Graduate Degree Program Description

Master Of Arts, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures

The M.A. program in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures (NELC) offers study in some of the world’s richest languages, literatures, and cultural traditions including Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, and Turkish, as well as a number of ancient Near Eastern languages, among them Aramaic, Biblical Hebrew, and Ugaritic. The curriculum is rigorous but flexible, preparing students for professional employment in business, education, or government, or for the pursuit of doctoral work involving NELC languages in the study of the dynamically changing societies of the Near East. Students may specialize in one NELC language or in two coherently combined NELC languages, in consultation with the faculty advisor.

Requirements for admission:
An undergraduate major in a NELC language or its equivalent---candidates without a B.A. in a NELC language will be expected to address any prerequisite needs within the first four quarters of enrollment. Official scores of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test are also required.

Fields of study:

Classical literature
Medieval literature
Modern literature
Linguistics
Folklore/culture
Critical theory
Comparative Semitics

Program description:

For M.A. candidates studying one NELC language:
1. 30 credit hours at the 600 level or above
2. 10 credit hours at the 700 level or above
3. 5 credit hours at the 800 level
4. 10 graduate credit hours of related courses in NELC or allied courses in other departments, to be determined in consultation with the advisor
Total: 55 credit hours
For M.A. candidates studying two NELC languages:

In the first language:
1. 15 credit hours at the 600 level or above
2. 10 credit hours at the 700 level or above
3. 5 credit hours at the 800 level
In the second language:
1. 10 credit hours at the 600 level or above
2. 5 credit hours at the 700 level or above
3. 10 graduate credit hours of related courses in NELC or allied courses in other departments, to be determined in consultation with the advisor
Total: 55 credit hours
Research language requirement: demonstration of reading competence in a language of research related to the student’s academic program.