To apply>> Online Admissions Application
The application deadline for programs commencing in the 2018-19 academic year is December 10th, 2018. This is a firm deadline. No exceptions will be made.
Applicants are accepted under the general regulations of the School of Graduate Studies, provided that they also satisfy the Departmental requirements for each of the degree programs listed below. Applications are considered with respect to undergraduate preparation for study in the field, academic promise, areas of interest and available instruction, and supervisory capacity within the Department. Upon acceptance students will be assigned an academic advisor with whom they should consult regarding their program of study.
Applicants for admission to all programs in the Department must have prior background in ancient Near Eastern and/or Islamic civilizations, at least five full year courses, ten half courses or a combination thereof. Applicants for admission to the Middle Eastern and Islamic programs are expected to have adequate reading knowledge of at least one of the primary source languages: Arabic, Persian, and/or Turkish. Applicants for admission to some programs in ancient Near Eastern studies such as Hebrew Bible and Judaic studies are required to have prior training in a primary source language: Hebrew or Aramaic (two-three years at the MA level and three-four years at the PhD level for biblical studies and at least three or more at the MA level and four or more years at the PhD for Rabbinics/Hebrew and Judaic Studies). Students are expected to continue their language training during their MA studies unless they are fluent readers of the source languages. Students choosing a concentration in Islamic Art and Material Culture must have a reading knowledge of French or German at the time of admission.
Requirements for Admission to the Master of Arts Degree Program:
The application deadline for 2018-19 is December 10th, 2018.
To apply>> Online Admissions Application
Minimum Admission Requirements:
- A four-year bachelor’s degree in a relevant program from a recognized university with an average of at least B+, or equivalent, in the final year.
- Two letters of reference.
- Statement of academic intent.
- Applicants whose primary language is not English, and who graduated from a university where the language of instruction and examination is not English are required to meet the School of Graduate Studies English-language facility requirements.
Program Requirements:
- Depending on the amount of undergraduate preparation, students may be enrolled in either a two-year program or a one-year program. Students can also complete the MA through a coursework option or course work combined with a thesis.
- The MA program may be taken on a part-time basis.
- Students choosing a concentration in Islamic Art and Material Culture are required to successfully complete at least 6.0 FCEs in art and Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations (a minimum of 2.0 FCEs in each). This is normally a two-year program.
Students concentrating on Biblical Studies must have a minimum of two-three years of Hebrew. - Students concentrating on Rabbinics must have at least three years of Hebrew.
- Students are required to receive approval from their academic advisor and the graduate coordinator concerning course choice. All students are required to meet with the graduate coordinator to fill out the Programme Memorandum at the very beginning of the school year.
One-Year Thesis Option:
- A thesis (1.0 FCE) under the guidance of a supervisor on a topic approved by the supervisor.
- 2.0 FCEs.
Two-Year Thesis Option:
- A thesis (1.0 FCE) under the guidance of a supervisor on a topic approved by the supervisor.
- 5.0 FCEs.
Program Length:
3 sessions full-time 1-year option (typical registration sequence: F/W/S);
6 sessions full-time 2-year program (typical registration sequence: F/W/S/F/W/S);
9 sessions part-time 1-year option;
18 sessions part-time 2-year program.
Time Limit
3 years full-time;
6 years part-time
Requirements for Admission to the Doctor of Philosophy Degree Program:
The application deadline for 2018-19 is December 10th, 2018.
To apply>> Online Admissions Application
Minimum Admission Requirements:
- Applicants are admitted under the General Regulations of the School of Graduate Studies. Applicants must also satisfy the Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations’ additional admission requirements stated below.
- Admission via one of two routes:
- MA degree in a relevant program from a recognized university with at least an A- average or equivalent in courses taken for the MA program.
- Direct entry from a bachelor’s degree for exceptionally qualified applicants, at the discretion of the department. Please note that direct entry is very rare.
- Ability to conduct independent research.
- Fluency in primary source language(s) relevant to the applicant’s research.
- Two letters of reference.
- Statement of academic intent.
- Curriculum Vitae/Resume
- Writing sample of no more than 12 double-spaced pages including footnotes.
- Applicants whose primary language is not English, and who graduated from a university where the language of instruction and examination was not English, are required to successfully complete one of the English tests listed on the department website.
Program Requirements:
Program of study is determined in consultation with the academic advisor/supervisor and graduate coordinator and includes written and oral general examinations. These examinations should be taken no later than January in the year following the completion of coursework for the PhD program.
All students in all areas and fields in NMC must demonstrate competence in at least one source language and two languages of scholarship. The source languages in our department are normally Akkadian, Sumerian, Egyptian, Hebrew, Pahlavi, Aramaic, Syriac, Arabic, Persian, Ottoman Turkish, and Turkish. In some cases other languages such as Greek or Latin may be substituted with the permission of the supervisor and the graduate coordinator. The Academic Advisor may require additional source languages depending on the field of thesis research.
