IR vs Middle Eastern Studies

[KevinDosi]

I'm mainly interested in US foreign policy, specifically in the Middle East, and am wondering which program I should pursue. I'm looking at the MA in Middle East Studies at SAIS but also at IR programs at GWU, American and Chicago. Afterwards, my hope is to work for the Department of State or an international organization. Does anyone have an opinion on whether a degree in MES would make it easier or harder to enter the job market after graduating? I see  value in having a more focused concentration, but there's also value in having a more broad and rounded concentration.

[wolfie53]

We would need to flush out some more information on your interests. What specific areas do you enjoy working in other than "US Middle East Policy" specifically. Do you enjoy the security aspect? Development? Trade? Politics? etc. With that, focusing on what aspects of policy you are interested in regarding the Middle East region should assist you in deciding what type of program is right for you. If you are more interested in the cultural aspects and how it impacts the US relationship with the region than a regional studies program would likely be more beneficial.  If you fancy geopolitics more, than perhaps looking into IR related degree might be better suited, especially since many will offer courses with regional emphasis or are on a topic that heavily pertains to the Middle East Region. (IE Energy Security)

[TimB]

I've done a decent amount of research on this front so I'll give my $.02:

 

The advantage of the regional studies degrees is the level of specialization you come out with. I think this pays off most in terms of languages. I know both IR and RS programs both want you to know a foreign language, but RS programs seem to give more focus to higher level language instruction. For instance, I know at Duke the Middle Eastern Studies program requires fluency in one regional language, but also highly encourages proficiency in a second regional language and will grant credit for picking up a second language. So if you already know Arabic, learning Farsi or Turkish in addition might be easier to do in RS. In MPP/IR programs it seems like extra language skill development is something you do "on your own time," by picking up extra courses not credited to your major. 

 

That said, I think the MPP/IR degree has a lot of advantages over regional studies. For me at least, it's easy to read through history books, or listen to them in the car, and pick up a lot of information. I'll read novels on my own time. Courses help develop your cultural and historical knowledge, but it's easy to pick up on your own. Graduate level economics, multivariable calculus, and learning how to develop research studies and apply statistical methods to your data is probably harder to teach. Especially things that are inherently collaborative like research methods. To my mind, you can always build up regional expertise later in your work, but the hardcore quant/research stuff is harder to pick up on your own. To this end MPP/MPAs and IR programs likely have an advantage. Also, if you want to work for State or in the IC you're also going to want a good understanding of how US policy is crafted and the legal framework those organizations operate in, so in that case, those degrees win again. RS is better if you're interested more in academics or want to be a strict area specialist.

Edited April 2, 2014 by TimB