The Middle East and Central Asia, predominately Muslim States and Societies, are rich in history, geographical wonders, political turmoil, and socio-cultural influence. The Middle East ranges from Turkey and Iran in West Asia to the Arab heartland as far as Morocco in North Africa. Central Asia is comprised of Afghanistan and the former Muslim republics of the Soviet.

They are areas of constant domestic and international interest as events often unfold which have global relevance and significance. This program will take you through the topics, debates and developments in the Middle East and Central Asia. You will study the socio-cultural, political, historical and economic structures of these regions and develop a comprehensive knowledge of their relationship to global socio-cultural, political and economic trends.

The Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies (CAIS) at ANU is the only academic institution in Australia to offer the Bachelor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies. The courses offered are interdisciplinary, drawing from international relations, sociology, history, political economy, security, cultural studies and cognate disciplines. The breadth of disciplines and approaches used in CAIS’s teaching offers a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the Middle East and Central Asia regions. To fully engage with the history and culture of the regions, you can also study a Middle Eastern or Central Asian language. There is also the opportunity to undertake a highly competitive research project through the Australian National Internships Program (ANIP).

Statistics opens the door to understanding our world through the exploration of data and the modelling of uncertainty. The need for statistics is growing rapidly as our ability to collect massive amounts of data outruns our ability to understand and use the data we collect. Hal Varian, Chief Economist at Google, declared that “the sexy job in the next ten years will be statisticians”, as the challenge of understanding large, complex data structures mounts. It is estimated that 2.5 exabytes of data is generated every single day, with the accumulated amount of data doubling every 18 months, and that 90% of all data ever gathered was produced within the last two years. What’s more, statistics is critical for every discipline for which data play a role, and in responding to the world’s biggest challenges such as climate change, terrorism, health and medicine, and global economic conditions. Some of the world’s largest employers of statisticians include Google and Facebook as well as governments, financial institutions, medical and pharmaceutical industries, universities and many other sectors. By completing a BStat at ANU, you stand ready to meet humanity’s biggest challenges by understanding the world we observe through the eyes of data and statistical and probability modelling.

Employment Opportunities

Graduates may find work in policy development, foreign affairs, government, private business, tourism, trade, journalism and many other fields.

Graduates may find work in policy development, foreign affairs, government, private business, tourism, trade, journalism and many other fields.

Learning Outcomes

1. understand and evaluate historical and current events and developments that have shaped the Middle East and Central Asia;

2. identify and critique the contemporary socio-cultural and political systems of the Middle East and Central Asia;

3. analyse current debates relating to regional cooperation and unity in the context of tensions in traditions;

4. analyse the global significance of events and developments in the Middle East and Central Asia; and

5. communicate in a Middle Eastern or Central Asian language. 

1. Review and synthesise a broad range of statistical knowledge from their chosen major
   
2. Use the R statistical computing language to carry out a wide variety of statistical tasks
   
3. Carry out model selection in a multiple linear regression modelling context
   
4. Describe the concepts of stochastic processes in discrete and continuous time
   
5. Describe and interpret probability theory, continuous random variables, and sampling distributions and the central limit theorem
   
6. Analyse programming problems to suggest, design and implement appropriate modular program structures, based on a data-directed approach.   

Further Information

Students enrolled in BMECA will be assigned an academic mentor from the pool of academic staff at the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies. The mentoring program ensures that academic support is provided to every student enrolled in the program. It is designed to provide academic support to BMECA students and include them in CAIS’ intellectual community through academic and social gatherings. This is an optional form of assistance and students can opt out at any point of their degree.

Students enrolled in BMECA will be assigned an academic mentor from the pool of academic staff at the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies. The mentoring program ensures that academic support is provided to every student enrolled in the program. It is designed to provide academic support to BMECA students and include them in CAIS’ intellectual community through academic and social gatherings. This is an optional form of assistance and students can opt out at any point of their degree.

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 guarantee entry into the program.

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.

The University reserves the right to alter or discontinue its programs and change admission requirements as needed.

