Detailed Program Descriptions

General Requirements for Old Iranian

UCLA is one of the few institutions in the Americas to offer a B.A in Iranian Studies, the requirements of which are specified below.

Students majoring in Iranian Studies may combine the major with specialization in other fields to enhance their career opportunities. Due to the number of additional courses required, they are advised to consider this option early in their academic career.

Preparation for the Major

Required: Iranian 1A, 1B, 1C, or equivalent.

Transfer Students

To be admitted as Iranian Studies majors, transfer students with 90 or more units must complete the following introductory courses prior to admission to UCLA: one year of Persian.

Requirements for the Major

Required: Fourteen courses, including at least:

• 6 courses in Iranian Studies, such as Iranian 102A, Iranian 102B, 102C; Iranian 103A, Iranian103B, Iranian 103C; Iranian M110A, Iranian M110B, Iranian M110C; Iranian 140; Iranian 141; Iranian 142.
• 5 elective courses, such as Ancient Near East 150A, Ancient Near East 150B; Ancient Near East 163; Arabic 1A, Arabic 1B, Arabic 1C; Art History 104A, Art History 104B, Art History 104C; Ethnomusicology 20B; History 105A, History 105B, History 105C; Iranian 120; Iranian 161A, Iranian 161B, Iranian 161C; Iranian 169; Iranian 170; Iranian 181A, Iranian 181B; Iranian 187; Iranian 199; Iranian M210; Iranian 220A, Iranian 220B; Iranian 231 A; Iranian 250; Political Science 157.

No more than two of the 14 courses may be credited through a proficiency test administered by the department. A maximum of two Iranian 199 courses (8 units total) may be applied toward the major.

Notice: The program of Iranian Studies does not offer a terminal MA. Students are only admitted to the PhD program, but shall fulfill the requirements for the MA, prior to being permitted to continue their study towards a PhD. The program of Iranian Studies allows for two tracks: Persian and Old Iranian that respectively correspond to the Literature Emphasis and Language Emphasis. Each track allows for sundry subfields for the details of which click here. Requirements are adjusted to the interests and academic goals of the students who shall define their qualifying examinations in consultation with their primary advisor, and fulfill their Degree Requirements by choosing topics listed in the Examinations schedule. Individually listed requirements may be combined with others, so that the actual number of such requirements may vary. A minimum of four Degree Requirements are required for the Literary (Persian) Emphasis, whereas five Degree Requirements are necessitated for the Language (Old Iranian) Emphasis. The Ph.D. field examinations will conform to the official rules, structure, and policy set in the UCLA Catalogue.

Degree Requirements for M.A.

A. PERSIAN (Literature Emphasis)

Languages:

(1) Persian
(2) Middle Persian
(3) Arabic

Qualifying Examinations:

(1) Persian
(2) Middle Persian
(2) Arabic
(4) Persian literature
(5) Survey of Iranian Literary Traditions

optional:
(5) Ancient Iranian History
(5) Medieval Muslim History (Pre-modern Islam)
(5) Arabic Literature

B. OLD IRANIAN (Language Emphasis)

Languages:

(1) Old Persian
(2) Western Middle Iranian
(3) Persian

Qualifying Examinations:

(1) Old Persian
(2) Western Middle Iranian
(3) Persian
(4) Survey of Iranian History
(5) Survey of Iranian Religions

optional:
(5) History of Iranian Literary Traditions

Degree Requirements for Ph.D.

A. PERSIAN (Literature Emphasis)

Languages:

(1) Persian
(2) Old Persian plus Middle Persian
(3) Arabic

Qualifying Examinations:

(1) Persian
(2) Middle Persian
(3) Arabic
(4) Persian literature
(5) Historical and Literary Background of Persian
(6) Historical and Literary Background of Languages (2) and (3)

optional:
(6) Medieval Muslim History
(6) Ancient Iranian History  

B. OLD IRANIAN (Language Emphasis)

Languages:

(1) Avestan plus Old Persian
(2) Western and Eastern Middle Iranian
(3) Persian

optional:
(3) Persian plus Arabic or Armenian or Hebrew

Qualifying Examinations:

(1) Avestan plus Old Persian
(2) Middle Iranian
(3) Persian
(4) Survey of Iranian History
(5) Survey of Iranian Religions
(6) Survey of Iranian Literary Traditions

optional:
(6) Historical and Literary Background of Persian
(6) Historical and Literary Backgrounds of Languages (3)
(6) Survey of Iranian Archaeology