General Information

Request Information

Admissions Information

Admissions Requirements

School Requirements

NOTE: Graduate applications can now be done entirely online

All documents, including the following may be uploaded:

• Transcripts from all colleges and universities attended
• 3 Letters of recommendation from academic references preferable. Note: recommenders will be required to upload their letters through the graduate college website. Instructions on how this works are provided within the online application process- we do not have a recommendation form.
• Statement of purpose
• Curriculum Vitae/Resume
• Writing Sample (term paper, chapter of thesis, etc.)

MINIMUM Requirements

• GPA 3.0 on undergraduate or M.A. degree (cumulative GPA or last 60 semester units if your undergraduate GPA is lower than 3.0 cumulative; graduate GPA taken will be cumulative only)
• GRE – UA code is 4832.  Use school code 2201 (area studies), or 2299 (social sciences, other) This is required for both domestic and international students.

Other Graduate College Information/Requirements

Phone: (520) 621-3471 | Email Graduate College Questions: OnlineAppHelp@grad.arizona.edu

• Graduate College Online Application Submission
• $85 Application Fee Due at time of Submission
• Domicile Affidavit

 

 

Standardized Tests

Required test(s):
TOEFL for International Students, Minimum TOEFL score of 550 (213 CBT; 80 IBT)

GPA 3.0 on undergraduate or M.A. degree (cumulative GPA or last 60 semester units if your undergraduate GPA is lower than 3.0 cumulative; graduate GPA taken will be cumulative only)

 

 

Funding Opportunities

The School of Middle East and North African Studies (MENAS) awards financial aid on a competitive basis. Meritorious factors include demonstrated excellence in academics including GPA, progress in the program (for current students), test scores (for incoming students), publication, and professional experience such as a previous assistantship or other Middle East-related experience. Most funding is awarded in the fall for the academic year, therefore students entering the program in the spring have a minimal opportunity for departmental support. Many of our students also receive academic year and summer FLAS (Foreign Language Area Studies) scholarships through the Center for Middle Eastern Studies (CMES). Comprehensive information on FLAS awards may be obtained by visiting the CMES web site. Listed below are the types of financial aid awarded by the Department.

Complete only ONE Financial Aid Application (due first Monday in Feb) to request the following types of support:

• Teaching Assistantships (TAs)
• Tuition and Registration Scholarships
• Graduate College Fellowships (normally for incoming students only)

The following awards require separate applications:

• Foreign Language and Area Studies Award
• Study Abroad
• Roshan Fellowships in Persian and Iranian Studies (due first Monday in February)
• Summer TAs 
• Winter TAs 
• Travel Award: Travel Authorization Form (ongoing: students may request awards for conferences in which they are presenting or participating)
• Thesis/Dissertation Tuition Waiver

 

Admissions Deadlines

Applicants must be registered in the MENAS BA in their Junior year of the program.

• Application Deadline Fall: April 1st

  *Applications must be paid for and submitted by the close of business on April 1st. 

 

 

International Conditional Admission

International applicants will not be considered for conditional admission by this program.

Other Information

The GRE Institution Code for The University of Arizona is 4832

Completion Requirements

Minimum Credit Units

33 

Core Coursework Requirements

Students admitted into the MENAS AMP will be able to complete a BA and MA (Professional Track) in five years.  Students in the AMP will be required to complete 33 units of coursework, 12 of which may also be applied to a BA in MENAS. 

 

NOTE: The AMP option is only available to students on the Professional Track. Students who wish to be on the Academic Track and write an MA Thesis should apply to the regular MENAS MA program.

 

Students seeking to enroll in the AMP are required to take the following steps during their undergraduate career:

1. By April 1st of junior year: Apply for the MENAS AMP. In order to apply, students must:
   1. Meet the Admission Requirements established by the Graduate College.
   2.  Submit a transcript, writing sample, statement of purpose, and at least two letters of recommendation from professors with whom they have studied. At least one letter of recommendation must be a core MENAS faculty member.
   3. Students meeting these requirements will receive conditional admission into the AMP.
2. Fall semester of senior year: take MENA 595D and one 500-level MENA Core Requirement course. (Students admitted into the AMP are not required to take the GRE.)
3. End of fall semester of senior year: be evaluated by MENAS Graduate Committee for final admission into AMP.
4. Spring semester of senior year: take two 500-level MENAS Core Requirement courses.
5. By end of spring semester of senior year: Assemble departmental paper committee.

 

When students begin their graduate (fifth) year, they should have completed MENA 595D and the three MENAS Core Requirement courses (in History, Islamic Studies, and Gender/Culture). They will then have 21 units left to complete during their year of graduate study, including the units for their concentration and their departmental paper. The graduate committee recommends that students take 12 units during their fall semester and nine units during their spring semester.

 

General/Pre-Professional Track

The track in General Middle East Studies is designed for students seeking to develop the language and analytical skills necessary for advancement in non-academic careers in government, NGOs, and business, as well as a solid understanding of the modern Middle East.  It is tailored for students who do not plan on pursuing a Ph.D. after their completion of the MA in Middle Eastern  and North African Studies.

