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Master's Degree I level | A.A. 2025-2026

Middle Eastern Studies – MIMES

XII edition

Start: January 2026

 

 

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Language English
Location Milan
Duration 1 Year
Delivery Mode Face-to-face
Frequency Full time
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Overview

Understanding the complexities of contemporary Middle East at 360 degrees.

 

This is the objective of the First Level Specialising Master in Middle Eastern Studies, a training course of excellence that brings together the experiences and skills of the best experts in the Middle Eastern region from a historical, political, economic and social point of view. 

 

The First Level Specialising Master in Middle Eastern Studies is designed for:

  • Recent graduates, first or second level, from courses of study in Political Science, Economics, Management, Law, Linguistic Sciences for International Relations. However, applications from different academic backgrounds will also be considered;

  • Young professionals, eager to deepen their professional skills to operate within and with the region;

  • Advanced professionals, with the aim of developing and enhancing their knowledge in the field, in order to operate with greater impact. 

FIVE REASONS TO CHOOSE MIMES

  • A comprehensive and in-depth knowledge of contemporary Middle East, with its history and local, regional and international dynamics
  • A path of excellence ASERI, a global training institution and a national reference point in the study of International Relations
  • An international faculty, made up of the best teachers and professionals, experts in the Middle East region
  • A personalized path of orientation and professional enhancement, with a figure dedicated to accompaniment and support in the search for an internship
  • An internship experience or at least 3 months, or a language course, in Italy or abroad, in order to apply the knowledge acquired
Download the complete program
Program

The First Level Specialising Master in Middle Eastern Studies includes six months of classroom training, in ASERI, followed by about five months dedicated to the internship experience and the drafting of the final paper for the Master, the Project Work. 
Classroom training will consist of lectures, practical workshops in presence, simulations and presentations of one's work for the attention of teachers and fellow Masters. 


The aim of the teaching is to provide MIMES students with the theoretical and practical knowledge to be able to study and analyze the contemporary Middle East region, understanding its complexities and dynamics.

The Master's programme is divided into five distinct levels, each with a specific thematic focus.

 

After a first section of the course dedicated to a general introduction to the Middle East region, with courses in the history of Muslim societies, Islamic political thought, finance and Islamic law, MIMES deepens studies in sub-regional areas, and in particular North and Sub-Saharan Africa, the Levant, the Arabian Peninsula and Central and South-West Asia.

 

Finally, the third level of the courses is dedicated to contemporary social and political dynamics in the Middle East, with specific courses on economic, energy, migration and security dynamics.

 

The fourth and fifth levels – respectively, the internship experience and the drafting of the Project Work – complete the MIMES training course.

 

Download the complete program

- methodologies for research and analysis , applied in particular to the Middle East;

 

- the history of the Middle East, starting with the rise of Islam, intertwined with courses in Islamic political thought, Islamic finance, and Islamic law;

 

- the history and contemporary political dynamics of the countries of the Middle East, with their relations within and outside the region;

 

- contemporary security, social and economic issues, and the international political issues that cross the region as a whole.

The final calendar of courses will be made available shortly.

However, the Master will follow the following structure:

 

- January 2026 - June 2026: courses and lectures
- July 2026 - November 2026: Internship and Project Work
- December 2026: Graduation

Faculty

Scientific Direction

 

Paolo MAGGIOLINI, Associate Professor of History and Institutions of Asia, Faculty of Political and Social Sciences, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart

 

Didactic coordination

 

Rebecca ZAMPERINI, Program Assistant for the Master in Middle Eastern Studies, ASERI, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore 

  • Samuele ABRAMI Lead Researcher, CIDOB (Barcelona Centre for International Affairs) 
  • Ibrahim AL MARASHI, Associate Professor of History of the Middle East, California State University
  • Eleonora ARDEMAGNI, Senior Associate Research Fellow, ISPI
  • Michele BRIGNONE, Oasis Foundation
  • Alberto BRUGNONI, ASSAIF
  • Sara BRZUSZKIEWICZ, Research Fellow, ITSTIME
  • Martino DIEZ, Associate Professor of Arabic Language and Literature, Faculty of Linguistic Sciences and Foreign Literatures, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart
  • Wael FAROUQ, Associate Professor of Arabic Language and Literature, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart
  • Carlo FRAPPI, Adjunct Professor of History and Institutions of Asia, Ca' Foscari University of Venice 
  • Michele GAIETTA, Adjunct Professor of International Economic Policy and Green Policy, University of Valle d'Aosta
  • Mehran KAMRAVA, Professor of Government, Georgetown University Qatar
  • Paolo MAGGIOLINI, Associate Professor of Asian History and Institutions, Faculty of Political and Social Sciences, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart
  • Francesco MAZZUCOTELLI, Adjunct Professor of History of Turkey and the Near East, University of Pavia
  • Alessia MELCANGI, Associate Professor of History and Institutions of Africa, University of Rome La Sapienza
  • Nicola MONTAGNA, Associate Professor of Legal Sociology, Deviance and Social Change, University of Salerno
  • Massimo PAPA, Full Professor of Muslim Law and Islamic Countries, University of Rome Tor Vergata
  • Giorgia PERLETTA, Adjunct Professor of Geopolitics, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart
  • Aldo PIGOLI, Adjunct Professor of Regional Studies – History of Contemporary Africa, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart
  • Andrea PIN, Full Professor of Comparative Public Law,  University of Padua 
  • Mauro PRIMAVERA Research Fellow, Department of International, Legal and Historical-Political Studies, University of Milan
  • Andrea PLEBANI, Associate Professor of Asian History and Institutions, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart 
  • Riccardo REDAELLI, Full Professor of Asian History and Institutions, Faculty of Political and Social Sciences, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart
  • Bahgat KORANY, Professor of International Relations and Political Economy, American University in Cairo  
  • Katarzyna SIDLO, Senior Policy Analyst for the Middle East and North Africa, EUISS
  • Valeria TALBOT, Head, MENA Centre, ISPI
  • Prof. Massimiliano TRENTIN, Associate Professor, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna
Career paths

