The program draws on the strength of the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies (CAIS) in its integration of the study of Middle Eastern and Central Asian contemporary politics, history, culture, political economy, economics, and the religion of Islam, within the broader framework of the changing global order.

The CAIS fosters the study of the region’s most relevant languages of Arabic, Persian, and Turkish. The Centre also focuses on issues pertinent to Australia’s interests in, and the development of, its commercial, scientific and industrial ties with its areas of coverage.

Typical courses

• Approaches to the Study of Modern Muslim Societies
• Islam and Democracy
• Islam, Faith and Community
• Islam in Australia
• Islam in Central Asia
• Islam in Turkey
• Islam in World Politics
• Islam, the West and International Terrorism
• Shi’ite Islam in World Politics
• Special Topic in Modern Islam
• The Politics of Islam in Southeast Asia

Our rankings

At the ANU you can learn from experts in your field. In the 2010 QS World University Rankings ANU was ranked number one in Australia and 13 in the world for social sciences, and number one in Australia and 17 in the world for arts and humanities.

Entry

Applicants should have a four year Bachelors degree either as Honours or a combined degree in a cognate area from an Australian tertiary institution or its international equivalent. Equivalence may be met by the completion of the Graduate Certificate in Middle Eastern and central Asian Studies.