Masters in Middle Eastern/Arab Studies

[optimism]

I've yet to hear word on Middle Eastern MA and Arab Studies MA programs. I applied to Chicago, Harvard, and Georgetown. Has anyone heard from these programs or does anyone have an idea when these letters will be going out. Also, I learned Chicago will only come via mail, but does anyone know about Harvard/Georgetown? Email or mail? Thanks in advance! Waiting is so horrible!

[Yismet]

I didn't apply to Chicago or Georgetown, but I did get an acceptance from Harvard's Center for Middle Eastern Studies (I don't know if you applied to that or their NELC department). It came by mail a couple days ago....and it took a while to get here, so unless you live in Boston I wouldn't worry yet because it seems that notification mail in general takes awhile. Good luck!

[Aubstopper]

I've yet to hear word on Middle Eastern MA and Arab Studies MA programs. I applied to Chicago, Harvard, and Georgetown. Has anyone heard from these programs or does anyone have an idea when these letters will be going out. Also, I learned Chicago will only come via mail, but does anyone know about Harvard/Georgetown? Email or mail? Thanks in advance! Waiting is so horrible!

i heard from Chicago...got a package in the mail last friday.

[wanttosearch]

I'm trying to decided between Georgetown's SFS Arab Studies (MAAS) and Harvard's Center for Middle Eastern Studies AM program. Does anyone have a sense for how the programs compare?

[Aubstopper]

it depends...what are you interested in specfically?

for arabic language, i'm positive that georgetown has a very strong program..since all of my arabic books were published through Georgetown (and al-kitaab is kind of the standard now).

[Yismet]

I agree with Aubstopper....it depends on what exactly you wish to do. If it is politics, Georgetown wins because of proximity, but I think the connections you could make at Harvard could be just as useful. Also, at Harvard, you can take classes at Tufts Fletcher School, which would be a huge benefit. My guess between the two is that Harvard would be a mix between the practical and theoretical (like the class they have on the greats books of Near Eastern thought), whereas Georgetown would be mainly practical. If you want to go on to a PhD is anything in the humanities/liberal arts I would chose Harvard. If you want to go into IR/politics/ a job right away, I think it is a toss-up. Does funding make any difference? Are you going to visitation days at either school? I think getting to know the departments would be the best way to decide.

[wanttosearch]

Thanks for some of the feedback.

My plan is to pursue a PhD in Middle Eastern History after my MA, but with an eye to doing research/work on foreign policy (probably won't teach until later in my career if at all). My interest is therefore a mix of both history and policy. Positioning myself for a PhD program is a high concern, but I also want to make sure that my MA degree is marketable in the policy world. My perception is that Georgetown's program has a great mix of language, a contemporary policy focus, and a good grounding in Arab history. I think an SFS degree would certainly help in future work in the policy world. On the other hand, Harvard's program allows you to draft your own curriculum and certainly carries weight in terms of PhD preparation, and the options to tailor the curriculum to my interests is nice. My main concern with Harvard is that the AM program does not really have a strong departmental home. All of the courses are outsourced to other departments, and I'm a bit worried that the attention paid to MA students will suffer as a result.

I guess my most important questions are a) will the MA degree from Harvard carry as much weight in the policy world as the MA degree from Gtown's SFS Arab studies and which school offers me a better chance of gaining admissions to a top PhD program.

[Aubstopper]

Thanks for some of the feedback.

My plan is to pursue a PhD in Middle Eastern History after my MA, but with an eye to doing research/work on foreign policy (probably won't teach until later in my career if at all). My interest is therefore a mix of both history and policy. Positioning myself for a PhD program is a high concern, but I also want to make sure that my MA degree is marketable in the policy world. My perception is that Georgetown's program has a great mix of language, a contemporary policy focus, and a good grounding in Arab history. I think an SFS degree would certainly help in future work in the policy world. On the other hand, Harvard's program allows you to draft your own curriculum and certainly carries weight in terms of PhD preparation, and the options to tailor the curriculum to my interests is nice. My main concern with Harvard is that the AM program does not really have a strong departmental home. All of the courses are outsourced to other departments, and I'm a bit worried that the attention paid to MA students will suffer as a result.

I guess my most important questions are a) will the MA degree from Harvard carry as much weight in the policy world as the MA degree from Gtown's SFS Arab studies and which school offers me a better chance of gaining admissions to a top PhD program.

i think that georgetown would be best for policy, and Harvard would be best for history. If i were if you shoes opting for Phd in the future (which i am ) i would be hesitant to choose Georgetown's Arab studies program only because it is extremely specific to only one people of the middle east--and though the arabs have indeed shaped the history and culture of the area, unless you plan on studying for your phD exclusively arab culture, i'd suggest go for a degree that is more broad (ie includes turks, israelis, afghanis, persians, etc) since it is less limiting and provides a stronger overall foundation on the middle east.

I'd suggest that you look into the PhD programs that you're interested in and try to figure out what they are looking for....hell, you could even email the faculty themselves.