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Established in the late 1950s, UCLA's Islamic Studies program ranks among the nation's oldest. This interdisciplinary initiative focuses on Islam and Muslim communities worldwide. Students collaborate with faculty experts specializing in regions from North Africa and the Middle East to Central and South Asia, covering Islamic history from its origins to contemporary times. Course offerings span diverse fields including history, law, Arabic studies, comparative literature, anthropology, sociology, religious studies, philosophy, and art history.
The Islamic Studies PhD program primarily prepares students for academic careers, encouraging them to develop customized study plans that support groundbreaking research. The MA program serves both as a pathway to doctoral studies and as valuable preparation for careers in education, business, journalism, government, public policy, and other fields requiring deep understanding of Islamic civilizations and Muslim cultures.
Applicants are normally expected to have completed the equivalent of one course in early Islamic history and three courses in Islamic cultures and institutions. Applicants are expected to demonstrate intermediate level proficiency in one of the major languages of countries with Muslim majorities or very large Muslim minorities, including Arabic, Berber, Hausa, Indonesian, Iranian languages, Malay, Swahili, Turkic languages, Urdu, Wolof, and Yoruba.
IELTS Academic overall band score should be at least 7.0 is the minimum required.
TOEFL score on the paper and pencil test must be at least 560 or at least 87 on the internet-based test.