TinyUmbrella

Hey Boomah, Many offer funding through FLAS or general scholarships; however, funding is less common for MA candidates (in comparison to PhD candidates). U Chicago is generally great about offering funding. Also, I know several people who have received some sort of funding from UT Austin, Gtown, JHU SAIS, NYU, and GW Elliott. I'm not sure if you're looking into these programs, but I hope this helps. Best of luck.

Hey Fresno, I've heard from the NYU Middle Eastern Studies MA program. I heard about a week back. From my experience, the Kevorkian center faculty (I assume your program is under that dept.) is really friendly and responsive via phone and email. Perhaps you could give them a call. I'm not sure about your program, but I have to accept/decline their offer by March 28 (eek! soon!), so it may be best to give them a call just so you don't have to make a rushed decision super close to the deadline. Best of luck to you!

Awesome to hear--I'm actually in a dilemma myself--perhaps you might be able to help, as a fellow MES applicant strongly considering UT's program. Of the schools I have been accepted to, I am strongly considering UT's MES MA program, NYU's Near Eastern Studies MA program, and Harvard's Middle Eastern Studies MA program through CMES. I am really lucky to have these great options, but I find myself constantly changing my mind on which is the best program for me. I definitely have a modern focus and there are professors at all three schools that mesh well with my proposed thesis research topic. Also, funding isn't an issue for these three programs. Again, I feel really lucky (but also stuck). I think UT probably has the best Arabic program. Also, I've heard there's a great level of cooperation between the students. Plus, Austin would be a great town to be in (less important, but still noteworthy when making a decision). The downside, is the professor I'd work with isn't interested in exactly what I'm interested in (but still in the general scope)--my advising options would be closer to my interests at NYU and Harvard. Based on my conversations with current NYU students, the professors are really accessible and it's very easy to find an advisor. Also, I've heard there are a lot of events on campus from really excellent guest speakers. Harvard has (obviously) the name that would be recognized internationally. I like that I'd have access to HKS, Fletcher, and HDS, so I could really tailor my experience to my interests. Again, great events/speakers. However, I'm not sure if my educational experience would be as "intimate" as it would be at UT and NYU since many of the professors/ researchers are really focused on their own work. Ultimately, I want to be able to get a job or possibly go on to get a PhD. I want to have a challenging and worthwhile experience at school, but I also want to make sure I am in a position where I am employable. Have you (or anyone else on this forum) heard anything that could help sway me one way or another? Any help would be much appreciated!

Hey Ross, I've heard excellent things about UT's program. I've heard from several students and professors (from UT and other schools) that it is the best program in terms of the level of challenge and the support from the professors. I've heard Brustad and al Batal are not only experts (like you said they wrote al kitaab) but are very friendly and approachable. The other Arabic program I've heard good reviews from is Georgetown. I'm not sure about UCLA (sorry about that). One thing--I'm not sure if this is applicable to you/if you are interested in the program--but the CASA program which has been housed at UT has recently (like within the past two weeks) been moved to Harvard. Hope this helps.