Application Submission Procedures

==> To apply for admission to the Graduate School

You must submit a Graduate School application separately, either on-line or hard-copy to Graduate Admissions. The hard-copy form, "Application for Admission to the Graduate School," is available from the Near and Middle Eastern Studies Program.  If you request the hard-copy version of Graduate Admissions application form, please indicate whether you are requesting an international or U.S. citizen application form. If not applying to Graduate Admissions on-line via the World Wide Web, the completed hard-copy Graduate Admissions application should be sent to the University of Washington’s Office of Graduate Admissions (P.O. Box 84808, with a check for $50.00). Official copies of the GRE must be forwarded from ETS to Graduate Admissions.

1. A University of Washington Application for Admission to the Graduate School form and fee,

2. Official GRE scores (sent by the Educational Testing Service),

3. Financial statement and TOEFL scores (international students only).

==> To apply for admission to the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program in Near and Middle Eastern Studies

To qualify for application to the Program the applicant will have acquired an M.A. or its equivalent in a discipline or field directly related to the proposed Ph.D. work, a third-year competence in a regional language, and a reading knowledge of a second language pertinent to his/her Ph.D. research. To apply for this program, submit the following in one packet:

1. Print-out of on-line Graduate Admissions application.

2. Sealed transcripts of all college work.

3. Photocopy of GRE scores sent by ETS (Be sure to include the portion showing the applicant's name).

4. Three letters of recommendation submitted on Program supplied forms. (These should be academic references. If possible one should be a language reference, and at least one should be from a scholar familiar with the applicant's work in the humanities, history and/or social sciences. Lacking one of these, a professional/employer letter may be submitted.)

5. Writing sample--preferably an academic work.

6. Photocopy of TOEFL scores (international students only).

7. Statement of purpose with the Program Application Form attached.

The statement of purpose should describe succinctly the applicant's background, proposed course of study, and future goals in one to two typed pages. Be as specific as possible regarding the areas of interest and the languages proposed for Ph.D. work. The statement of purpose assists the admissions committee to assess a possible match between applicant goals and program resources. Indicate the purpose for which the writing sample was originally intended (e.g., as an M.A. Thesis, a course term paper, a scholarly presentation, etc.). The statement of purpose should also identify the principal faculty members with whom the applicant wishes to work.

Use the Program Application Form as the first page of the Statement of Purpose. This form requests the following information:

• Name;
• The name of the institution from which the applicant's M.A. was received, or information about when the degree will be completed;
• The regional language in which the applicant possesses a third-year competence;
• The other language pertinent to proposed research in which the applicant has acquired a reading knowledge;
• The proposed field of graduate interest: Islamic civilization; Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, Turkish, or Central Asian Turkic languages and literature; Modern Middle East: comparative religion.

The applicant's name should be on all documents.

The Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program in Near & Middle Eastern Studies is committed to inclusiveness and diversity among its students, faculty, and staff. For programs specifically addressing graduate school diversity please see the Graduate Opportunities and Minority Achievement Program web site.

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Information about Fellowships and Other Financial Aid

Students who wish to be considered for all types of aid (loans, grants, work study, and a few scholarships) must file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the renewal application for returning students by February 28 each year (recommended mailing date is February 15 for either form). Students who apply after the February 28 priority date will be considered primarily for Direct Stafford Loans (long-term, low-interest loans) only. Assistance with child care costs may be available through the Child Care Coordinating Office for students who file both the FAFSA and child care assistance application by February 28; further information is available by calling (206)543-1041. Students receiving financial aid may also be able to increase the amounts of their loans and/or work-study by turning in documentation of their daycare costs to the Office of Student Financial Aid.

Another useful resource is Work/Study; a number of career-related jobs are available such as library assistant in one of the area studies sections of Suzzallo Library. Work/Study qualified students are in high demand on campus, especially when working in an area related to academic studies. Applications and further information about federal and state financial aid programs may be obtained by calling or writing the Office of Student Financial Aid, 105 Schmitz Hall, Box 355880, U.W., Seattle, WA 98195-5880 (206/543-6101). The principal application for such financial aid is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA must be received by the Federal Processor by February 28th (should be posted by Feb. 15th).

Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships (FLAS). Administered through the Jackson School of International Studies, Student Services Box 353650, University of Washington 98195-3650, (206)543-6001. Through our federally funded National Resource Center in Middle East Studies we offer a limited number of FLAS fellowships for the study of Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, Tajik (summer only), Turkish, Uzbek, Kazakh (summer only), and Kirghiz. These fellowships pay for tuition plus a stipend. They are highly competitive fellowships open to all UW graduate and professional students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents and who meet designated requirements for language study. Incoming graduate students compete with continuing students campus-wide. Applications for FLAS fellowships are available from the Student Services Office and the completed applications are due in that office by January 15.

Schwartz Endowment Fellowships. Two partial tuition fellowships for resident tuition are available through the Middle East Center. Applications are available from the Center in March and due in April each year.

Exchange Agreement. The American University in Cairo, Egypt will pay tuition for one to three qualified undergraduate or graduate students a year from the University of Washington. Interested students should contact David Fenner, International Programs and Exchanges, 516 Schmitz Hall, (206)543-9272.

For more information and application materials, contact the Middle East Center, 225 Thomson Hall, UW, Seattle, WA 98195, (206)543-4227. In addition to those resources available through the Middle East Center, the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilization, 229B Denny Hall, (206) 543-6033, also offers several fellowships.

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Degree Requirements and Measures of Satisfactory Progress

Specific coursework and areas of concentration will be determined by the student's interests within the framework of the degree and satisfactory progress listed below.

A. Within 18 months of admission, demonstration of a general knowledge of history and culture in one of the following general fields: Islamic Civilization; Arabic, Hebrew, Persian (or Tajik or Dari), Turkish, or Central Asian Turkic languages and literature; the modern Middle East; or comparative religion either through previous degree work or through examination administered by the Program.

B. Within three years of admission, completion of two advanced courses in the humanities, one of which must be in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilization (NELC); and two advanced courses in the social sciences, one of which must be in the Department of History. These courses are in addition to work the student may have done at the B.A. and M.A. levels.

C. Within three years of admission, completion of a graduate seminar, or two if none was taken at the M.A. level.

D. A student will be expected to have studied three languages, two of which should be regional languages and one of which must be a Western European language other than English, such as French, German, Italian, Russian, or Spanish. The student's Supervisory Committee will decide whether a fourth language will be required, and whether the fourth required language will be European or regional.  Students pursuing language related work may anticipate a fourth required language, while those pursuing social science related studies may not. Before the oral exam listed below may be taken, the student must complete the language requirements including the second year level in a regional language different from the regional language offered at the time of admission.

E. Disciplinary Method and Theory Requirements. All students conducting field work or working with documents, whether social science or humanities-focused, and all social science-oriented students, are strongly encouraged to take the following courses: (a) ANTH 550, Field Techniques of Anthropology, and (b) POL S 491, Political Research Design and Analysis, or ANTH 551, Research Design (as appropriate); or (c) students should take those courses' equivalents in appropriate disciplines.

For those students doing humanities-oriented research and not conducting field work, two method and theory courses in the appropriate discipline or disciplines (e.g., Comparative Literature, Philosophy, etc.) are required.

F.    Disciplinary Core Courses. Each student is required to take two disciplinary core courses in the appropriate fields. Core courses (or field courses) survey the literature, methods, and theoretical issues involved in a broad field of inquiry, as opposed to elective topical courses, which cover a much smaller area. Core courses should be chosen according to the anticipated research interests and fields for preliminary examination of each student. For example, these core disciplinary courses might focus on Comparative Politics, Comparative Religion, Feminist Theory, Ethnicity and Nationalism, Analysis of Linguistic Structures, Seminar in Cognitive Anthropology, Comparative Legal Institutions, or International Political Economy. Courses on a narrow field of inquiry (such as Arab-Israeli conflict) do not constitute field or core courses, though they may contribute to a student’s general field.

