Welcome to the Middle East Center

The Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies at the UW, where the Middle East Center currently resides, began in 1909 when the UW established the Department of Oriental subjects. At present, the Jackson School has a faculty of more than 100 members and offers eight undergraduate and six graduate degrees (including an Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program in Near and Middle Eastern Studies and an M.A. in Middle East/International Studies).

The Middle East Center at the University of Washington came into existence in 1975 when it first qualified for funding under Title VI, NDEA. The Center has maintained that funding to the present time. The UW currently offers programs leading to undergraduate and graduate degrees in Middle Eastern and Central Asian languages (Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, Turkish, Uzbek, Kirghiz, Kazakh, and Tajik) and area studies. In the years since the creation of the Middle East Center, a professional Director of Outreach has always been on the staff. Through the efforts of these outreach directors, the University of Washington gained regional and national recognition for the quality of its outreach programs, particularly those planned for teachers.

The Middle East program is designed for students who wish to study the region within an interdisciplinary framework, focusing especially on the social, political, economic, and legal structure of the Middle East. Students interested in an M.A. degree emphasizing literature and other humanistic aspects of the Middle East should inquire about the program in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilization. Additionally, the University of Washington Library’s Near Eastern Section contains a wide body of literary and reference materials.