Domestic applicants

Before applying for a program, you should review the general information about domestic undergraduate admission to ANU programs and how to apply, and the program-specific information below.

• Applicants with recent secondary education are assessed on:
  • completion of Australian Year 12 or equivalent, and the minimum Selection Rank (from their academic qualifications, plus any adjustment factors) requirement for this program; and
  • co-curricular or service requirement (applies to applicants who complete secondary education in the year prior to commencing at ANU); and
  • English language proficiency; and
  • any program-specific requirements listed below.
• Applicants with higher education study are assessed on:
  • previous higher education studies; or secondary education results if completed less than one full-time equivalent year (1.0 FTE) of a degree; or the result from a bridging or preparatory course; and
  • English language proficiency; and
  • any program-specific requirements listed below.
• Applicants with vocational education and training (VET) study are assessed on:
  • previously completed VET qualifications at AQF level 5 or higher (i.e. a Diploma or above); or secondary education results if the VET qualification is not completed; and
  • English language proficiency; and
  • any program-specific requirements listed below.
• Applicants with work and life experience are assessed on:
  • ATAR or equivalent if secondary education was completed; or the Special Adult Entry Scheme (SAES); or work experience; and
  • English language proficiency; and
  • any program-specific requirements listed below.

International applicants

Applicants who complete a recognised secondary/senior secondary/post-secondary/tertiary sequence of study will be assessed on the basis of an equivalent selection rank that is calculated upon application. A list of commonly observed international qualifications and corresponding admission requirements can be found here. Applicants must also meet any program specific requirements that are listed below.

Diversity factors & English language proficiency  
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. If required, competitive ranking may further be confirmed on the basis of demonstrating higher-level English language proficiency.

Further information is available for English Language Requirements for Admission

Prerequisites

ACT: Specialist Mathematics (Major/Minor)/Specialist Methods(Major/Minor), NSW: Mathematics Extension 1. More information about interstate subject equivalencies can be found here.

Adjustment Factors

Adjustment factors are additional points added to an applicant's Selection Rank (for example an applicant's ATAR). ANU offers adjustment factors based on performance and equity principles, such as for high achievement in nationally strategic senior secondary subjects and for recognition of difficult circumstances that students face in their studies. 

Selection Rank adjustments are granted in accordance with the approved schedules, and no more than 15 (maximum 5 subject/performance-based adjustment factors and maximum 10 equity-based adjustment factors) can be awarded. 

You may be considered for adjustment factors if you have:

• applied for an eligible ANU Bachelor degree program
• undertaken Australian Year 12 or the International Baccalaureate
• achieved an ATAR or equivalent at or above 70
• not previously attempted tertiary study.

Please visit the ANU Adjustment Factors website for further information.

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.

Program Requirements

The Bachelor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies flexible double degree component requires completion of 96 units, of which:

A maximum of 36 units may come from completion of 1000-level courses

The 96 units must include:

12 units from completion of the following compulsory courses:

MEAS1001 Introduction to the Modern Middle East 

MEAS1002 Islam: History and Institutions 

12 units from the completion of two courses from the following list:

MEAS3003 Critical Perspectives on Arabic culture

MEAS3004 Iran in World Politics

POLS3070 Politics in Central Asia

24 units from completion of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies courses from the following list:

ANIP3003 Australian National Internships Program A

BUSI2024 Dynamics of Business in the Middle East

MEAS2000 Iranian History and Culture

MEAS2001 New States of Eurasia: Emerging Issues in Politics and Security

MEAS2003 Modern Turkey: History, Politics and Culture 

MEAS2105 The Political Economy of the Middle East

MEAS2004 Turkish Politics and Foreign Policy

MEAS2005 Gender and Culture in Iran and the Middle East

MEAS2006 Gallipoli: A transnational history

MEAS2105 The Political Economy of the Middle East

MEAS3005 Modern Iraq: State, Politics and Society 

MEAS3006 Turkish History: Ottoman State to Modern Turkey

MEAS3007 Syria in the Levant: State, Society, and the Current Turmoil

MEAS3008 Egypt: Social and Political Dynamics

POLS2031 Politics in the Middle East

POLS2069 Politics in Russia

Either:

