The program has a genuine area studies profile: A unique breadth of subjects related to the Middle East comes together under the roof of the Department of History and Cultural Studies. As a student in this program, you gain access to an extensive academic and professional network, connect with fellow students from related master's programs, and network with internationally acclaimed scholars from the six participating disciplines.

The program cultivates cooperation across departments and universities in Berlin and beyond, with the Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient (ZMO) or the Selma Stern Center for Jewish Studies Berlin-Brandenburg (ZJS), to name just two.

The program not only provides you with a solid methodological basis for interdisciplinary work, it distinguishes itself through its flexibility and a broad range of electives in all areas of study. This allows you to tailor your curriculum to your personal interests and career aspirations within an interdisciplinary context.

The program allows you to learn about and participate in ongoing research on the Middle East or to gain professional experience through an internship either in Berlin or abroad. This is your opportunity to expand your skills in a wide field of activities ranging from cultural institutions to publishing houses and NGOs.

In the past ten years the Freie Universität has expanded its excellent international network of teaching and research, e.g., through its liaison office in Cairo and by establishing strategic partnerships such as the one with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. You are encouraged to study at a university in the Middle East to immerse yourself in your chosen languages and cultures.

Berlin as a location offers a unique network of scholarly and cultural institutions related to the Middle East, such as the Museum of Islamic Art, the Jewish Museum, the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin Preußischer Kulturbesitz with its world-famous manuscript collection, the Haus der Kulturen der Welt, the Forum Transregionale Sudien, the Stiftung Neue Synagoge – Centrum Judaicum, and specialized libraries. And beyond that, well, there is always non-academic Berlin.

Good German language skills not only help during your stay in Germany during your studies; they also enrich your personal profile. German courses starting at level A1 are available free of charge at Freie Universität for all international students of master programs taught in English, so you may take the chance to improve your German language skills while studying our master's program.