Prospectus

nl en

Middle Eastern Studies

Introduction

Pre-master programmes are not independent study programmes; therefore you cannot apply for admission to the pre-master Middle Eastern Studies. The pre-master programme is meant to provide a solution for students who have applied for the Master’s programme in Middle Eastern Studies, but who, according to the admission committee, still have deficiencies to eliminate.

Once the Board of Admissions receives your online application for the programme, it will decide if you are eligible for admission. This decision depends largely on your academic background and skills: the various specialisations of the MA Middle Eastern Studies carry different entry requirements.

If you do not fully meet the set entry requirements, you will be required to “cure” this deficiency. If the deficiency is 15 EC or less, you may be allowed to do extra courses during your MA. Your MA will then consist of 65 – 75 EC (the regular 60 EC plus the required extra courses). If your deficiency is more than 15 EC, you will get admitted to the MA Middle Eastern Studies under the condition that you first successfully complete a so-called pre-Master’s programme.

During a pre-Master’s programme you will gain the knowledge and skills needed for successful participation in the Master’s programme. Depending on your educational background and the chosen specialisation, the pre-Master’s programme will constitute a course load of 60 EC (1 year) or 30 EC (1 semester). In general, students with a BA degree from a University of Applied Sciences (HBO) will have to do a pre-master of 60 EC, while students with a BA degree from an academic university will be looking at a pre-master of 30 EC if their BA did not include any relevant courses at all. The coursework of the pre-master will consist of a series of courses from the Bachelor tracks in Middle Eastern Studies. Upon successful completion of this programme, you will be granted unconditional admission to the MA Middle Eastern Studies.

Pre-Master programmes

You can start a pre-Master programme in September and February.

30 EC:

This track requires you to finish six BA-level courses, of 5 ECTS each (two courses should have level 100, two courses level 200 and two courses level 300, with the possibility to replace a course with one of a higher level). The selection of these courses is made individually depending on your background and the specific track that you want to follow.

60 EC:

This track requires you to finish a maximum of 10 courses, of 5 or 10 EC each, and a BA-eindwerkstuk (BA-thesis) of 10 EC. The chosen courses should have a balanced division regarding level. The selection of these courses is made individually depending on your background and the specific track that you want to follow.

Tuition fee

Information on the tuition fee can be found in the list Tarieven instellingscollegegeld en overige onderwijstarieven 2015-2016 page 4/4 second and third item from the top.

30 EC

The courses listed below are only meant to give an idea of the possibilities available. Depending on the interest of the student an individual package can be composed in consultation with the Study advisor.

Note: Semester 1 = Fall Semester starting in September; Semester 2 = Spring Semester starting in February.

Note 2: Students with sufficient knowledge of Dutch may also opt to choose courses taught in Dutch. For a complete list see the the eguide of the BA Midden-Oosten studies.

Note 3: On the 1st of September a special meeting will be organized for all prospective pre-master students. Time and place to be announced.

Note 4: This list is yet to be completed.

Course EC Semester 1 Semester 2

Start in September

Choose two of the 100-level courses:

Jews and Judaism: A Cultural History 5
Introduction to the Study of Islam 5
Linguistic History of the Middle East 5
Area Studies 5

Choose two of the 200-level courses:

History of Contemporary Iran 5
Islamic Law 5
Jews in the Arab World 5

Choose two of the 300-level courses:

Arabic Linguistic Diversity 5
Islam and Society 5
Accentcollege: History and Culture of Modern Turkey 5

Start in February

Students choose a minimum of 20 EC from the courses listed below

Additionally they will prepare a review of a given list of books worth 5 or 10 EC to get to a total of 30 EC.

Economies of the Middle East 5
History of the Middle East 2 (1500-present) 5
Islam in the Modern World 5
Introduction to the Comparative Study of the Semitic Languages 5
Modern Thinkers and Trends in Islam 5

60 EC

The courses listed below are only meant to give an idea of the possibilities available. Depending on the interest of the student an individual package can be composed in consultation with the Study advisor.

Note 1: Semester 1 = Fall Semester starting in September; Semester 2 = Spring Semester starting in February.

Note 2: Students with sufficient knowledge of Dutch may also opt to choose courses taught in Dutch. For a complete list see the the eguide of the BA Midden-Oosten studies.

Note 3: On the 1st of September a special meeting will be organized for all prospective pre-master students. Time and place to be announced.

Note 4: This list is yet to be completed.

Course EC Semester 1 Semester 2

Obligatory courses for all pre-master students required to take more than 30 EC.

Academic Skills I Pre-Master 5
BA Thesis (Pre-master Middle Eastern Studies) 10

Other courses on offer:

Fall Semester

Introduction to the Study of Islam 5
Jews and Judaism: A Cultural History 5
Area Studies 5
Linguistic History of the Middle East 5
History of Contemporary Iran 5
Islamic Law 5
Jews in the Arab World 5
Arabic Linguistic Diversity 5
Accentcollege: History and Culture of Modern Turkey 5
Islam and Society 5

Spring Semester

Economies of the Middle East 5
History of the Middle East 2 (1500-present) 5
Islam in the Modern World 5
Introduction to the Comparative Study of the Semitic Languages 5
Modern Thinkers and Trends in Islam 5