For Students

Courses and Programs at OSU

The Middle East Studies Center (MESC) at The Ohio State University promotes learner-centered teaching, scholarly exchange, and intercultural experience related to the Middle East. MESC combines efforts with Near Eastern Languages and Cultures (NELC), the Undergraduate International Studies Program (UISP), and the Middle East Studies Library Collection, to support students, faculty and staff. You can learn about the Middle East in numerous departments at Ohio State, with many of the courses offered fulfilling your core requirements. Ohio State University courses and programs in Middle East languages and cultures offer several majors and minors, as well as selected graduate degree programs.  Other degrees may be tailored to focus on the Middle East.  Researching the faculty in different departments working on topics related to the Middle East may help you find the best fit. Browse these faculty members who offer courses with content related to the Middle East. 

Courses and Programs Abroad

A number of Middle East-related study abroad courses and programs are offered by OSU when travel restrictions aren't in place (search by region, Middle East and North Africa). For students who do not require OSU credit (credit can be transferred as "K" credit), it is also possible to utilize a non-OSU program. The countries in the Middle East most frequently travelled to for study or research-related purposes by OSU students and faculty are Israel and Morocco; Tajikistan (a Central Asian county which is predominantly Persian-speaking) and the United Arab Emirates have also been fairly common. Countries under a State Department Travel warning are discouraged. See U.S. Department of State's website for further information.

Gain Work Experience 

The Middle East Studies Center facilitates student development through a set of activities designed to provide work experience relevant to the job market, train students in academic research skills, and help students to explore career options. These activities each contribute to a student's job readiness, and can be combined or selected separately based on student need/interest. Activities that are more academically oriented are not considered separate but are conducive to honing research skills which are highly marketable in today's economy. We encourage students to develop a robust e-portfolio of curricular and co-curricular achievements that demonstrate they offer research skills, intercultural awareness, and a set of valuable technical skills.
 
All OSU students are eligible to participate in international career events we host with the other area studies centers as well. Our interns often help us prepare for these events by researching current job market trends, study abroad preparation, funding opportunities, and international work experience availability. 
 
MESC Career Development Opportunities for Students: 
  • Internships: Being a part of the MESC engagement team. The minimum requirements include a commitment to weekly team meetings, timely communication, and support for events. We facilitate students' learning by connecting them to resources to obtain technical skills and include aspects of professional development in the weekly team meetings. Interns may take on a variety of roles and levels of commitment. 
  • Writing: Blog posts for the Center's "Breaking Down the Headlines" blog. Researching and composing blog posts, with engaging, properly-cited images. This is the primary responsibility of our Academic Intern.
  • Video production: Footage captured at our events is transformed into an educational video, and posted on our YouTube channel.
  • Photography: Images curated for educational purposes are displayed in web galleries. Community members may submit photos of MESC events or experiences in the Middle East.
Interns have the opportunity to move up in the Middle East Studies Center through the tier system, earning micro-credentials and learning valuable career skills.
 

Start an e-Portfolio for Academic and Career Success

Capture the skills you are learning along with leadership and problem-solving experience in an e-portfolio. Learn about integrating intercultural experiences into your resume, portfolio, application essay, or interview on our Real World Skills page. Check out our career pages to learn about opportunities and career paths. 
 
We highly encourage students to enrich their intercultural learning via the Intercultural Competence Certificate program. The Middle East Studies Center also offers two Buckeye Badges: the Global Community Building and the Global Media Project Badge. 
 

Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship (FLAS)

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) supports Title VI National Resource Center/Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship (FLAS) grants. MESC is not currently funded but we applied for funding in the coming grant cycle (2022-2026). Would you like to be considered for funding as part of a FLAS fellowship (should we receive the grant)? Please read the info sheet for graduate fellowships at go.osu.edu/FLAS-Info-G, or undergraduate fellowships at go.osu.edu/FLAS-Info-UG to consider what the fellowship would require of you. The online application is here: go.osu.edu/FLAS-Mideast. Questions? Contact us at https://mesc.osu.edu/FLAS-contact