48 units from completion of one of the following language majors:

Arabic

Persian

Or:

24 units from completion of one of the following language minors 

Arabic

Persian

24 units from completion of one of the following:

an in-country study abroad component/exchange in the same language as the minor

an internship undertaken in the same language as the minor

Or:

24 units from completion of one of the following advanced language minors: 

Advanced Arabic Minor

Advanced Persian Minor

24 units from completion of courses from the following majors, minors and courses:

Advanced Arabic Minor

Advanced Persian Minor

ANU Leadership and Research Minor

Applied Linguistics Minor

Arabic Major

Asian History Minor

Asian Studies Major

Forensic Linguistics Minor

History Major

Human Rights Major

International Communication Major

International Relations Major

Linguistics Major

Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies Major

Persian Major

Political Science Major

Russian and Central Asian Minor

Russian Minor

Social Research Methods Minor

The Bachelor of Statistics flexible double degree component requires completion of 96 units, of which:

A maximum of 48 units may come from completion of 1000-level courses

The 96 units must consist of:

48 units from the completion of one of the following statistics majors:@

Applied Statistics

Probability and Stochastic Processes

Statistical Data Analytics

Theoretical Statistics

 6 units from completion of the following compulsory courses:

STAT2005 Introduction to Stochastic Processes

 6 units from completion of an introductory statistics course from the following list:

STAT1003 Statistical Techniques

STAT1008 Quantitative Research Methods

6 units from completion of an introductory mathematical statistics course from the following list:

STAT2001 Introductory Mathematical Statistics

STAT2013 Introductory Mathematical Statistics for Actuarial Studies

6 units from completion of a regression course from the following list:

STAT2008 Regression Modelling

STAT2014 Regression Modelling for Actuarial Studies

 6 units from completion of an introductory computing course from the following list:

COMP1100 Programming as Problem Solving

COMP1730 Programming for Scientists

 12 units from completion of an introductory mathematics courses from the following list:

MATH1013 Mathematics and Applications 1

MATH1014 Mathematics and Applications 2

MATH1115 Advanced Mathematics and Applications 1

MATH1116 Advanced Mathematics and Applications 2

 6 units from completion of a discrete mathematics course from the following list:

MATH2301 Games, Graphs and Machines

MATH3511 Scientific Computing

If your flexible double degree is within the College of Business and Economics (for example Commerce and Economics), the below study plan may show the same course twice. If this is the case, you must only do the course once and replace the other course with a University Wide Elective or CBE List 1 elective. Please note that you cannot exceed 8 out of college electives.

Students enrolled in Bachelor of Statistics/Bachelor of Actuarial Studies degree will need to enrol in STAT2013 and STAT2014, instead of STAT2001 and STAT2008.

Students enrolled in Bachelor of Statistics/Bachelor of Advanced Computing (Hons) degree will need to enrol in MATH1115 and MATH1116, instead of MATH1013 and MATH1014. Also, in the Bachelor of Statistics, these students should replace COMP1100 with an elective, as they will completing COMP1130 in the BAC (Hons) degree, which is an incompatible course

For majors and minors offered by the ANU College of Business and Economics, students may count a course towards multiple majors and minors. If a minor is a subset of all stated courses and/or prerequisites for a major, then completion of the major overrides completion of the minor, and only the major is regarded as having been completed. If all courses in a major and/or minor are compulsory courses in the degree, the major and/or minor will not be listed on the transcript.

Majors

Bachelor of Statistics Majors

Bachelor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies Majors

Minors

Bachelor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies Minors

Bachelor of Statistics Minors

Study Options

Honours

Students may proceed to the fourth honours year in Statistics. Entry to the honours year program is subject to an appropriately high average grade (generally distinction level or above) in the 3000-level compulsory subjects described in the course listings and requires the approval of College. Other conditions may also apply. Students who are interested in the honours program should seek further advice from the Convenor of the Program in the Research School of Finance, Actuarial Studies and Applied Statistics.