Key information
Duration
- Full-time
- 48 months
- 5 years if entering with a bachelor's
Start dates & application deadlines
Language
- English — TOEFL iBT: 93; IELTS: 7
Delivered
On Campus
Campus Location
Toronto, Canada
Disciplines
Area & Cultural Studies; Middle Eastern studies
Overview
About the program
Courses are offered and faculty conduct research in the following areas: Egyptology, including archaeology, language, history, and religion; Mesopotamia and the Near East, including archaeology and Assyriology; Syro-Palestinian archaeology; Hebrew and Judaic studies, including Biblical and Rabbinic Hebrew, history, and religion; Aramaic and Syriac studies, including language, history, and religion; Arabic studies; Islamic studies; history of the Islamic world and the modern Middle East; Islamic…
art; Persian studies; and Turkish studies, including Ottoman language and history. This Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations program is offered at the University of Toronto.
Programme Structure
Courses include:
- Akkadian Historical Texts
- Old Egyptian Texts
- Advanced Standard Arabic
- Art, Archaeology and Culture of Egypt in the Age of the Pyramids
- Scribes, Manuscripts, and Translations of the Hebrew Bible
- Theory and Method in Middle Eastern Studies
- The Mosque: Readings in Architecture, Law, and Authority in Muslim Context
- The Persian Manuscript Tradition
Admission requirements
Academic requirements
English requirements
Other requirements
General requirements
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.
Other requirements:
- Ability to conduct independent research.
- Competence in primary source language(s) relevant to the applicant's research.
- Two letters of reference.
- Statement of academic intent.
- Writing sample of no more than 12 double-spaced pages including footnotes.
- Curriculum vitae (CV)/resumé up to three pages in length.
Tuition Fees
Tuition fees are shown in AUD and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.
- International (non-residents): 6,263 AUD / year ≈ 6,210 CAD / year
- Domestic (citizens or residents): 6,263 AUD / year ≈ 6,210 CAD / year
Living costs
Toronto, Canada: 1,515–2,585 AUD / month. The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.
Scholarships
Below you will find PhD's scholarship opportunities for Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations.
Available Scholarships
- Mexico Scholarship: CONACYT — University of Toronto — Grant: Various benefits — Deadline: Not specified
- Ontario Graduate Scholarship — University of Toronto — Grant: 15,000 CAD — Deadline: Not specified
- Fulbright U.S. Student Program — U.S. government — Grant: Various benefits — Deadline: 2026-10-07
- DFL Scholarship Program — Daughters for Life Foundation — Grant: Various benefits — Deadline: Not specified
- International Peace Scholarship Fund — The International Peace Scholarship Fund — Grant: 12,500 USD — Deadline: 2026-12-15
- Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship — Canadian Government — Grant: 50,000 CAD — Deadline: Not specified
- ServiceScape Scholarship — ServiceScape — Grant: 1,000 USD — Deadline: 2026-11-30
- Faculty Mobility for Partnership Building Program — Canadian Government — Grant: 7,000 CAD — Deadline: 2026-11-18
- ACES Scholarships — ACES Education Fund — Grant: 3,500 USD — Deadline: 2026-11-15
- Erasmus+ - Grants for study mobility — OeAD, Austria's Agency for Education and Internationalisation — Grant: Various benefits — Deadline: Not specified
- Monthly Scholarship Series — MPOWER Financing — Grant: 1,000 USD — Deadline: Anytime
- P.E.O. International Peace Scholarship (IPS) — The International Peace Scholarship Fund — Grant: 12,500 USD — Deadline: 2026-12-15
- Niara Scholarships — Niara — Grant: 500 CAD — Deadline: Anytime
- Amberscholar Scholarship — Amber Scholar — Grant: 6,000 USD — Deadline: 2027-01-31
- Organization of American States Academic Scholarships Program — Canadian Government — Grant: Various benefits — Deadline: Not specified
- Voice Talent Online Scholarship — Voice Talent Online — Grant: 1,000 USD — Deadline: 2027-03-01
- $1,500 Annual Video Contest Scholarship — IvyPanda — Grant: 1,000 USD — Deadline: 2026-10-31
- Dream Chaser Scholarship — Salvado Law — Grant: 1,000 USD — Deadline: 2027-01-13
- Traditional Fulbright Canada Student Awards — U.S. government — Grant: 25,000 USD — Deadline: 2026-10-10
- Scholarship for students with disabilities — Anonymous Hope Fund — Grant: 3,000 USD — Deadline: 2026-12-31
- Canadian Francophonie Scholarship Program (CFSP) — Government Of Canada — Grant: Various benefits — Deadline: Not specified
- Grants of the Leopold Figl Foundation for students with residence in Lower Austria — Leopold Figl Foundation — Grant: Various benefits — Deadline: 2026-12-31
- CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholarship — Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR) — Grant: 100,000 CAD — Deadline: Not specified
- The Annual IELTS from 6 to 9 Scholarship — IELTS from 6 to 9 — Grant: 1,500 USD — Deadline: Not specified
- Tobacco Harm Reduction Scholarship Programme — The Tobacco Harm Reduction Scholarship Programme — Grant: 12,000 USD — Deadline: 2027-01-11