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Annual Review:

A subcommittee of the Near and Middle Eastern Studies Program faculty will meet each spring to review the progress of all students in the Ph.D. program. Either the chair of the student's committee, the program's graduate advisor, or the program's director will communicate to each student the results of this annual review.

Ph.D. Exams and Dissertation:

The student will be expected to take the following examinations (see exam guidelines):

(1) preliminary exams consisting of an area of specialization exam and a theory and discipline exam;

(2) General Examination, consisting of a take-home part and an oral part; and

(3) Final Examination, which is the dissertation defense.

Students must meet the general University requirements concerning admission to candidacy for the doctoral degree, the dissertation, and final examination, including an oral examination.

A student's Ph.D.Supervisory Committee shall consist of no less than three members of the University of Washington's Graduate School faculty as well as a representative of the Graduate School (GSR). The chair of the committee must be an active member of the Graduate School faculty. At least two members of the committee must be members of the Near and Middle Eastern Studies faculty group. Additional members may be asked to join the committee.

Students will write a dissertation as the final requirement for the Ph.D. degree. The topic of the dissertation will be set in consultation with the Ph.D. candidate's supervisory committee.

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Faculty in Near and Middle Eastern Studies PhD Program

• Walter Andrews (Ph.D., Michigan, 1970) Research Professor, Near Eastern Languages and Civilization (NELC), Turkish Language and Literature
• Jere Bacharach (Ph.D., Michigan, 1967) Professor Emeritus, History, the Islamic Middle East
• Gad Barzilai (Ph.D., Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 1987) Professor, JSIS, political science and law; politics, law, state and society
• Michael Brame (Ph.D., MIT, 1970) Professor, Linguistics, syntax, phonology, structure of Arabic and English
• Rene Bravmann (Ph.D., Indiana University, 1971) Professor, Art History, the Arts of Africa, African Islam, contemporary third world artists, folk art traditions
• Jonathan A.C. Brown (Ph.D. U. of Chicago, 2006) Asst. Prof., NELC, Islamic studies
• Daniel Chirot (Ph.D., Columbia, 1973) Professor, International Studies & Sociology, causes of ethnic conflict and its solutions
• Ilse Cirtautas (Ph.D., Hamburg, 1958) Professor, NELC, Central Asian Turkic languages and literature
• Angela Close (Ph.D., Cambridge U, 1976) Professor, Anthropology, archeology of Africa
• Terri DeYoung (Ph.D., California-Berkeley, 1988) Assoc. Prof., NELC, Arabic languages and literature
• Hussein Elkhafaifi (Ph.D., Utah, 1985) Assist. Prof., NELC, Arabic languages and literature
• Kathie Friedman (Ph.D. SUNY, Binghamton, 1991) Assoc. Prof., JSIS, immigrant and refugee ethnic, relitious, and racial identity formation; refugees, national and ethnic conflict; in-depth interviewing, life-history interviewing, semi-structured interviewing
• Ellis Goldberg (Ph.D., California-Berkeley, 1983), Professor, Political Science, politics and political theory of the Middle East
• James W. Green (Ph.D., Washington, 1972) Senior Lecturer Emeritus, Anthropology, Comparative religion, phenomenology of religious experience, death, Islam
• Nicholas Heer (Ph.D., Princeton, 1955) Prof. Emeritus, NELC, Arabic languages and literature, Islamic theology and philosophy
• Martin Jaffee (Ph.D., Brown, 1980) Professor, Comparative Religion, JSIS, Judaism in late antiquity
• Anne Kartsonis (Ph.D., New York University, 1982) Professor, Art History, Byzantine and medieval art
• Resat Kasaba (Ph.D., SUNY-Binghamton, 1986) Director of NME PhD Program, Professor, Jackson School of International Studies (JSIS) and Adjunct in Sociology, political economy of the world system and the Middle East
