BoT: Board approves M.A. in Mideast Studies

The Board of Trustees approved on Friday a Masters of Arts program in Middle East Studies.  The Board said that the program will “allow students to look at Middle East issues in greater depth and across the full range of regional cultures.”  The Elliott School of International Affairs prosposes “a comprehensive look at the entire region that includes culture, politics, language, history and economics.”

ESIA currently offers an undergraduate degree in Middle East Studies.  The GW program will be similar to the programs at Columbia University and the University of Texas.  The committee concluded, though, that neither program has the advantage GW has in terms of location.

The program is expected to be financed by the “expanding the size of [the] Elliott School graduate student body by 30 or 40 students,” which is expected to be an average of $114,935.