Fields of Study

Fields of Study
Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.

All PhD students in NELC are required to complete twenty-seven courses at the University of Chicago in order to complete the doctoral degree. But students apply for that degree through a particular Field of Study in the department and pursue curricular requirements specific to their field, designed to prepare students for comprehensive exams in their chosen discipline. The Program Timeline outlines a schedule by which students typically complete their department-wide and program field requirements.

MEDIEVAL AND MODERN PROGRAMS

In the modern area there are seven principal fields of concentration, six dealing with the Islamic World and one in Modern Hebrew Studies. Each requires a major language concentration in Arabic, Persian, Turkish or Hebrew, a second-year competence in a second language of importance in the field, and a thorough grounding in Islamic and/or Jewish civilization. Each student in an area will select a major field in that area, and a minor field relevant to the student's program. The minor must be in a different discipline (i.e., history, literature, thought, linguistics, art/archaeology) from the major. Written comprehensive exams will be taken in major and minor fields. Additionally, all student will take a written methodology exam which assesses the student's ability to work with primary materials and an oral exam in either Islamic or Jewish civilization.