Given the immense importance of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in shaping contemporary world politics, the Middle East Studies certificate is designed to provide an interdisciplinary perspective of the region’s history and contemporary dynamics and their representations across the diaspora. The MES certificate offers a unique opportunity for students to develop their interest and knowledge of the MENA region through a wide range of courses taught by UW professors with great expertise in the fields of political science, history, religious studies, sociology/anthropology, art history, literature, and modern languages.  

MES certificate will give students a variety of career opportunities in international affairs, public policy, journalism, governmental institutions, education, public heath, humanitarian organizations, economic development, and security, or going on to graduate school and a career in academia.

How to Get in

Students interested in declaring the undergraduate certificate should contact the advisor. 

Requirements

18 credits are required, as follows:

Core Course

Complete one core course:

Middle Eastern Language Course

One course required from:

History and Social Science Courses

One course required from:

Religion and Culture Courses

One course required from:

Electives

Additional course work from the categories above, or the following may be used to meet reach the minimum 18 credits required. ¹

Residence and Quality of Work

• At least 9 certificate credits must be completed in residence.
• Minimum 2.000 GPA on all certificate courses.

Footnotes

¹

A maximum of 3 credits of Advanced Language may apply to the certificate.

Certificate Completion Requirement

This undergraduate certificate must be completed concurrently with the student’s undergraduate degree. Students cannot delay degree completion to complete the certificate.

Learning Outcomes

1. (Historical and Cultural Grounding) understanding the historical, political, and cultural forces and conditions that have given rise to the unity and diversity in the region today.
2. (Multi-disciplinarity) analyzing contemporary political, economic, and cultural realities in the region from at least two disciplinary perspectives, ideally including humanities, social sciences and sometimes natural science approaches.
3. (Depth of knowledge) mastering at the undergraduate generalist level a particular facet of life in the region by taking courses on a particular sub-region or country, or by studying a regional language, or by taking at least two courses on the region in one discipline.

Advising and Careers

Advising for the certificate is run by the Institute for Regional and International Studies (IRIS). The IRIS Assistant Director for Students and Curriculum advises the certificate and can assist you in developing your plan of study, track progress toward your certificate, explore study abroad and international internship options, and begin the career exploration process. We offer walk-in advising, advising workshops, and scheduled appointments. We strongly encourage students to begin career exploration early on and to make use of the many resources available on campus.

Resources

• Language and International Directions Advising (Language Institute)
• International Internship Program

L&S Career Resources

Every L&S major opens a world of possibilities.  SuccessWorks at the College of Letters & Science helps students turn the academic skills learned in their major, certificates, and other coursework into fulfilling lives after graduation, whether that means jobs, public service, graduate school or other career pursuits.

In addition to providing basic support like resume reviews and interview practice, SuccessWorks offers ways to explore interests and build career skills from their very first semester/term at UW all the way through graduation and beyond.

Students can explore careers in one-on-one advising, try out different career paths, complete internships, prepare for the job search and/or graduate school applications, and connect with supportive alumni and even employers in the fields that inspire them.

• SuccessWorks
• Set up a career advising appointment
• Enroll in a Career Course - a great idea for first- and second-year students:
  • INTER-LS 210 L&S Career Development: Taking Initiative (1 credit)
  • INTER-LS 215 Communicating About Careers (3 credits, fulfills Comm B General Education Requirement)
• Learn about internships and internship funding
  • INTER-LS 260 Internship in the Liberal Arts and Sciences
• Activate your Handshake account to apply for jobs and internships from 200,000+ employers recruiting UW-Madison students
• Learn about the impact SuccessWorks has on students' lives

People

Steven Brooke, Middle East Studies Program Director
Tsela Barr, Assistant Director

MESP Core Faculty and Staff

Wisconsin Experience

As a regional center within the Institute for Regional and International Studies, we support and enhance international and global awareness in our student communities and inspire informed thinking about the complexities of our world. We encourage our students to connect to international networks and our regional communities through our program’s lecture series, film screenings, and varied outreach events and activities. We encourage our students to study abroad, do international internships, and learn foreign languages, and we expect them to gain an interdisciplinary grounding in global and regional affairs. We provide resources and expertise on our world area to students, and prospective students, and more broadly to K–12 teachers and students, postsecondary educators and graduate students, businesses, the media, the military, the community at large, and anyone else who is interested.

Resources and Scholarships

Information about funding through the Middle East Studies Program is available on our website. We also encourage our students to explore funding options available through the Institute for Regional and International Studies (IRIS) Awards Office.