Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
Director of Graduate Studies: Ritu Saksena
221 International Studies Building
910 South Fifth Street
Champaign, IL 61820 (USA)
Phone: 217-244-7331
Fax: 217-265-6399
E-mail: rsaksena@illinois.edu
Major: Asian Studies
Degrees offered: M.A.
Graduate Degree Programs
The Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies administers the South Asian and Middle Eastern area specialization of the M.A. in Asian Studies, which is currently offered through the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures. Students in this area will specialize in either South Asian Studies or Middle Eastern Studies. (This may include a focus on Islamic Studies.) Admissions, academic advising, and evaluation of students' progress in the South Asian and Middle Eastern area of specialization are the responsibility of the Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies.
The MA program provides basic preparation in language and area training for students intending either to continue in a Ph.D. program in a related field or to enter a career not requiring a doctorate.
Admission
Applicants must meet the minimum standards established by the Graduate College at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, but the final selection is determined by a committee appointed by the Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. Applications can be completed online at http://www.grad.uiuc.edu/admissions/apply/program.htm. More information can be requested from the Center office at the address listed below.
Applicants to the graduate program must submit an application for admission, full transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work completed, Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores (verbal, quantitative, and analytical), a statement of purpose, a writing sample and three letters of reference completed by teachers, advisers, or recent employers. Applicants are expected to have a strong background in at least one South Asian or Middle Eastern language; normally, this means that they will have completed a minimum of two years of formal study of a language before they enter the M.A. program. Students whose native language is not English must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and must score at least 610 on the paper-based TOEFL (253 on the computer-based test) to be eligible for admission with full standing. Admission is possible only for the fall semester.
Applicants must specify a specialization in either South Asian or Middle Eastern studies. The application deadline is January 15.
Degree Requirements-Master of Arts
Candidates must complete thirty-two hours of graduate-level courses, including at least three courses at the 500 level in area-related courses. Candidates must also demonstrate a reading knowledge of one of the languages related to their regional concentration at the fourth-year level by satisfactory completion of an examination or appropriate course work; pass an oral examination covering the area studies taken while in residence; and complete two satisfactory research/seminar papers. Candidates for the master's degree are expected to maintain a GPA of 3.25 in courses taken for the program. No thesis is required.
Faculty Research Interests
Faculty affiliated with the Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies teach in more than a dozen different disciplines in the social sciences and the humanities. Research interests range widely and include both contemporary and historical studies of the regions, and inquiries into such topics as religious and social identities, cultural values, literary expression, urbanization, politics and gender.
Financial Aid
Graduate students with U.S. citizenship are encouraged to apply for FLAS Fellowships. The Center also offers travel to conference grants for students of all disciplines focusing on South Asian or Middle Eastern topics. The Center makes every effort to assist graduate students in securing financial aid, but because we are not a department with its own courses, we cannot offer Teaching Assistantships. Prospective graduate students may want to seek teaching assistantships in other departments. Financial aid for graduate students in the Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies may include Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships and graduate assistantships. All awards of financial aid are made following competitive application.