All students in all areas and fields in NMC must demonstrate reading comprehension in two pertinent modern languages of scholarship (typically French and German). They will be chosen following discussion with the student’s supervisor and with approval of the graduate coordinator. One language of modern scholarship requirement must be completed by the end of the first year of studies and the second language requirement must be completed by the end of the second year. Please note that the language requirements are in addition to the course requirements and do not count as part of the six FCEs. If a student’s source language is at the same time a modern language (Modern Hebrew, Arabic, Persian, or Turkish), two additional modern languages are required as languages of scholarship. [Those few students who were grandfathered in when the old system in which the source language could also be one of the languages of scholarship are under the old rule: if they fail the test in the source language twice, they are terminated from the program.] Possible combinations of the source language and language of scholarship belonging to the same family are restricted to Biblical/Rabbinic Hebrew and Modern Hebrew or Pahlavi and Modern Persian. Language requirements can be completed by achieving a mark of 70% in a two hour departmentally administered language examination in which the student is given a 500 word selection from a journal article or book broadly connected to the student’s area of research in the relevant language to translate into good English. A dictionary is allowed during the examination. These examinations are given in October, January and April. Other examination times may be arranged. Students who take the German (GER 6000H) and/or French (FSL 6000H) reading courses for doctoral students and achieve a mark of 70% and above are considered to have completed the language requirement. These courses have limited enrollment and students are encouraged to register early. It should be noted that extra language study beyond the doctoral reading course is encouraged. Completion of the Hebrew exemption exam (petor) as an Israeli university constitutes completion of the requirement.
Students are required to be registered on campus for the period during which coursework requirements are being fulfilled, and in no case for less than two academic years.
- Students are required to receive approval from their academic advisor and the graduate coordinator concerning course choice. All students are required to meet with the graduate coordinator to fill out the Programme Memorandum at the very beginning of the school year.
- The minimum course requirement will normally be 6.0 graduate full-course equivalents (FCEs). Students who have previously completed a two-year MA in the department may apply for a course reduction that will be granted at the discretion of the department. The reduction should normally be 1.0 FCE, but may be up to 3.0 FCEs in cases of students who also have an exceptional preparation in their field of study at the BA level and MA level.
Program Length: 4 years full-time; 5 years direct-entry
Time Limit: 6 years full-time; 7 years direct-entry
Application Procedures:
Application materials and instructions for admission are available on the website of the School of Graduate Studies at U of T: https://apply.sgs.utoronto.ca/. Should the applicant not have access to the web, please contact the Graduate Administrator at (416) 978-3181, or you may e-mail Anna Sousa at nmcgrad@utoronto.ca. The Department admits students only in September.
Application Materials Required by the Department of Near & Middle Eastern Civilizations:
1) Applicant summary sheet — the student must complete the School of Graduate Studies on-line application.
2) Transcripts — Applicants are asked to scan and upload their transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended. Transcripts should meet the following criteria:
– Applicants are expected to scan an official copy of their transcript. Student web service printouts will only be accepted if they are from Canadian universities.
– Do not upload a document that is password protected.
– If your transcript is double-sided (i.e. courses and grades printed on both sides of the page), please be sure to scan the front and back of each page.
– The transcript should include course codes/level, titles, grades, session in which courses were completed and class averages if available. Your transcript legend (or grade scale) must be included, and scanned copies must include the name of the institution.
– Transcripts that are in a language other than English or French MUST be accompanied by an official English translation (provided by the university, or by a certified translator) – transcripts without an English translation will not be accepted.
Note: The file size of each scanned transcript must not exceed 4 megabytes (MB). Scanned documents must be clearly legible and print on standard CDN/U.S. 81/2″ x 11″ paper. The file must be in .PDF format. Image files, such as those in .jpg or .bmp formats, must be converted to .PDF before uploading. Please scan your transcript in grayscale at the lowest dots per inch (dpi) setting that results in a legible document. We recommend 72 dpi whenever possible. University of Toronto students may submit a screen capture of their academic history from Acorn in place of a transcript.
Official mailed copies of transcripts are not required unless you accept an offer of admission to the program. If admitted, the department will request that you arrange to have official copies of transcripts sent directly to us from the issuing university (with the exception of U of T students) as a condition of admission prior to being allowed to register.
3) Two supporting letters of reference. These can be submitted in one of two ways by December 13, 2018:
A) Electronic submission by faculty member — this requires the applicant to have paid the application fee by December 10. Please note that instructions will be sent to the named referee via email only after the application fee has been paid. The deadline to upload the reference letter is December 13, 2018.
B) Hard copy submission — the student can collect the reference letter(s) in sealed envelopes with referee’s signature across the back seal, and submit in one package with any other supporting documentation (such as transcripts).
4) A statement of intent — Your statement of intent should describe your academic interests in your plans and should be one or two pages. The statement outlines the applicant’s academic and vocational goals; educational, professional or other background which prepares the applicant to undertake the proposed program of study; language facility; what the applicant expects from the Department; and any other relevant information that might help the Admissions Committee when considering the application. It should be signed and dated.
