Masters Degree Study Departments
Master’s degree in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies
The Middle East is the cradle of human civilization and the birthplace of the three monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The region is home to the Arab and Muslim nations: from Morocco in the west to Iran in the east, and from Turkey in the north to Yemen and Sudan in the south. Muslims constitute approximately one fifth of the world’s population and are present across the world from Indonesia, the largest Muslim country, to the minorities in India, Russia, the West, and Israel. This is the region in which Israel exists and its understanding is therefore crucial to Israel’s existence, security, economic development, and social and cultural prosperity.
The Department of Middle Eastern History was among the first departments opened at the University of Haifa. It offers students a broad interdisciplinary view of the Middle East in particular, and the Muslim world in general. Understanding the historical, political, diplomatic, economic, social, and cultural processes behind developments in this region is vital for Israel’s policymakers, academic researchers, government and public employees, businesspeople, teachers, civil organizations, and anyone wishing to understand the region. Studies in this department are accompanied by the university’s unique learning experience, in the most multicultural inter-faith city in Israel.
In the Master of Arts program, students have a choice between tracks with or without a thesis. It is possible to complete a M.A. without a thesis in one single year, during which time students participate in classes concentrated in one day of the week, for three consecutive semesters. The department’s curriculum offers courses on the region’s classic and modern history, the religion of Islam, Arab nationalism, Palestinian society, women’s status and the family, law and society, media, tourism, and more.
Bachelor of Arts from the Department of Middle Eastern History – with a minimum grade point average of 80.
Knowledge of literary Arabic, or Persian, or Turkish, and/or of another language, according to the decision of the department’s Committee for Advanced Studies.
For the one-year program, there is no required knowledge of a Middle Eastern language and the minimum grade point average required is 76.
Department requirements specified on the department website.
Track B: Without thesis.
M.A. degree without a thesis in one year (three semesters).
Employment options upon graduation: Graduates can fill positions in the academic world, the public sector, government offices (Foreign Ministry, Defense Ministry and other security forces, Ministry of Education and more), the media, business sector, and civilian organizations.
