Dual Degree: Master of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations

Program Profile: The Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations (NELC) engages in the interdisciplinary humanistic study and teaching of the cultures of the Near East (often called the Middle East) as they express themselves in languages and texts, broadly defined to include written and oral sources, as well as art, architecture, archaeology, and material culture. These cultures encompass the geographic region that stretches from North Africa through the eastern Mediterranean, Arabia and Iran. Its programmatic foci are the civilizations of Mesopotamia/Iraq, Egypt, Israel, Syria, Arabia, Anatolia/Turkey and Persia/Iran. It teaches Sumerian, Akkadian, Hittite, Egyptian, Hebrew, Aramaic, Arabic, Persian, and Turkish, and other languages of the region, from ancient through modern.

Student Profile: Students in this program come from diverse backgrounds. Some come into the degree right out of college while others are professionals or those wishing to change careers.

Curriculum: Students complete twelve course units, a language proficiency exam, a reading examination in a modern language of scholarly research, comprehensive exams and a thesis. Students in the program choose a concentration area in Egyptology, Cuneiform Studies, Biblical Studies, Rabbinics & Classical Judaism or Arabic and Islamic Studies. Course requirements span the fields of language, literature, history and religion.

Program Length: Typically 2 years; three semesters of full-time coursework and one semester for the thesis.

Application: Applications must contain all of the following in order to be considered complete:

• Application
• Non-refundable $70 application fee made payable to "Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania"
• Personal Statement
• Three (3) Letter of Recommendation
• Two (2) copies of all college-level transcripts
• GRE scores (not older than 5 years). Report scores to Institution Code 2926; Department Code 2699.
• TOEFL score for non-native speakers of English (not older than 2 years). Report scores to Institution Code 2926; Department Code 2699.
• Writing Sample. A writing sample is not required for any concentration but is strongly encouraged for all applicants. It may be of any length on any topic and should be indicative of your ability to research and write on a graduate level.  Please submit only papers written in English.

Tuition: Approximate tuition costs for the 12 course units in this program are $52,250. Click here for more detailed information