Middle Eastern Studies Major

Undergraduate and Minor Program in Middle Eastern Studies

Since 1981, the interdisciplinary major in Middle Eastern Studies (MES) has provided Berkeley students with the opportunity to study a region of great historical and cultural importance whose political, economic, and social development is closely linked to that of our own society. The MES major covers the Arab world, Turkey, Iran, and Israel, intertwining history and culture, geography and ecology, politics and economics, with an emphasis on the modern and contemporary Middle East. Its broad and balanced program of study draws on a wide variety of Middle East-related courses offered by faculty from more than 20 different departments and schools within the University. Students in the MES major also learn at least one of the major Middle Eastern languages of today: Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, or Turkish. MES graduates go on to work in industry and government, both in the United States and abroad. About half of MES alumni pursue graduate studies, many of whom then go on to academic or professional careers.

The MES major should not be confused with the major in Near Eastern Studies (NES), which emphasizes language and literature and includes the study of the ancient Near East. Students interested in those fields should contact the Department of Near Eastern Studies.

A minor in Middle Eastern Studies is also available.

Please click on the link below to find more information about the MES major and minor requirements.

Undergraduate and Minor Program in Middle Eastern Studies

To find out more about IASTP and International and Area Studies (IAS) programs, please visit the following links:

IAS Teaching Program

International and Area Studies

Another resource available to students is the Berkeley Language Center (BLC). Founded in 1994, the Berkeley Language Center is a department in the Division of the Arts and Humanities of the College of Letters and Sciences. The BLC's mission is to support the learning and teaching of heritage and foreign languages on the Berkeley campus and, where appropriate, in the University of California system. To learn more about the BLC and its various programs, please visit the following link:

Berkeley Language Center ( BLC)