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.)
• The Roshan GIDP reviewers may ask for a virtual interview during the application review process.

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) The GRE has been made optional for the 2020 application process because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Other Graduate College Information/Requirements

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

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

 

Standardized Tests

Required test(s):
TOEFL for International Students

Minimum TOEFL: TOEFL score of 550 (213 CBT; 80 IBT)

 

Funding Opportunities

The Graduate Interdisciplinary Program in Persian and Iranian Studies 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 (due second Monday in February, 4:00 p.m.)
• Winter TAs (due first Monday in October, 4:00 p.m.)
• 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

Domestic Applicants:

• Fall: January 31st

  *Applications must be paid for and submitted by the close of business on January 31st . 

International Applicants:

• Fall: January 31st

  *Applications must be paid for and submitted by the close of business on January 31st. 

 

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

30 

Core Coursework Requirements

The MA in Persian and Iranian Studies will consist of 30 units of coursework that will include 15 units of required core courses, one research methods course (3 units), one to three elective courses (3-9 units), a Master’s Thesis (3-6 units) in the final semester(s), and a second-year Persian language proficiency, which may include taking 6 units in Persian language courses.

 

Core Courses (15 units total):

• MENA/GWS 563 — Gender Issues and Women's Literature in the Middle East
• PRS/MENA 571 — Iranian Cinema, Gender Issues, and Social Change
• PRS/MENA/ANTH 532 — Iranian Culture and Society
• MENA 580 — The Middle East in the Twentieth Century
• MENA 595D — Middle East

Method options (choose 1; 3 units total):

• ANTH 609 — Mixed Methods in Applied Anthropology
• ENGL 596B — Studies in Colonial and Post-Colonial Literature and Theory
• ENGL 596L — Theories in Criticism
• HIST 695K — Historiography
• LING 503 — Foundation of Syntactic Theory
• LING 696A — Topics in Syntactic Theory
• MENA 530A — Language and Society in the Middle East
• MENA 596S — Colonialism and the Critique of Modernity
• MENA 696J — Ethnography of the Middle East: Issues and Methods

Thesis Research (3-6 units total): 

• PRS 910 — Thesis

 

Elective Coursework

Electives Options (choose 1-3; 3-9* units total). Electives should be chosen in consolatation with the major advisor. They may involve methedological training in any department, or further courses directly related to Iran, the Persianate world, or the Middle East. Below is a list of possible elective courses (all 3 units unless otherwise noted); other courses may be used as electives with approval from the Director of Graduate Studies.

Academic Organization: Anthropology

• ANTH 609- Mixed Methods in Applied Anthropology

Academic Organization: English

• ENGL 596B- Studies in Colonial and Post-Colonial Literature and Theory.
• ENGL 596L- Theories of Criticism

Academic Organization: History

• HIST 545- Women in Islamic History
• HIST 573- History of Modern India and Pakistan: 1750-Present
• HIST 577- Comparative History of World Revolutions
• HIST 585A- History of the Iranian Plateau: Authority, Religion, and Literature, 633-1501
• HIST 585B- Social, Cultural and Political History of Iranian Plateau: 7th Century – Present
• HIST 595E- Struggle and Survival: Modern Mid East and North Africa, c. 1850 – Present
• HIST 695K- Historiography

Academic Organization: Linguistics

• LING 503- Foundation of Syntactic Theory
• LING 696A- Topics in Syntactic Theory

Academic Organization: Middle East and North African Studies

• MENA 503- Art and Architecture of the Islamic World
• MENA 508A- Islamic Movements in the Contemporary Muslim World
• MENA 530A- Language and Society in the Middle East
• MENA 544- Islamic Mysticism
• MENA 596H- Shi'ism
• MENA 596S- Colonialism and the Critique of Modernity
• MENA 696J- Ethnography of the Middle East: Issues and Methods

Academic Organization: Persian

• PRS 599- Independent Study (1-6 units)
• PRS 699- Independent Study (1-3 units)

Academic Organization: SLAT

• SLAT  587 - Assessment in Second/Foreign Language Learning
• SLAT  615 - Second Language Acquisition Theory

 

Additional Requirements

Language Proficiency: Minimum of Second Year Proficiency in Persian (complete proficiency assessment or take these 2 courses; 0-6 units total):

• PRS 401 — Intermediate Persian 1
• PRS 402 — Intermediate Persian 2

 

Student Handbook

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

 

Program StatisticsInformation about these numbers

Program-level Information
Application Acceptance Rate	50%
Med. Time-to-degree (years)	n/a
Department-level Information
Enrollment Percent Male	n/a
Enrollment Percent Female	n/a
Enrollment Percent International	n/a
Enrollment Percent URM	n/a

---