Graduate Catalog
2023-2024
 
Policies, Procedures, Academic Programs
Middle East Politics and Society
MEPC
Address:
900 N. Glebe Rd., School of Public and International Affairs, Virginia Tech Research Center-Arlington
Arlington , VA 22203
Contact this Certificate
Email Contact(s):
Web Resource(s):
• MEPS
Phone Number(s):

Certificate Overview

This certificate provides students with the tools to interpret, analyze, and assess contemporary politics and society in the Middle East. The certificate focuses on the politics, society, and history of the peoples of North Africa, Southwestern Asia, Asia Minor, and the Arabian Peninsula, related borderlands and island groups, and including emigrant and immigrant groups. The certificate addresses the causes and consequences of conflict in the region, the impact of external interventions, including colonialism, and the drivers of political and social change. Having successfully completed the certificate students will be able to: 1) apply theories of cultural and social change to describe how culture and religion affects politics in the Middle East; 2) assess how external involvement have shaped the region’s domestic and international politics; 3) analyze issues on comparative political theory pertaining to the methods of political representation, the status of women, minorities, and role of religion in Islamic polities; and 4) explain different approaches to conflict resolution as pertains to various political, economic, ethnic, and geopolitical struggles in the Middle East.

How to Apply:
Fill out the online application for participation in the certificate program.
Upon processing of the application, you will be contacted
with information about the submission of additional
required materials. Thank you for your interest.

Admission Requirements


Applications for the Graduate Certificate in Middle East Politics and Society will be considered from students enrolled in a graduate degree program at Virginia Tech and from non-degree and Commonwealth Campus students who have been permitted to take courses by the Graduate School. Certificates will be awarded upon application for the certificate and application for certificate conferral once course requirements have been completed.

Non-degree seeking applicants

A person who wishes to enter Virginia Tech to obtain a graduate certificate, without being enrolled in a degree program, may apply for admission to Graduate Certificate status. Such applicants submit an Application for Admission and a Graduate Certificate Application, and

must meet the following criteria:

• GPA of 3.0 for the last half of the credits earned for the undergraduate degree,

• Submission of official transcripts,

• academic background appropriate for the Certificate, and

• International applicants must submit scores from the Test of English as a Foreign

Language (TOEFL) with a minimum of 550 paper-based (PBT) or 80 internet-based test (iBT), or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) with a minimum score of 6.5.

Non-degree seeking applicants will be required to get permission of instructor before enrolling inindividual classes.

Course Requirements

Total Number of Credit Hours: 9 credit hours. Transfer credits are not permitted.

Required courses—9 credits

Students will choose three courses:

• GIA 5314 Middle East Geopolitics (3 cr)

• GIA/PSCI 5614 (HIST 5544)Understanding the Israeli Palestinian Conflict (3 cr)

• ASPT 5134 Islamic Political Thought (3 cr)

• ASPT/HIST/RLCL 6124 (PSCI 6234) Pre-Modern Christian and Islamic Political Theory (3 cr)

Another 5000-level or 6000-level course subject to approval by the certificate candidate’s advisor.