About the Program

The Middle Eastern Studies (MES) Program brings together scholars from across a wide range of disciplines to teach and research the great civilizations, societies, and cultures of the Middle East and North Africa. MES offers a wide array of courses on history, politics, religion, literature, and culture of the region (taught in English) as well as state-of-the-art language training in Arabic and Hebrew. MES also offers advanced seminars using primary sources.

In addition to our offerings on campus, there is a full array of study abroad opportunities. The friendly, personal relationships that develop between professors and students in MES often extend beyond the students’ time on campus.

Because of the pivotal role that the Middle East will play in the geo-politics, economics, and history of the twenty-first century, students with a strong background in the region are highly competitive for a wide array of professional opportunities, including consulting, NGOs, development, government, medicine, and law. We urge interested students to begin Arabic or Hebrew during their first term at Dartmouth.