Asia and the Middle East are two of the most fascinating and rapidly developing regions of the world, creating challenges and offering opportunities for the 21st century. By 2050:
- close to 60% of the world’s consumers will live in the region;
- China will be a real superpower;
- Hindi, Urdu, and Arabic will dominate much of the world business;
- Islam will change and diversify due to its contact with modernity
- and global migration will continue to pressure Europe and the Middle East.
Join our English-taught master’s programme in Contemporary Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at The University of Tartu. We provide:
- a comprehensive curriculum in Asian and Middle Eastern economies, politics, cultures, societies and languages (e.g. Japanese, Chinese, Korean);
- opportunities to study different languages (e.g. Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Arabic);
- and a multinational study environment.
The base module focuses on Asian and Middle Eastern civilisations and mindsets, economic developments, and demographics. Participating in active discussions gives you a comparative perspective on understanding developments in Asia and the Middle East. The elective module enables you to choose courses of your interest with a regional and/or disciplinary focus.
You can study in Europe, but the programme offers diverse opportunities to conduct your fieldwork at partner universities in East Asia or the Middle East. The recommended timeframe for mobility is during the third semester (second year).
The programme finishes with a master´s thesis in your specific field (economics, politics, international relations, religion, etc.), focusing on either Asia or the Middle East (depending on your interests and upon the availability of supervisors). The master´s thesis shows your ability to conduct independent work and apply theoretical concepts and methodology to analyse a specific scientific question.
The CAMES programme collaborates closely with the Asia Centre and the historical Centre for Oriental Studies at the University of Tartu. Students are welcome to attend visiting lectures and regular events organised by the Asia Centre and Centre for Oriental Studies and use the library at the Centre for Oriental Studies.
Level of study: Master’s
Study language: English
Duration and credits: 2 years, 120 ECTS
Form of study: Regular study
Location: Tartu
Student places: 16
Tuition fee: 2100 EUR/semester
Tuition waivers: There are no tuition waiver study places. MFA offers two tuition waivers for Estonian applicants
Admission 2023: Jan 2 – 15 Mar 2023
Why study Asian and Middle Eastern studies at the University of Tartu?
- The University of Tartu belongs to the top 1.2% of the world’s best universities (see Rankings & Surveys).
- Estonia has a centuries-long tradition in Asian and Middle Eastern studies. Some of world’s more renown scholars of ancient Mesopotamia, classical Buddhist and Confucian philosophy, and Old-Testament and Islamic studies.The programme builds on this established tradition.
- The University of Tartu is home to many professors and researchers specialising in modern-day Asian and Middle Eastern cultures, socio-economic trends and political regimes.
- The university provides a wide variety of opportunities to study abroad. We have Erasmus agreements with a broad range of European universities and exchange agreements with many Asian partner universities.
- Interactive and innovative teaching and learning methods are held in high regard and are widely used.
Our latest news and articles can be found on the Asian Centre’s website in both Estonian and English.
Extracurricular activities
The master’s programme takes good care of its students’ free time and offers multiple options for extra-curricular activities. Tartu is a very lively student city.
The University of Tartu hosts many student societies and region-specific academic organisations. It is home to the Asia Centre, the International Relations Society, the Estonian Academic Oriental Society, and many other clubs and organisations.
Students of the programme can participate and be part of the organising team of the biggest Asia-topic conference in the Scandinavian and Baltic region Asia Update. Asia Update 2020 brings together local, regional and international experts, business people and decision-makers who engage with Asia to share ideas and build networks for future growth and development. The conference focuses on discussing the challenges and opportunities in today’s society caused by the conflicts between different stakeholders, environmental and societal problems, challenges between countries, differences in perceptions between Asia and the West, and the shifting of the world order.
Some university institutes have an established Stammtisch tradition where students and teachers gather for discussions once every month. Feel free to voice your thoughts about the programme or talk about life, weather and politics.
Internship
An internship is mandatory in the programme, which prepares you for your future career and enables you to develop your practical skills further and extend your professional networks. For your internship, you can access, for example, start-ups and companies or organisations and build your skills and expertise in Asian or Middle Eastern cultures in a practical context.
Courses
The following structure of the programme applies to the current academic year. To view the most updated version, please visit the University of Tartu Study Information System and choose the next academic year (if available).
People & facilities
People
Our team consists of internationally acclaimed scholars worldwide, including from Asia. Among the multinational crowd of lecturers, you find experts in different fields of research and teaching, policy design and project management. Most importantly, we all emphasise new and interactive teaching methods, student-centred learning, and non-hierarchical work ethics.
To grant our students the most fruitful and rewarding teaching experience, we integrate our in-house staff with visiting scholars from distinguished European and Asian universities, such as Cambridge, Kanagawa, Tübingen, and Singapore.
Programme Director: Eva Liias
Lecturers:
Guest lecturers
- Robert Weatherley, PhD (Cambridge University)
- Liisi Karindi (former Enterprise Estonia)
Career opportunities
Our graduates have the skills and know-how to work in with refugees at the UNHCR or become diplomats, provide area-specific expertise to new businesses or create their own NGO. You can engage with a vast range of topics from international relations and business to demographic trends and human rights management.
Whatever you choose, you can be sure that the need for experts in Asian and Middle Eastern studies is increasing both in public and private sector. We will do our very best to support your progress and future employment.
