Choosing between two equally good Middle East Studies programs

[cooperstreet]

Hm...

I'm in a fortunate situation: I got into the MAAS program at Georgetown, and the MA in Near Eastern studies program at NYU. Anyone have any opinions on the relative merits/deficiencies of these two programs? I also got into Texas-Austin, but I don't think their program is as good as NYU's or Georgetown's. Thanks!

[evieadelaide]

Congrats!

I was accepted to NYU's NES program as well. Although I did not apply to Georgetown's MAAS, I would consider it to be a very strong program--especially if you're looking to really hone in on your Arabic skills and work in the DC area (if simply for networking and internship resources). I will say though, one thing that turned me off from applying to CCAS, is that the Georgetown program does state that it is unique in providing a focus on the Arab world and while, I'm interested in the Arab world, I've lately leaned towards wanting to include Iran in my graduate studies (I did not comb through the course listings though, so I'm not sure if this means nil for non-Arab studies). Sorry I couldn't provide more pros and cons :/

Just out of curiosity, did you receive funding from NYU?

[cooperstreet]

Congrats!

I was accepted to NYU's NES program as well. Although I did not apply to Georgetown's MAAS, I would consider it to be a very strong program--especially if you're looking to really hone in on your Arabic skills and work in the DC area (if simply for networking and internship resources). I will say though, one thing that turned me off from applying to CCAS, is that the Georgetown program does state that it is unique in providing a focus on the Arab world and while, I'm interested in the Arab world, I've lately leaned towards wanting to include Iran in my graduate studies (I did not comb through the course listings though, so I'm not sure if this means nil for non-Arab studies). Sorry I couldn't provide more pros and cons :/

Just out of curiosity, did you receive funding from NYU?

I'm waiting to hear about funding.

And yes, that is a very good point about Georgetown. I imagine anyone coming out of that will be an absolute master in Arabic, but I'm also interested in Hebrew & Israel, an interest that NYU's program satisfies. Also, NYU allows part time enrollment--which may be necessary if I don't receive funding.

Here's a thought I had: would I be more likely to receive a relatively lucrative job out of Georgetown than NYU because of its DC location?

[evieadelaide]

I'm waiting to hear about funding.

And yes, that is a very good point about Georgetown. I imagine anyone coming out of that will be an absolute master in Arabic, but I'm also interested in Hebrew & Israel, an interest that NYU's program satisfies. Also, NYU allows part time enrollment--which may be necessary if I don't receive funding.

Here's a thought I had: would I be more likely to receive a relatively lucrative job out of Georgetown than NYU because of its DC location?

I think that probably depends on what sort of job you're looking for outside of your MA. Do you ultimately want to be in DC (policy/government/think tanks)? I would think that yes, G-town's program probably has more pull in DC if only because of its proximity. The MAAS program also offers an internship course in which you could use to obtain an internship in the DC area and make connections, etc.

Also, if you haven't already, I'd go through and take a look at the course descriptions each program offers and find what appeals most to you. It might also be helpful to read through the professors' CV's and determine if any of their research interests are similar to your own as both programs require a thesis/report. If available, try and find out where the various alumni work after graduation.

Although, the whole required full-time thing with no funding would definitely factor into my decision.

[gollux]

Congratulations on your acceptances, cooperstreet! i wish that i could help, but i'm sort of in a similar spot, and could use some advice....except that I'm really not sure how to rank the programs I got into. I can't find any kind of comprehensive ranking, I just know that the schools are good, but I also know that a school's great overall merits and reputation don't necessarily translate to a strong program. I got into Chicago with half tuition, which makes it just slightly less expensive than Michigan and UW, to which I was also accepted (still waiting on funding info). All the programs have courses and faculty that match my interests (Turkish, with the hope of beginning another Turkic language; this is probably more true of Chicago and UW than Michigan). It seems a little bit like a no-brainer because Chicago is generally such a great school, and they gave me a significant amount of money. But I'm worried I'm missing something. I didn't start out on this track, so I don't really know an authoritative source to ask about how the various programs in this field are regarded (and by whom, and why, and so on). I've heard lots about the Arabic programs (basically that Georgetown and UT have very strong programs, but come to think of I heard this about UT mostly on UT's website ), but I don't know about Middle Eastern/Near Eastern programs as a whole.

Any thoughts? Sorry I'm such a windbag.

