Pursuing a degree in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies can take you on many academic, professional, and educational paths. The programs below represent only a fraction of the opportunities that are available to IMES students. Students wishing to apply to any of these programs are highly encouraged to seek support from IMES faculty and staff, who will gladly advise and assist students through the application process.
The Fulbright Program provides U.S. students with grants to conduct an independent research project or teach English as a second language abroad. Grantees are paired with a host institution, where they engage in research or teaching. In addition to their formal activities, Fulbrighters often coordinate cultural programming to teach locals about life in the United States and participate in local traditions through which they learn about their host country. The Fulbright Program in the Middle East operates in Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Oman and the UAE.
The Carnegie Junior Fellowship gives students the opportunity to live in Washington, D.C., for a year and support the Carnegie Endowment's staff in their research. IMES students are strong candidates for the Middle East program.
The State Department's Critical Language Scholarship Program sends students to countries around the globe for language immersion. In addition to furthering their language skills, participants have the opportunity to learn about the cultural context of their chosen language through activities in the host country. The costs of the program are entirely covered by DoS.
Boren Scholarships are another great way for students to further their understanding of the Middle East and deepen their knowledge of a regional language, since they fund summer, semester, and year-long study abroad programs.
The Crown Center for Middle East Studies offers travel, research, and study grants up to $5000 for both undergraduate and graduate students in the Middle East. These grants may be used for travel, study, research, or to support an internship.
The Schusterman Center for Israel Studies offers undergraduates $2,500 grants for study abroad or internships in Israel. This wide-reaching grant covers academic pursuits in science and business, as well as social sciences, humanities and arts.
Center for Strategic & International Studies offers post-grad internship opportunities with their Middle East program as well as advice for job seekers in Middle East policy.
Council on Foreign Relations offers undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to develop skills in journalism, editing, business, and more in the context of the Middle East.
Middle East Institute offers undergraduates, recent grads, and graduate students numerous opportunities in a variety of departments to gain hands-on experience in a nonprofit organization that focuses exclusively on the Middle East.
Middle East Policy Council offers university students an opportunity to gain insight into the professional work of a nonprofit organization and gain in-depth experience with Middle East issues.
National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations offers a summer internship program for both undergraduate and graduate students.
U.S. Department of State offers paid and unpaid internships for both undergraduate and graduate students seeking substantive opportunities to support U.S. foreign policy and diplomacy.
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy offers undergraduates and recent grads full time and part time, unpaid research internships.
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars offers undergraduates, recent grads, and graduate students part time, unpaid internships in the Middle East Program. Fluency in Arabic, Farsi or Turkish highly desired.
The State Department's Critical Language Scholarship Program sends students to countries around the globe for language immersion. In addition to furthering their language skills, participants have the opportunity to learn about the cultural context of their chosen language through activities in the host country. The costs of the program are entirely covered by DoS.
Middlebury College offers summer language immersion programs in both Arabic and Hebrew. These programs are ideal opportunities for IMES students to sharpen their language skills for study abroad, internships, and employment opportunities.
The Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies (NEJS) at Brandeis offers IMES majors the opportunity to pursue a combined BA/MA.
NEJS also offers a doctoral program in Arabic and Islamic Civilization.
For more information about fellowships and how to apply, please visit Academic Services.