Graduate Study

Graduate programs leading to the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees are offered in Arabic, Hebrew, Persian and Turkish languages and literatures. Graduate programs are also offered in the following special fields of Near Eastern Studies: Archaeology, Art History, Cuneiform, Biblical and Judaic Studies, Old Iranian Studies, Egyptology, and Islamic Studies.

Students must satisfactorily complete the requirements for the M.A. degree and receive official permission to proceed, in order to be admitted to the Ph.D. program.

The length of time needed to complete an advanced degree in the Department depends on financial considerations, the extent of the student?s earlier preparation, and similar factors. Under optimum conditions, the M.A. can be earned in two years after admission, and the Ph.D. can be earned in an additional five years. Many students take longer than this to complete all requirements.

The M.A. Degree

Applicants for the M.A. program should have fulfilled the equivalent of the Departmental requirements for the B.A. degree. Minor deficiencies in preparation would need to be repaired in the student?s first year of graduate work. For more extensive preparatory work, prospective applicants might consider enrolling in UC Extension's Concurrent Enrollment Program, through which students may enroll in the regular courses for this Department. Units for courses taken through this program will not be credited toward the student's M.A. requirements. Registration and fee information is available through the University Extension, (510) 642-4111.

The M.A. degree is obtained according to Plan II, as outlined in the General Catalog (see "The Master's Degree"). In addition to the requirements outlined, the student must pass a reading examination in French or German. (If it is clearly necessary to the student's field of study, another modern language may be substituted on approval of the graduate adviser and the student?s advisory committee.):

Plan II requirements for students in language programs: (1) at least 24 units of course work, at least 12 of which must be in 200-series courses in the major and (possibly overlapping) three semesters of work in a Near Eastern language other than the student's major language; (2) two scholarly papers written independently or in connection with course work; (3) written M.A. examinations to test (a) working knowledge of the pertinent languages, (b) general knowledge of the history and civilizations of the area of emphasis, and (c) knowledge of and familiarity with other subjects suggested by the student's degree committee.

Plan II requirements for students in archaeology and art history programs with a Mesopotamian emphasis: (1) at least 24 units of course work, at least 12 of which must be in 200-series courses. Three semesters must be drawn from NES 220AB, 221AB, 223AB; (2) two scholarly papers written independently or in connection with course work; (3) written M.A. examinations covering one major and two minor fields.

Plan II requirements for students in archaeology and art history programs with an Egyptian emphasis: (1) at least 24 units of course work at least 12 of which must be in 200-series courses. The required 24 units must include two semesters work in the ancient Egyptian language beyond second year level. The 12 200-series units must be from seminar courses (one 200-level Egyptian language course may count towards the seminar course requirement.); (2) two scholarly papers written independently or in connection with course work; (3) written M.A. examinations covering one major and two minor fields.

The Ph.D. Degree

Applicants to the Ph.D. program should hold the M.A. or an equivalent degree. Students completing the M.A. in this Department need to pass a Permission to Proceed exam after completing the M.A. requirements.

Except for the Graduate Division's academic residence requirement (see General Catalog), there are no specific unit requirements for the Ph.D. in this Department. Students select courses that will prepare them to meet the requirements for admission to candidacy. It is expected that students will take seminars in at least two areas in the Department before taking preliminary examinations.

Admission to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree depends on successful completion of the following requirements: (1) Ph.D. coursework; (2) reading examinations in French and German (proficiency in another language to the student?s field of emphasis may be substituted for either French or German on approval of the graduate adviser and the student?s advisory committee); (3) proficiency in one or two Near Eastern languages as required for the student?s field of study. (For language majors, proficiency will be tested by a comprehensive exam, which must be taken and passed no later than the semester prior to the student's written preliminary examination, and the written preliminary examination, which will cover at least two Near Eastern languages. For Egyptian Archaeology and Art History majors, proficiency will be tested through the written preliminary examinations, which will include an examination in Egyptian and/or Coptic. Archaeology/art history students (except those in Egyptian archaeology) who have not completed a minimum of two years course work in an ancient or modern Near Eastern language must pass a proficiency examination in an ancient or modern Near Eastern Language before taking the preliminary examinations.); (4) field work (for art history and archaeology majors); (5) written preliminary examinations and the oral qualifying examination; (6) a prospectus of the dissertation approved by the student?s proposed Ph.D. dissertation committee.

After admission to candidacy, the student must fulfill the requirements for the dissertation as outlined in the General Catalog.

For more detailed information about these graduate programs, please consult the Graduate Assistant in 250 Barrows Hall, (510)642-6162 or 642-3757.

Special Graduate Programs

• Joint Doctoral Program in Near Eastern Religions

  This program is open only to students who intend to work toward the Ph.D. degree. Students must possess an M.A. (or equivalent) in Near Eastern Studies, or a related field, and must be competent in at least two ancient languages suitable to the proposed program. Applicants must be admitted into both the Graduate Theological Union and the University of California. The degree is conferred jointly by the two institutions. More information about this program is available through <http://www.gtu.edu/academic-degrees-programs>

• Joint Doctoral Program in Jewish Studies

  This program is open only to students who intend to work toward the Ph.D. degree. Students must acquire professional competence both in a historical period and a disciplinary focus, and interdisciplinary approaches will be strongly encouraged. Applicants will be admitted into both the Center for Jewish Studies of the Graduate Theological Union and the University of California. The degree is conferred jointly by the two institutions. More information about this program is available through <http://jewishstudies.berkeley.edu/>.

• The Graduate Program in Ancient History and Mediterranean Archaeology

  This program is interdisciplinary in nature, and is administered by a faculty group drawn from several departments, including the ancient studies faculty of this Department. Examples of fields of emphasis include Near Eastern History, Greek History, Roman History, Ancient Art and Archaeology, Ancient Law, Epigraphy and Papyrology. Candidates for degrees will study a combination of three fields (one as a major subject, two as minor subjects), as well as two ancient languages. The program is open to students with a B.A. degree in a relevant area. While applicants should have had sufficient training to undertake advanced work in at least one ancient language, applicants not possessing a strong language background but who exhibit unusual promise will also be considered. More information about this program is available through <http://ls.berkeley.edu/dept/ahma/>

Forms

Indep Study Form

Qual Exam Application GTU

Qual Exam Application NES

The forms require Adobe Acrobat Reader. Free Adobe Acrobat reader can be downloaded from: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

Below are the links to other downloadable forms and applications of the Graduate Division and Office of the Registrar:
http://www.grad.berkeley.edu/policies/forms.shtml
http://registrar.berkeley.edu/GeneralInfo/elecforms.html

For Fellowship Deadlines visit:
http://www.grad.berkeley.edu/financial/deadlines.shtml#entering