Middle East Studies at the Ohio State University

Middle East studies at the Ohio State University is particularly strong in Anthropology; Arabic, Hebrew, Persian and Turkish Languages, Literature and Culture; Hebrew Linguistics; Comparative Studies and Literature; History (Ancient, Islamic, Judaic, Ottoman and Persian); Central Asian Literature and Culture; International/Middle East Relations; Islamic Art and Architecture; Folklore; and Jewish and Islamic Philosophy. In the professional fields, program strengths in the College of Business, Food and Agriculture, City and Regional Planning, Education, and new linkages between the College of Medicine and Middle Eastern universities are in process. 

Foreign Language Degrees

A Bachelor of Arts in both Arabic and Hebrew is offered through the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures (NELC). An individualized study program is available for students with unique language interests. Degree requirements are a minimum of 40 hours of language beyond the mandatory 101-104 course sequence. A minor in Arabic, Hebrew, Persian or Turkish requires 20 hours of elementary and intermediate language instruction and 20 hours in other language and area studies courses.

The M.A. program in NELC offers study in some of the world’s richest languages, literatures, and cultural traditions including Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, and Turkish, as well as a number of ancient Near Eastern languages, among them Aramaic, Biblical Hebrew, and Ugaritic. The curriculum is rigorous but flexible, preparing students for professional employment in business, education, or government, or for the pursuit of doctoral work involving NELC languages in the study of the dynamically changing societies of the Near East. Students may specialize in one NELC language or in two coherently combined NELC languages, in consultation with the faculty advisor.

NELC is now also offering a Ph.D. program.  The Ph.D. program builds on linguistic, literary, and cultural studies to support a selection of interdisciplinary foci. The four primary languages taught in NELC (Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, and Turkish), which are in reality the four major languages of the Middle East and as such are at the center of every comprehensive program in this field nationally, can each be the basis of a course of study leading to the Ph.D which will build upon a focused but flexible set of core courses.

Area Studies Degrees

Area studies undergraduate interdisciplinary degrees include a major with a Middle East area studies concentration in the Undergraduate International Studies Program (UISP). Degree requirements consist of 30 hours in either Arabic, Hebrew, Persian or Turkish, as well as 40 hours in Political Science, History, Economics, or other Middle East-related International Studies courses.

The interdisciplinary B.A. in Islamic Studies is offered through the College of Humanities, while the Melton Center for Jewish Studies offers the B.A. in Jewish Studies. Individualized undergraduate degree programs are available in the Colleges of Agriculture, Humanities, and Social and Behavioral Sciences.

An undergraduate certificate degree in Middle East studies, offered by UISP, requires the successful completion of 20 hours of an appropriate Middle Eastern language and 30 hours of interdisciplinary coursework. Minors in Islamic Studies, International Studies and Jewish Studies are offered in the College of Humanities, UISP, and the Melton Center for Jewish Studies.

Students interested in a broad interdisciplinary approach may pursue either an MA or a PhD in the Department of Comparative Studies.