the Master of Arts in Middle Eastern Studies. This program combines advanced communication studies with interdisciplinary area studies and language courses. It responds to the increasing need for communication specialists with a thorough understanding of the culture, economics, geography, history, and politics of the Middle East and North Africa.
Learn MoreMA Middle Eastern Studies / MS Information Studies
In conjunction with the School of Information, we offer a program in which a student can work toward the joint degrees of Master of Science in Information Studies and Master of Arts in Middle Eastern Studies in three academic years. The goal of this program is to train professionals who combine library and information expertise with an understanding of the cultures and societies of the Middle East and North Africa and Middle Eastern language skills.
MA Middle Eastern Studies / JD
The program combines the study of law with interdisciplinary area studies and language courses. It responds to the increased need in both the public and private sectors for legal specialists with a thorough understanding of the economics, geography, history, politics, and culture of the Middle East and North Africa.
Learn MoreMA Middle Eastern Studies / MBA
In conjunction with The McCombs School of Business, the Center for Middle Eastern Studies offers a program where a student can earn simultaneously the Master of Business Administration (MBA) and the Master of Arts in Middle Eastern Studies in three academic years. Individually designed curricula include MBA core courses and electives and courses on the Middle East. The program is intended to provide qualified students with the skills and perspectives to work effectively in business related to or in the Middle East.
Learn MoreMA Middle Eastern Studies / MA Media Studies
The Department of Radio-Television-Film and the Center for Middle Eastern Studies offer joint programs leading to the Master of Arts in Media Studies and the Master of Arts in Middle Eastern Studies. This program combines advanced media studies with interdisciplinary area studies and language courses.
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