Program Requirements

The Master of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies (Advanced) requires the completion of 96 units, of which:

96 units must come from 6000-level, 7000-level and 8000-level courses

A minimum of 48 units must come from completion of 8000-level courses

The 96 units must consist of:

A maximum of 24 units from completion of the Introductory Courses from any of the following lists:

Arabic

ARAB6102 Introductory Arabic A

ARAB6103 Introductory Arabic B

ARAB6501 Intermediate Arabic A

ARAB6502 Intermediate Arabic B

ARAB6503 Advanced Arabic A

ARAB6504 Advanced Arabic B

ARAB6505 Introductory Course to Arabic Linguistics

ARAB6506 Research Project (Arabic)

ARAB6507 Introductory Course to Arabic Literature

ARAB6508 Special Topics in Arabic

ARAB6509 Directed Study Project (Arabic)

ARAB6510 Arab Current Affairs and Media Arabic

ARAB6511 Applied Arabic

Persian

PERS6001 Introductory Persian A

PERS6002 Introductory Persian B

PERS6003 Intermediate Persian A

PERS6004 Intermediate Persian B

PERS6005 Advanced Persian A

PERS6006 Advanced Persian B

Turkish

MEAS6503 Modern Turkey: History, Culture and Regional Relations

MEAS6504 Turkish Politics and Foreign Policy

TURK6001 Elementary Turkish A

TURK6002 Elementary Turkish B

A minimum of 24 units from completion of disciplinary courses from the following list:

MEAS8010 Turkish History: Ottoman State to Modern Turkey

MEAS8102 Islamic Radicalism

MEAS8109 Energy and Security in Central Asia and the Caucasus

MEAS8111 Islam, the West and International Terrorism

MEAS8112 Dynamics of Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

MEAS8113 The Gulf Strategic Environment

MEAS8114 Geopolitics of Central Asia

MEAS8115 Islam in World Politics

MEAS8116 Authoritarianism, Democratisation and Protest in the Muslim Middle East

MEAS8117 Islam in Central Asia

MEAS8118 Islam in Australia

MEAS8124 Introduction to Islamic Banking

MEAS8127 Islam and Sectarianism in the Middle East

12 units from completion of Research Training courses from the following list:

POLS8004 Postgraduate Training in Politics and Policy: Research Methods

POLS8042 Research Training: Scope and Methods

SOCR8006 Online Research Methods

SOCR8008 Qualitative Social Research

12 units from completion of Research Project courses from the following list:

ANIP6503 Australian National Internships Program Internship A (Graduate)

MEAS8100 Oil Religion Politics and Conflict in the Middle East

MEAS8105 Special Topic in Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies   

MEAS8108 Issues of Development in the Middle East

MEAS8121 Approaches to the Study of Modern Muslim Societies

MEAS8123 Special Topic in Modern Islam

MEAS8126 Contemporary Issues in Islamic Banking

24 units from completion of elective courses offered by ANU

Unless otherwise stated, a course used to satisfy the requirements of one list may not be double counted towards satisfying the requirements of another list.

Study Options

Admission Requirements

At a minimum, all applicants must meet program-specific academic/non-academic requirements, and English language requirements. Admission to most ANU programs is on a competitive basis. Therefore, meeting all admission requirements does not automatically guarantee entry. 

Applicants must present a Bachelor degree or international equivalent with a minimum GPA of 5.0/7.0

Cognate Disciplines

Diplomacy, International relations, Modern history; Other social sciences and humanities disciplines and fields where there is significant coverage of a relevant aspect of Middle Eastern, Central Asian or Islamic Studies and where similar approaches and methodologies are used; and modern languages relating to the Middle East and/or Central Asia region such as Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Russian or French. Politics, Political economy, Political science, Religious studies/Islamic studies; Security studies, Sociology; Strategic studies.

In line with the university's admissions policy and strategic plan, an assessment for admission may include competitively ranking applicants on the basis of specific academic achievement, English language proficiency and diversity factors. 

Academic achievement & English language proficiency

The minimum academic requirement for full entry and enrolment is a Bachelor degree or international equivalent with a minimum GPA of 5.0/7.0. 