5) Writing Sample — The writing sample should comprise no more than 12 double-spaced pages including footnotes. (For Ph.D. Students)
6) Curriculum Vitae/Resume — For Ph.D. Students
7) Demonstrated Facility in English. If your primary language is not English and you graduated from a non-Canadian university where the language of instruction and examination was not English, you must submit acceptable English language facility test scores. Minimum scores must be achieved by the application deadline.
TOEFL is the most commonly submitted test and scores are reported electronically by the testing agency to the university at your request (to report your score use 0982 for the university code). Other test scores can be mailed directly to Admissions, School of Graduate Studies by the testing agency.
Applications with missing test scores, or scores which do not meet the minimum requirements will not be assessed.
This requirement should be met at the time you submit your application.
Application Deadline: December 10, 2018
Conditional Admissions
If you are admitted to one of our programs with a conditional offer, please ensure that the conditions are satisfied on or before August 31, 2018. The conditions were outlined in your letter of offer. Applicants who apply while their most recent program is still in progress, and who are offered admissions, may be required to provide an additional final official transcript with completion of the program and degree conferral.
The University of Toronto requires an official transcript from each post-secondary institution that you have attended. It is your responsibility to submit transcripts before the deadline.
REGISTRATION AND ENROLLMENT
Students are encouraged to visit the School of Graduate Studies website for information regarding registration: http://www.sgs.utoronto.ca/currentstudents/Pages/Registration-and-Enrolment.aspx. To avoid being charged a late fee students are encouraged to pay their fees by August 31.
Conditional Admissions: If you are newly admitted to one of our programs and have been admitted with conditions, please ensure that the conditions are satisfied on or before August 31, 2017. The conditions were outlined in your letter of offer. Normally, the mailing of a final transcript to the department is all that is required to clear the conditions.
U of T Health Insurance Plan (UHIP) is a compulsory health insurance plan for all international students, exchange students, new permanent residents, and returning Canadians who are not covered by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan – OHIP (http://www.health.gov.on.ca). Please note that since the plan is compulsory, students are advised not to purchase another health insurance plan to cover them while in Canada. UHIP is also compulsory for all eligible dependents, including a partner, spouse and/or children. Please refer to the Centre for International Experience’s website at http://www.cie.utoronto.ca/Coming/UHIP.htm for more details regarding enrollment, coverage, and accessing services and/or email the UHIP Office at
uhip.information@utoronto.ca or call 416-978-0290.
Payment of Fees: Please check: http://www.fees.utoronto.ca/home.htm
Deferred Payment: Students who have been awarded a University of Toronto Fellowship or an external award (OGS, SSHRC) may temporarily defer payment of fees. For further information on deferring payment you may refer to the website at http:// www.sgs.utoronto.ca/currentstudents/Pages/Graduate-Fees.aspx
Fellowships and Scholarship Installments: Once students have registered (by either paying their fees or applying for a Request for Fees Arrangement), the 1st installment of the award will be issued to students either by mail in the form of a cheque (default), or may be deposited directly into their bank account. Students who wish to have the installment deposited into their personal bank account, should visit the ROSI website at www.rosi.utoronto.ca to do so.
Registration and Enrollment: Pay or defer fees. When your fees have been paid or deferred you are considered registered with the School of Graduate Studies, University of Toronto. Prior to choosing and enrolling into courses, you must meet with your advisor and the graduate coordinator to go over your choice of courses and to discuss your program. You can enroll for courses by using the Student Web Service (ROSI).
Part-time Studies: The Department makes it possible for students who wish or need to pursue graduate study at the M.A. level on a part-time basis to do so, although no special provisions are made for part-time study. There is no difference in program requirements for part-time students. The delivery of a part-time program differs from the equivalent full-time program only in the number of courses taken per year, which may be less than the normal course load of three full-year courses or the equivalent. A part-time program therefore takes longer to complete than the full-time program. For further information regarding part-time studies, see the School of Graduate Studies 2017-2018 Handbook.
Student TCard: All new students will be required to have the photo-ID card. It provides access to other resources like the campus libraries, the Athletic Centre, Hart House, the Housing Service and can be used for other services like photocopying and network printing. To obtain a TCard, students must take their letter of admission or fees invoice to 130 St George Street, Room 2054, second floor, Robarts Library. To avoid long line-ups in September students may wish to get their TCard during the summer. For additional information and TCard office hours visit the website at http://www.utoronto.ca/tcard.
Course Schedules and Enrollment: Many course times and locations have already been set and are listed in this Handbook. Please see the Graduate Administrator if no time and location are listed. Course enrollment forms can be accessed at http://www.sgs.utoronto.ca/currentstudents/Pages/Student-Forms-and-Letters.aspx.
Web Access to Student Information: Student information may be accessed on-line on the Repository of Student Information (ROSI). Students may view their academic history and account information as well as order transcripts, change their addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses using the web at www.rosi.utoronto.ca.
Commencement of Classes: In the 2017-2018 academic year all graduate courses will begin during the week of September 12th.
