The Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (CSAMES) offers Master of Arts degrees in South Asian and Middle Eastern studies.
The Middle East and South Asia are two regions of vital interest. This two-year program is designed for today's world, preparing students for careers in government, NGOs, business, the media, international law, private foundations, or cultural exchanges. The program provides broad exposure to the history, cultures, societies, and politics of the area as well as to the variety of disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches to its study. It is for individuals planning non-academic careers, students preparing for further academic study in a particular discipline, and those interested in the growing opportunities and challenges presented by this region. For students planning academic careers, the program provides wide and multifaceted knowledge of the region and valuable experience in interdisciplinary study and interpretation.
Students choose a concentration in either South Asian or Middle Eastern studies.
What we offer
We offer advising and academic support to students by working closely with approximately fifty departments and seventy-five affiliated faculty, who bring to CSAMES their expertise and diverse areas of interest, including contemporary and historical studies of South Asia and the Middle East, and inquiries into such topics as religious and social identities, cultural values, literary expression, urbanization, politics and gender.
Illinois offers regular courses in Arabic, Persian, Hebrew, Turkish, and Hindi. Language learning is essential preparation for advanced studies in an area. Students can take more than thirty language courses and over fifty graduate-level disciplinary courses. For a complete lineup of courses, click this link for the listings page.
Students at Illinois have access to a varied program of lectures, conferences, and seminars with national and international experts, and outstanding faculty in more than forty fields of study. This allows students to craft a degree program suited to their individual career goals. With a collection of over 13 million volumes in over 150 languages, Illinois houses the second largest academic library collection in North America, including over 100,000 volumes, micro-texts and audio-video materials in Middle Eastern languages, such as Arabic, Persian, Hebrew, Turkish and Kurdish, and 210,000 volumes in South Asian languages, such as Assamese, Bengali, Burmese, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Pali, Prakit, Punjabi, Rajasthani, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Sinhalese, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu.
Admissions
We admit graduate students from diverse academic backgrounds, with respect to discipline, research interests, and geographic focus. Applicants for admission must meet the minimum standards established by the Graduate College for graduate study at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, but final selection is determined by a committee of the Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. Applicants should apply online through the graduate application website. If necessary, paper applications may be requested from the department.
Applicants must submit the following:
an application
a statement of purpose
full transcripts of undergraduate and graduate work
a writing sample
TOEFL scores (only for non-native speakers of English)
& three letters of reference completed by teachers, advisors, or recent employers
Applicants are expected to have a strong background in at least one South Asian or Middle Eastern language; normally, this means a minimum of two years of formal study. Students whose native language is not English must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and must score greater than 610 on the paper-based TOEFL or greater than 102 on the internet-based TOEFL (TOEFL iBT) to be eligible for admission with full standing. (Please view the TOEFL requirements on the Graduate College admission website.) Applicants must specify a specialization in either South Asian or Middle Eastern studies. Admission is possible only for the fall semester.
The application deadline for the MA program for Fall 2027 is January 15, 2027.
Financial Support
Until 2025, CSAMES M.A. and incoming students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents were eligible to compete for Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships offered under the Higher Education Act, Title VI, US Department of Education. FLAS fellowships are no longer offered. A limited number of awards for interdisciplinary language and area studies are sometimes offered by several area studies centers on our campus; any such opportunities would be listed on this page. M.A. students apply for various types of graduate assistantships. Click here for information on available assistantships.
Useful Links
Assistantship Clearinghouse - www.grad.illinois.edu/clearinghouse/
Fellowship Opportunities - https://www.grad.illinois.edu/fellowship/
Graduate Handbook -www.grad.illinois.edu/gradhandbook/
Guide to Graduate Life at Illinois - www.grad.illinois.edu/survivalguide/
Degree Requirements for the Master of Arts
Candidates for the M.A. must:
complete 32 hours in area-related graduate-level courses, including at least three courses at the 500 level
demonstrate a reading knowledge of one of the languages related to their regional specialization at the fourth-year level by satisfactory completion of an examination or appropriate coursework
pass a written examination covering the area studies taken while in residence. For details on the exam, click here. To view the form to schedule the M.A. exam, click here.
Current Master’s Students
Take a look at our current Master’s students to see their specializations and areas of interest, and to contact them with questions about their experiences with our program.