The Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Chicago is a National Resource Center for the study of a region extending from Morocco in the West to Kazakhstan in the East. As a result, this Area Center covers some of the most important and controversial regions - including North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia. Prior to the Center's formation, scholars originally received funding administered by Title VI of the US Department of Defense's National Defense Education Act. The University of Chicago did not form its center until 1965, well after the administration of funding was moved to the US Department of Education by President John F. Kennedy. This area center consistently ranks in the highest tier of those dealing with Middle Eastern studies in the United States according to US Department of Education and external reviews. In the last competition for Department of Education's Title VI funds in 2006, the Center was awarded both NRC (National Resource Center) and FLAS (Foreign Language and Area Studies) grants, one of only a few so honored nationwide.
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The primary function of the Center is to serve as a meeting-place and a forum for all University members dealing with the Middle East, regardless of discipline. This is done informally in the social atmosphere of the Fazlur Rahman Common Room, as well as in formal settings, such as the Center's debates and sponsored colloquia. The Center also serves as the clearinghouse for all manner of Middle Eastern content for the mid-West region.
The Center also administers a two-year terminal Masters degree through either the Division of Humanities or the Division of Social Science, wherein a student may structure his or her own course of study in such areas as contemporary Middle Eastern studies, Middle Eastern history, Islamic studies, Islamic art and archaeology, and Arabic, Persian, Hebrew, or Turkic languages (Anatolian Turkish, Uzbek, Kazakh), and their accompanying literatures. In the academic year 2006-07, the MA program was the largest such program in the country. Currently (2007-08), it continues to be among the largest and most competitive programs in the United States.
Additionally, the Center offers a series of joint Masters of Arts programs. These include:
M.A. in Middle Eastern Studies/Masters in Business Administration - in conjunction with the University of Chicago Booth School of Business
M.A. in Middle Eastern Studies/Masters in Public Policy - offered with the Irving B. Harris School of Public Policy Studies at the University of Chicago