Contenu
The one-year Master of Arts program (Master of Middle East and Islamic Studies – MEIS) is aimed at providing a rigorous generalist degree fostering an informed understanding of issues related to the Middle East and the Islamic world. This one-year degree could complement other professional or pre-professional training and appeals to those who wish to enter into mass media, business, banking, commerce, law, international organizations, government and non-government organizations, human rights and cultural organizations, high-school teaching and seek to focus on some aspect of the Middle East, the Islamic world or Islam.
Private and government, for-profit and non-profit organizations across the world are realizing that an understanding of the political, economic, social, cultural, religious and historical complexities, subtleties and intricacies of this region is a basic necessity for any successful negotiation, contract, dialogue or arbitration.
For college graduates, the one year MA degree serves the purpose of an enriching gap-year before going on to a different graduate training or entering the job-market. The one-year MA is equally appealing to early and mid-career individuals as well as to concerned and mature students who wish to obtain a firm academic and independent grasp of a field, aspects of which seem to be recurring in the daily news, affecting their daily lives.
Students must take 10 core courses over two semesters (5 courses each semester).
These courses provide the foundations on policy analysis, microeconomics, statistics, management of public organizations, law and public policy, the complex relationship between policy and politics, strategic management and communication, as well as qualitative and quantitative methods to assess policy outcomes.
Students are required to complete an internship in the public sector (local, regional, national), international organizations, consultancy firms, non-profit organizations or private businesses, working closely on issues of public interest (think tanks or foundations for example) or in association with public sector institutions.
Students are requested to select a concentration area. They must choose four courses within the concentration of their choice (2 each semester), one elective from another concentration, and the Advanced Seminar on Public Policy Problem Solving.
The three concentration areas in the MPA in Strategic Public Policy are:
1) Energy Policy
2) Migration and Integration Policy
3) Development Finance Policy.
To obtain the MPA in Strategic Public Policy degree, students must earn 54 credits and must write a Thesis (15,000 words) or complete a Capstone Research Project.
The two-year Master of Arts Program (Master of Middle East and Islamic Studies with Language – MEISL) is intended for students who wish to have a more in depth understanding of the discipline, especially through the firm knowledge of a language of the region. This degree requires training and proficiency in a language of the Middle East or the Islamic world enabling students to read accurately in order to carry out research. The degree is tailored to those seeking employment in this region, those who wish to pursue a Ph.D. program in the field, teaching at Universities and/or carrying out research at academic institutions, private or government organizations as well as think tanks. Students who are native speakers would be encouraged to study a second language.