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Program Description
The doctoral program of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies provides training in fields relating to the history, cultures, languages, literatures and religions of the Middle East, focusing on the period from the rise of Islam to the present. Members of the department are drawn from different disciplines and specializations (including history, anthropology, literature, Islamic studies, language instruction, sociology, and political science) and are committed to providing students with a solid disciplinary grounding; at the same time, the department fosters innovative interdisciplinary and comparative approaches to the study of the Middle East. Several of the department’s faculty have joint appointments with other academic units at NYU.
MEIS offers a program of coursework and supervised research leading to the doctorate in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies. Students in the MEIS doctoral program concentrate their studies in one of three tracks: Islamic Studies, Literature or Culture and Representation. In collaboration with the History Department, department also offers a Joint PhD Program in History and Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies. MEIS seeks prospective graduate students who are academically well-prepared and strongly committed to pursuing the PhD; as noted above, it has no MA program and does not offer that degree. Students who are interested in obtaining the MA. should apply to the Kevorkian Center’s Program in Near Eastern Studies, which offers a terminal MA in Near Eastern Studies.
Dual Degree
The Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies Department offers a dual degree with the NYU School of Law: Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies PhD/Law JD.
See Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies for admission requirements and instructions specific to this program.
Admissions
All applicants to the Graduate School of Arts and Science (GSAS) are required to submit the general application requirements, which include:
See Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies for admission requirements and instructions specific to this program.
Program Requirements
Students must complete 72 credits of graduate course work, including at least three graduate seminars and Problems and Methods in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, MEIS-GA 1687 Prob & Meth in Mideast Studies.
As early as possible in their graduate studies, students should choose two major fields and begin focusing their studies on them. Subject to the availability of faculty, major fields may include Islamic studies; classical Arabic language and literature; modern Arabic language and literature; Persian language and literature; and Turkish language and literature.
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| MEIS-GA 1687 | Prob & Meth in Mideast Studies | 4 |
| |
| 68 |
| Total Credits | 72 |
Additional Program Requirements
For PhD Students without an MA
Students who enter the department’s PhD program without an MA must complete either a thesis or (with your advisor’s approval) two seminar papers. This work is normally completed by the end of a student’s second year of full-time study. Such students may register for a maximum of 4 credits of Thesis Research, to free them from regular coursework so that they can implement their research project or write their seminar papers.
Written Comprehensive Exams I and II
By the end of their third year of graduate study, students should have taken and passed a written comprehensive examination in each of their two major fields. Students prepare for these examinations by course work and by working through a reading list for each field under the supervision of the faculty member who will examine them; each examination will have a second reader as well. Each written comprehensive examination will be followed by an oral examination, administered by the two readers. Students who do not pass a major field examination may petition the department for permission to take it one more time.
Language Requirements
Students must also demonstrate proficiency in one of Arabic, Persian, or Turkish as well as a reading knowledge sufficient for research purposes of at least one European language. A student may be required by his or her dissertation adviser to learn additional languages, in keeping with the student’s specific research needs.
Dissertation Prospectus Defense
You may defend your dissertation proposal after you have completed all coursework (including all Incompletes), fulfilled your language requirements and passed your comprehensive exams. The three faculty members conducting the dissertation proposal defense may approve the proposal outright, require revisions or reject the proposal, as they see fit. Once you have successfully defended your proposal you will be considered to have attained ABD status and may be granted the MPhil degree.
Dissertation
After completing the major field requirements, the student should formulate a dissertation proposal, in consultation with his or her primary dissertation adviser as well as the faculty members on the student’s dissertation committee. On completion of all course work and the fulfillment of all language requirements, the student must successfully defend the dissertation proposal, with the student’s adviser and two other faculty members serving as examiners. The completed dissertation must conform to departmental and Graduate School of Arts and Science standards, be read and approved by the student’s supervisor and two other faculty members, and be defended in a public oral defense in which those three readers and two additional examiners participate.
Sample Plan of Study
Plan of Study Grid
| 1st Semester/Term |
|---|
| MEIS-GA 1687 |
Prob & Meth in Mideast Studies |
4 |
| |
4 |
| |
4 |
| | Credits | 12 |
| 2nd Semester/Term |
|---|
| |
4 |
| |
4 |
| |
4 |
| | Credits | 12 |
| 3rd Semester/Term |
|---|
| |
4 |
| |
4 |
| |
4 |
| | Credits | 12 |
| 4th Semester/Term |
|---|
| |
4 |
| |
4 |
| |
4 |
| | Credits | 12 |
| 5th Semester/Term |
|---|
| |
4 |
| |
4 |
| |
4 |
| | Credits | 12 |
| 6th Semester/Term |
|---|
| |
4 |
| |
4 |
| |
4 |
| | Credits | 12 |
| | Total Credits | 72 |
Following completion of the required coursework for the PhD, students are expected to maintain active status at New York University by enrolling in a research/writing course or a Maintain Matriculation (MAINT-GA 4747) course. All non-course requirements must be fulfilled prior to degree conferral, although the specific timing of completion may vary from student-to-student.
Additional Program Requirements
Written Comprehensive Exams I and II
By the end of their third year of graduate study, students should have taken and passed a written comprehensive examination in each of their two major fields. Students prepare for these examinations by course work and by working through a reading list for each field under the supervision of the faculty member who will examine them; each examination will have a second reader as well. Each written comprehensive examination will be followed by an oral examination, administered by the two readers. Students who do not pass a major field examination may petition the department for permission to take it one more time.
Language Requirements
Students must also demonstrate proficiency in one of Arabic, Persian, or Turkish as well as a reading knowledge sufficient for research purposes of at least one European language. A student may be required by his or her dissertation adviser to learn additional languages, in keeping with the student’s specific research needs.
Dissertation
After completing the major field requirements, the student should formulate a dissertation proposal, in consultation with his or her primary dissertation adviser as well as the faculty members on the student’s dissertation committee. On completion of all course work and the fulfillment of all language requirements, the student must successfully defend the dissertation proposal, with the student’s adviser and two other faculty members serving as examiners. The completed dissertation must conform to departmental and Graduate School of Arts and Science standards, be read and approved by the student’s supervisor and two other faculty members, and be defended in a public oral defense in which those three readers and two additional examiners participate.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will have acquired:
- The ability to make a significant and original contribution to the field.
- Proficiency in one or more of the disciplinary perspectives offered in the department, and in the theories and methods of inquiry associated with that discipline.
- Proficiency in the language(s) relevant to the student's specific area of inquiry.
- Ability to produce written work of publishable quality based on the standards of the discipline.
- Proficiency in basic pedagogical approaches and classroom techniques appropriate to the field.
Policies
NYU Policies
University-wide policies can be found on the New York University Policy pages.
Graduate School of Arts and Science Policies
Academic Policies for the Graduate School of Arts and Science can be found on the Academic Policies page.