Students must complete a minimum of 33 units.  The final departmental paper counts as 3 units (MENA 909).

Students must achieve 2nd year language proficiency in Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, or Turkish. Second-year language proficiency is achieved by successfully completing four semesters of the focus language. Students whose focus language is Arabic may alternatively enroll in 3 semesters of Modern Standard Arabic plus one sequence (two semesters) of an Arabic dialect (Egyptian, Levantine, or Moroccan).  The dialect units may not be applied to the total requisite sum of 33 units for the degree if they are being used to fulfill the language requirement.

The student’s departmental paper advisor will approve the appropriate subject matter of his or her paper. The paper must include research that utilizes primary sources, these sources can be in a western language. Subject matter should reflect an issue raised in the secondary literature and can be addressed to educated non-specialists. An appropriate departmental paper length is 35-50 pages.  Students are responsible for scheduling with their committee a final oral exam on their cumulative coursework in the M.A. program.

Concentrations

Choose from seven basic concentrations:

• Middle Eastern Literatures (Arabic, Persian, Turkish)
• Islamic Studies
• Gender and Society in the Middle East
• Linguistics of Middle Eastern Languages
• History of the Middle East
• Middle East Conflict Studies
• Topics in Middle Eastern Studies. (This option allows students to create a self-designed concentration with the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies).

 

Elective Coursework

Possible Courses for MENAS MA (all courses listed below are 3 units unless otherwise noted):

• MENA 508A - Islamic Movements in the Contemporary Muslim World
• MENA 517A - North African Societies - History, Culture, & Politics
• MENA 518 - Historiography: The Annals of the Arab Israeli Conflict
• MENA 530A - Language and Society in the Middle East
• MENA 532 - Iranian Culture and Society
• MENA 544 - Islamic Mysticism
• MENA 550 - Arabic Language Variation: Linguistic Analysis, Diglossia and Ideology in Multiple Genres
• MENA 559A - Turkey: Culture, Power, and History
• MENA 563 - Gender Issues and Women's Literature in the Middle East
• MENA 571 - Iranian Cinema, Gender Issues, and Social Change
• MENA 575 - Kingship in Medieval Islamic Iran
• MENA 579 - The Ottoman Empire to 1800
• MENA 580 - The Middle East in the Twentieth Century
• MENA 581 - Medicine & Power in the Middle East
• MENA 584 - History of the Arab-Israeli Conflict, 1800 to Present
• MENA 585A - History of the Iranian Plateau: Authority, Religion, and Literature, 633-1501
• MENA 590 - Women in Middle Eastern Society
• MENA 593 - Internship (1-6 units)
• MENA 595D - Middle East
• MENA 595E - Struggle and Survival: Modern Mid East and North Africa, c. 1850 - Present
• MENA 596B - Special Topics in Middle Eastern and North African Studies
• MENA 596C - The Literature of Identity in the Modern Middle East
• MENA 596D - The Late Ottoman Empire
• MENA 596E - Marxism and the Middle East
• MENA 596H - Shi'ism
• MENA 596Q - Qur'anic Studies
• MENA 596S - Colonialism and the Critique of Modernity
• MENA 599 - Independent Study (1-6 units)
• MENA 696J - Ethnography of the Middle East: Issues and Methods
• MENA 696Y - Nationalism and Islam
• MENA 699 - Independent Study (1-6 units)

 

Additional Requirements

Language Requirements:

• Pre-Professional/General Track - Students must achieve 2nd year language proficiency in Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, or Turkish.  Dialect courses do not count towards fulfilling this requirement.

 

Student Handbook

Please refer to the Graduate Student Handbook for students who are pursuing this program of study.

 

Additional Information

This is an Accelerated Master's Program (AMP).

The Graduate College offers exceptional undergraduate students in selected majors the opportunity to earn both a bachelor's degree and master's degree in as few as 5 years. The Accelerated Master's Program is for the top undergraduates in participating majors who plan to continue in a graduate program in the same, or closely related, UA discipline.

Programs will select from among a qualified pool, based on the following criteria. Individual programs may have more stringent or additional requirements:

• Completion of a minimum of 75 undergraduate credit hours will be required at the time of application; a minimum of 90 undergraduate credit hours will be required at the time of entry into the AMP. If the student's GPA falls below 3.30 at the time s/he has completed 90 units, the student will not be admitted into the program. Courses taken for audit may not be included in the total number of units counted for eligibility or admission.
• Completion of at least 12 earned units of undergraduate course work in the major at the UA.
• Units still graded Incomplete, units graded Pass/Fail or units taken as audit will not count toward the requirement of the 12 undergraduate units in the major.
• Completion or near completion of general education requirements.
• Submission of a graduate application and payment of a graduate application fee.
• Demonstration of the maturity necessary for success in an accelerated, highly competitive program.
• Expectation to complete the undergraduate degree within four years. The undergraduate degree requirements must be completed before the student is eligible to have the Master's degree awarded.
• Interested students should verify departmental requirements as they may have additional or more stringent requirements than the Graduate College minimum requirements.

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