• Selim S. Kuru (Ph.D., Harvard, 2000) Assoc. Prof., NELC, Turkish studies
• Clark B. Lombardi (Ph.D. Columbia, 2001, J.D., 1998) Asst. Prof., Law, Islamic legal systems, comparative constitutionalism and particularly the way that constitutional systems deal with religious organizations and religious law
• Shaun T. Lopez (Ph.D. University of Michigan, 2004) Asst. Prof., History, history of the modern Middle East 1800—present, gendering the history of the Middle East, war and society in the modern Middle East
• Pierre MacKay (Ph.D., California-Berkeley, 1964) Prof. Emeritus, Classics & NELC, topography of the Middle East, the Arab-Israeli conflict, change among peasants
• Brian McLaren (Ph.D., MIT, 2001) Asst. Prof., Architecture, history and theory of architecture, western colonialism in Africa and the Middle East
• Michael Meeker (Ph.D. U of Chicago, 1970) Affiliate Prof., JSIS, cultural anthropology, Turkey, Arabia, the Maghreb, American popular culture, literary representations and political experience
• Joel Migdal (Ph.D., Harvard, 1972) Professor, JSIS, state and society in the Third World, Middle East politics
• James W. Murray (Ph.D., MIT, 1973) Professor, School of Oceanography, chemical oceanography in the Black Sea and eastern tropical Pacific
• Scott Noegel (Ph.D., Cornell, 1995) Professor, NELC, Hebrew Bible, Northwest Semitic languages and literature, Assyriology, Hieroglyphic Egyptian, and Medieval Hebrew poetics
• Arzoo Osanloo (Ph.D., Stanford, 2002) Asst. Prof., Anthropology & Law, Societies, & Justice Prog., anthropology of law, transnational law, Islam particularly in Iran, Pakistan, and the U.S., Islam and women’s studies
• Firoozeh Papan-Matin (Ph.D., UCLA, 2003) Asst. Prof., NELC, Persian language and literature; medieval and modern Persian literature, Persian mysticism, Sufism
• Haideh Salehi-Esfahani (Ph.D., U. Pennsylvania 1985) Senior Lecturer, Economics, international economics, economic development
• Philip Schuyler (Ph.D., U.W., 1979) Assoc. Professor, School of Music/Ethnomusicology; Middle East, Africa, Arab world; ethnography of performance
• Florian Schwarz (Ph.D., Univ. of Tubingen, 1998) Asst. Prof., Pre-modern Middle East history; Islamic mysticism; Muslim culture in Central Asia
• Naomi Sokoloff (Ph.D., Princeton, 1980) Professor, NELC, modern Hebrew language and literature
• Joel Walker (Ph.D., Princeton, 1998) Assoc. Prof., History, history/archaeology of the late antique Near East, Syriac Christianity
• Daniel C. Waugh (Ph.D.,Yale, 1972) Professor Emeritus, History and JSIS, medieval Russian, Byzantine, and Ottoman History
• Robert Wenke (Ph.D., Michigan, 1975) Professor Emeritus, Anthropology, archaeology of Egypt and the Middle East
• Michael Williams (Ph.D., Harvard, 1977) Professor, Comparative Religion, JSIS, early Christianity and religions of antiquity
• Farhat Ziadeh (Barrister-at-Law, London, 1946) Prof. Emeritus, NELC, Arabic language and literature, Islamic institutions
• Craig Zumbrunnen (Ph.D., California-Berkeley, 1973) Professor, Geography, Soviet urbanization and population problems

The interdisciplinary PhD Program in Near and Middle Eastern Studies is proud of its graduates; see the list of graduates, dissertation titles, and placement.

Requests for further information and application materials should be directed to:

An international applicant is anyone who is NOT a United States Citizen or Permanent Resident. If you fit this definition, please click here for important information about admission and application requirements: http://www.grad.washington.edu/admissions/index.htm.

The University of Washington is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation in its services, programs, activities, education and employment for individuals with disabilities. To request disability accommodation contact the Disability Services Office at least ten days in advance at: 206.543.6450/V, 206.543.6452/TTY, 206.685.7264 (FAX), or e-mail at dso@u.washington.edu.

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