1. For more information on the Center for Middle
Eastern Studies and its programs, please contact
Denise Beachum:
denise.beachum@austin.utexas.edu
tel. 512.471.3991
Center for Middle Eastern Studies
204W 21st St., F9400
Austin,TX 78712-0527
Department Office:
Calhoun 528
The Center for Middle Eastern Studies was
established in 1960 and coordinates one of the
largest and most comprehensive Middle East
programs in the United States.
The center’s principal mission is to advance
understanding of the Middle East and foster
knowledge about the region by training scholars
and professionals. As a National Resource
Center funded by Title VI grants from the U.S.
Department of Education, the center promotes
the study of the Middle East in a number of ways.
It works with academic departments in various
schools and colleges to strengthen their
course offerings on the Middle East and to
supplement them with interdisciplinary courses
and degree programs. Since 2000, the center
has brought in over $7 million in external
grant monies for course development, student
funding, research, faculty travel, the Middle
East library collection, and for such innovative
teaching techniques as computerized gaming,
simulation, and intensive classroom and online
language instruction.
Through the publication of scholarly and
literary works, educational outreach, online
resources, and conferences, the center reaches
a broad audience and has earned national and
international recognition for its contributions
to the field of Middle Eastern studies.
CENTERFORMIDDLEEASTERNSTUDIES
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN
CENTER FOR MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN
CENTER FOR MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES

2. O U R S T U D E N T S ’ C A R E E R S
Graduates from The University of Texas’ Middle Eastern
Studies program have pursued international development
work and government careers. They’ve become diplomats,
security analysts, military professionals, professors, business
executives,and in one case,the director of the CIA. We work
to create innovative programs that prepare students for their
next best step in their studies and in their lives.
U N D E R G R A D U A T E P R O G R A M S
The Middle Eastern studies major is an interdisciplinary
degree with a regional concentration, combining study
of a Middle Eastern language with a survey of courses in
history, social sciences, and the arts.The degree is intended
primarily for those preparing for a career in business,
communication, government, information studies, law, the
military, or education.
M A S T E R ’ S D E G R E E S
CMESoffersaMasterofArtsdegreeinMiddleEasternstudies.
This intensive but flexible interdisciplinary program allows
studentstotakecoursesontheMiddleEastinhistory,thesocial
sciences,humanities,business,communication,policy,and fine
arts, and achieve proficiency in a Middle Eastern language.
Seven dual-degree programs are available and combine
the MA in Middle Eastern Studies with a Master’s degree
in business administration, global policy studies, journalism,
public affairs, information studies, radio-television-film, or
with a JD degree through the School of Law. These dual-
degree programs are structured so that students can
earn two advanced degrees simultaneously while saving
approximately a year of study.
Students can continue their doctoral studies atThe University
ofTexas while working with center-affiliated faculty members
based in a number of departments and disciplines, including
history, anthropology, and comparative literature.
I C O M M E
The Institute for Communication on Media in the Middle East
builds on the solid prestige of the Center for Middle Eastern
Studies as well as the strong reputations of the Department
of Radio-Television Film and the School of Journalism within
the College of Communication.Recognizing the importance
of media, ICOMME inspires critical reflection of news and
popular culture representations of Arab, Iranian, Israeli, and
Turkish communities. Through public events and research,
the Institute aims to improve media narratives on the
Middle East.
L I B R A R Y C O L L E C T I O N
With over 8 million volumes and 50,000 current serials,
the UT Library ranks as the fifth largest academic library in
the country. Its digital collection includes over 6,700 texts
and journals, and 47,000 e-books.The Middle East Library
Program has one of the most important collections in North
America with respect to size, technological innovation, and
commitment to public service.The collection includes over
330,000 monographs and periodicals in Arabic, Hebrew,
Persian,Turkish, and other languages, hundreds of films and
musical recordings,and over 2,000 volumes of census records
from Middle Eastern countries.
Of special note are a collection of Shi’i works published
in Iran, a complete collection of works by and about
Ahmad Kasravi (the Iranian historian, linguist, and
social thinker),and a microfilm set of rare Zaydi manuscripts
from Yemen. A major federal grant enabled the library to
collectcompleteornearlycompletesetsofsome310 Turkish
and Azerbaijani serials. Many of these works are not held by
any other U.S.library,offering a unique national resource for
scholars researchingTurkey and CentralAsia. A large Judaica
and Hebraica collection is supported by private funds as
well as by the Center for Middle Eastern Studies.
O U T R E A C H
CMES Outreach enhances knowledge and understanding
of the Middle East and its component cultures in K-12
and postsecondary schools, businesses, military, state and
local government, the media, and the general public. CMES
also develops online, open source curriculum resources
and sponsors educational study tours to the Middle East
for K-12 educators. As an active member of the Middle
East Outreach Council, our program participates in the
coordination of outreach efforts nationwide.
P U B L I C A T I O N S
Since 1976, the Center for Middle Eastern Studies has
published approximately eighty books in its five series, and
recently launched our Language Curricula Series with a new
introductory Persian textbook. Our scholarly works and
literary translations on subjects concerning the Middle East
have reached audiences worldwide and are often used in
classrooms. All works are chosen under a rigorous review
process overseen by the center’s Publications Committee.
Scholarly and literary publications are marketed and
distributed by the University of Texas Press.
For more information on the Center for Middle Eastern Studies
atThe University of Texas at Austin, please visit:
http://www.utexas.edu/cola/depts/mes/center/cmes.php