[curiousgeorge84]

Hm...

I'm in a fortunate situation: I got into the MAAS program at Georgetown, and the MA in Near Eastern studies program at NYU. Anyone have any opinions on the relative merits/deficiencies of these two programs? I also got into Texas-Austin, but I don't think their program is as good as NYU's or Georgetown's. Thanks!

If you are looking to stop at an M.A. and use your degree for government or a private company, I think Georgetown is the way to go. You will also have the opportunity and connections to intern or work for the federal government. However, if you are considering going on to a Ph.D., NYU's joint Ph.D. in History and Middle Eastern & Islamic Studies is one of the most respected in the U.S. I believe you can transfer from the M.A. to the Ph.D. program. If you think you might want to go into academia, NYU is the place to go. NYU is also part of a consortium that allows you to take classes at Columbia.

[jaydee]

I would likewise very much appreciate any insights held by this group regarding the comparison between the Arizona, Indiana and Texas programs. I am entering an MA program with the intention of going onto PhD. I am interested in going into academia, research and translation and my area of interest is modern Arabic literature, art and culture. And as a follow on question, I would be interested to know where the Penn PhD program ranks amongst its peers also...

[Malumat]

Congratulations on your acceptances, cooperstreet! i wish that i could help, but i'm sort of in a similar spot, and could use some advice....except that I'm really not sure how to rank the programs I got into. I can't find any kind of comprehensive ranking, I just know that the schools are good, but I also know that a school's great overall merits and reputation don't necessarily translate to a strong program. I got into Chicago with half tuition, which makes it just slightly less expensive than Michigan and UW, to which I was also accepted (still waiting on funding info). All the programs have courses and faculty that match my interests (Turkish, with the hope of beginning another Turkic language; this is probably more true of Chicago and UW than Michigan). It seems a little bit like a no-brainer because Chicago is generally such a great school, and they gave me a significant amount of money. But I'm worried I'm missing something. I didn't start out on this track, so I don't really know an authoritative source to ask about how the various programs in this field are regarded (and by whom, and why, and so on). I've heard lots about the Arabic programs (basically that Georgetown and UT have very strong programs, but come to think of I heard this about UT mostly on UT's website ), but I don't know about Middle Eastern/Near Eastern programs as a whole.

Any thoughts? Sorry I'm such a windbag.

As someone who is at UW and is heading to UChicago, go to Chicago. If you compare the Mid-East related courses offered each quarter it will be clear. The only advantage for you at UW might be that Selim Kuru (who I love) teaches a Turkish Lit class which is nice but not nice enough to offset the difference in both quality and quantity in general which favors UChicago, in my opinion. See my post on the thread about UW vs UA for more info and feel free to ask any questions.

Edited April 8, 2010 by Malumat

[gollux]

As someone who is at UW and is heading to UChicago, go to Chicago. If you compare the Mid-East related courses offered each quarter it will be clear. The only advantage for you at UW might be that Selim Kuru (who I love) teaches a Turkish Lit class which is nice but not nice enough to offset the difference in both quality and quantity in general which favors UChicago, in my opinion. See my post on the thread about UW vs UA for more info and feel free to ask any questions.

Malumat, thank you so much for this. I am actually just back from the Chicago prospective student's day, and the experience was overwhelmingly positive. Now seeing your response makes me feel sure that it's the right place!

Thanks again and congratulations on getting into Chicago (I assume NELC?)!

[Malumat]

Malumat, thank you so much for this. I am actually just back from the Chicago prospective student's day, and the experience was overwhelmingly positive. Now seeing your response makes me feel sure that it's the right place!

Thanks again and congratulations on getting into Chicago (I assume NELC?)!

Thanks! If you end up going to Chicago, I'm sure we'll meet. I can't wait for the Fall.

And congratulations to you as well!

Edited April 11, 2010 by Malumat

[basqueboy10]

hey what program did you decide on choosing? haha I know this was 13 years ago but I am in the same situation.

[daniah]

On 3/20/2023 at 12:23 AM, basqueboy10 said:

hey what program did you decide on choosing? haha I know this was 13 years ago but I am in the same situation.

i’m also asking about this because i’m stuck at choosing whether i want to go to uchicago or georgetown for middle eastern ma and i don’t know if i should base it off of the funding i’ve received or the program/location/more opportunity