However, applicants will first be ranked on a GPA ('GPA1') that is calculated using all but the last semester (or equivalent) of the Bachelor degree used for admission purposes. 

If required, ranking may further be confirmed on the basis of: 

• a GPA ('GPA2') calculated on the penultimate and antepenultimate semesters (or equivalent) of the Bachelor degree used for admission purposes; and/or

• demonstrating higher-level English language proficiency. 

Prior to enrolment in this ANU program, all students who gain entry will have their Bachelor degree reassessed, to confirm minimum requirements were met.

Diversity factors

As Australia’s national university, ANU is global representative of Australian research and education. ANU endeavours to recruit and maintain a diverse and deliberate student cohort representative not only of Australia, but the world. In order to achieve these outcomes, competitive ranking of applicants may be adjusted to ensure access to ANU is a reality for brilliant students from countries across the globe.

Assessment of qualifications

Unless otherwise indicated, ANU will accept all Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) qualifications or international equivalents that meet or exceed the published admission requirements of our programs, provided all other admission requirements are also met.

 Where an applicant has more than one completed tertiary qualification, ANU will base assessment on the qualification that best meets the admission requirements for the program. Find out more about the Australian Qualifications Framework: www.aqf.edu.au

ANU uses a 7-point Grade Point Average (GPA) scale. All qualifications submitted for admission at ANU will be converted to this common scale, which will determine if an applicant meets our published admission requirements. Find out more about how a 7-point GPA is calculated for Australian universities: www.uac.edu.au/future-applicants/admission-criteria/tertiary-qualifications

Unless otherwise indicated, where an applicant has more than one completed tertiary qualification, ANU will calculate the GPA for each qualification separately. ANU will base assessment on the best GPA of all completed tertiary qualifications of the same level or higher.

Applications for course credit

Applicants with a Bachelor Degree or Graduate Certificate in a cognate discipline may be eligible for up to 24 units (one semester) of credit. 

Applicants with a Graduate Diploma or Bachelor degree with Honours in a cognate discipline may be eligible for up to 48 units (one year) of credit.

Cognate Disciplines

Diplomacy, International relations, Modern history; Other social sciences and humanities disciplines and fields where there is significant coverage of a relevant aspect of Middle Eastern, Central Asian or Islamic Studies and where similar approaches and methodologies are used; and modern languages relating to the Middle East and/or Central Asia region such as Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Russian or French. Politics, Political economy, Political science, Religious studies/Islamic studies; Security studies, Sociology; Strategic studies.

Scholarships

ANU offers a wide range of scholarships to students to assist with the cost of their studies.

Eligibility to apply for ANU scholarships varies depending on the specifics of the scholarship and can be categorised by the type of student you are.  Specific scholarship application process information is included in the relevant scholarship listing.

For further information see the Scholarships website.

Employment Opportunities

A MMECAS will advance your career in any professional area requiring a solid understanding of the Middle East and Central Asia, whether in diplomacy, the public service, teaching, journalism, development or business.

Learning Outcomes

1. Conduct detailed, sophisticated research on the Middle East and/or Central Asia, synthesize research material and explain the findings clearly and succinctly, and present these findings both in writing and orally;
2. Discuss, explain and analyse major modern events, characteristics and dynamics related to the Middle East and/or Central Asia;
3. Explain and assess the dynamics that shape and influence Middle East and/or Central Asia, including one or more of: the roles of key actors in these regions’ politics, international relations, and political economies; the impacts on the region of modern historical events; and the impacts of societal and cultural forces; and
4. Engage critically with key scholarly debates and controversies related to the study of the Middle East and/or Central Asia, including some that cross traditional disciplinary boundaries.

Inherent Requirements

Information on inherent requirements is currently not available

Further Information

• Interested in writing a thesis? Check out the advanced version of this degree.
• Please be aware that any courses taken as part of the 24 units from completion of elective courses offered by ANU list will not count towards the advanced degree should you decide to transfer. This is because the advanced degree has no free electives, as they are in practice replaced by a 24 unit thesis.