NES Major

We offer courses in the history, culture, archaeology, religion, languages and literature of the Near/Middle East, a region that has had an important impact on the development of human history and plays a vital role in today's world community. Encompassing the Middle East from ancient times to the modern period, the department's course offerings encourage students to take an interdisciplinary approach to the cultures of this region and emphasize methods of historical and literary analysis.

A major in Near Eastern Studies offers students the opportunity to explore the languages, literatures, cultures, religions, and history of the Near East/Middle East from antiquity to the modern day. The major is designed both to acquaint students broadly with the region and its cultures as well as to study a particular subfield in depth.

The NES major provides a great deal of flexibility for students to choose courses from a range of topics and fields. Students select the sequence and combination of courses in consultation with their advisor.

Career

An NES degree prepares you for law school, business school and Ph.D. and M.A. programs in various fields.

With an NES degree, you can work in non-governmental organizations, journalism, education, foreign services, United Nations, private sector, business, international consultancy, translation or intelligence agencies.

Apply

Requirements

  • Credit requirement: A minimum of 30 credits is required to complete the NES major. Middle Eastern language courses not being used to fulfill the NES language requirement may count toward the major.
  • Core Course: All NES majors are required to take NES 4560-Theory and Method in Near Eastern Studies offered every spring semester. Students are encouraged to take this course as early in their academic career as possible. This course cannot count toward the temporal breadth requirement.
  • All courses for the major must be taken for a letter grade, and students must pass the course with a grade of "B-" or better.
  • No course may be used to satisfy two requirements.

Language Requirements

Knowledge of Middle Eastern language(s) is an important component of the NES major. We expect all NES majors to graduate with at least a functional knowledge of one Middle Eastern language (equivalent to two years of study). In exceptional cases, students may complete one year each of two Middle Eastern languages, ancient or modern.

Modern Languages 

Students who begin their study of modern Middle Eastern languages at Cornell, and students who test into a Beginning- or Intermediate-level language class, must complete the fourth semester of the language sequence:

  • ARAB 2202 Intermediate Arabic II ​
  • HEBRW 2100 Intermediate Modern Hebrew
  • PERSN 2322 Intermediate Persian-Farsi II
  • TURK 2332 Intermediate Turkish II

Ancient Languages

Ancient languages, such as Akkadian, Ancient Egyptian, and Biblical Hebrew, may also be used to also fulfill the NES language requirement.

Additional Language Courses

Once a student has fulfilled the NES language requirement, any additional Near Eastern language courses may count toward major electives.

Course Requirements

Temporal Breadth requirement:

Students must complete at least one course that fulfills each of the following three chronological periods. Students are encouraged to consult with their advisor if they have questions about courses that span multiple periods: ​

  • Before 600 CE
  • 600 CE to 1800 CE
  • 1800 CE and the present 

Note:

A maximum of two independent studies can be applied to the major.

Cornell courses on Middle East-related topics not cross-listed with NES: Students may petition for a maximum of two non-cross listed courses to be applied to the NES major.

Study Abroad and Transfer Credits: Up to 12 credits of relevant, departmentally approved coursework taken overseas or at another university may be applied to the major. The department strongly recommends that students obtain departmental approval before enrolling in a course for which they are seeking transfer credit. Please contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies to seek approval. Undergraduate students should refer to the Cornell University Transfer Credit Policy for Undergraduate Students on the Office of University Registrar website.

Top