MIMES provides its students with a comprehensive preparation and understanding of the contemporary Middle East, useful for a range of international careers.

Specifically, MIMES graduates pursue careers in the following fields:

  • International institutions
  • Multinationals
  • Non-governmental entities
  • Research Centres
  • Media
  • Diplomatic institutions
  • Regulatory bodies

 

Below is a short, non-exhaustive list of organizations and institutions that have hosted MIMES students in recent years:     

   

  • AHLAN (Amman, Jordan);
  • ARAB CENTER FOR RESEARCH AND POLICY STUDIES (ACRPS), (Doha, Qatar);
  • CESI, (Rome);
  • CIVILTAS FOUNDATION/CIVILNET, (Armenia).
  • CRIMEDIM (University of Eastern Piedmont) (Novara);
  • CRIMSON (Erbil, Kurdistan – Iraq);
  • ECFR (EUROPEAN COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS) (Rome);
  • ECONOMY MAGAZINE, (Milan);
  • ERNST & YOUNG (Amman, Jordan);
  • ISMU FOUNDATION - INITIATIVES AND STUDIES ON MULTI-ETHNICITY, (Milan);
  • OASIS FOUNDATION (Milan);
  • FOREIGN AFFAIRS BUREAU, (Izmir, Turkey)
  • INSIDEOVER – IL GIORNALE, (Milan);
  • INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR COUNTER-TERRORISM (ICT), Reichman University (Herzlyia, Israel);
  • ISMED – INSTITUTE OF MEDITERRANEAN STUDIES - CNR, (Naples);
  • INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH DISARMAMENT ARCHIVE, (Rome);
  • INSTITUTE OF POLITICAL STUDIES S. PIO V – OBSERVATORY ON THE MEDITERRANEAN, (Rome);
  • ITALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE UAE, (Dubai, UAE);
  • ITSTIME, Italian Team for Security, Terroristic Issues & Managing Emergencies, (Milan);
  • IZMIR GOVERNORSHIP EU;
  • KERING, (Milan);
  • NAGAT (Toward a Better Tomorrow For Development and Empowerment), (Amman, Jordan);
  • PRIO - PEACE RESEARCH INSTITUTE, (Oslo, Norway);
  • ROYAL INSTITUTE FOR INTER-FAITH STUDIES (RIIFS), (Amman, Jordan);
  • TOWARD A BETTER TOMORROW FOR DEVELOPMENT AND EMPOWERMENT, (Amman, Jordan);
  • UNDP OSLO GOVERNANCE CENTRE, (Oslo, Norway);
  • UNICREDIT, (Milan);  
Registration and useful info
  • Deadline for international students
    2025-10-29T00:00:00+01:00
  • Deadline for Italian students
    2025-11-23T00:00:00+01:00
  • Self-certification of undergraduate or graduate degree, with the list of exams taken, to be uploaded in a single file. If the graduate degree is in the process of being obtained, the average of the examinations may contribute to the evaluation.
  • Identification document and tax code
  • CV, passport-sized photo
  • Cover letter
  • Residence permit (only for non-EU citizens)

Applications will be evaluated progressively. The applications that arrive first will be more likely to be accepted.

the participation fee for the MIMES Master is 7500 euros, to be paid in three installments.

Step 1: Submit your application.

 

If you are a student with an Italian qualification, please access this link for the application procedure for students with a national qualification.

If you are a student with an international (non-Italian) qualification, please access this link for the application procedure for students with an international qualification.

 

Step 2: evaluation of qualifications by the Didactic Coordination.

 

Step 3: motivational interview with the Coordinator, which will focus on the following aspects:

  • CV
  • Academic and professional career
  • Motivation to undertake the Master's degree course
  • Knowledge of the English language

Step 4: admission to the Master's course, upon evaluation by the Management.

 

Step 5: confirmation of enrolment and payment of the first instalment. Once admission has been confirmed, it will be necessary to finalize the enrolment by submitting the payment for the first instalment of the Master (€ 3,000). Typically, payment can be made:

  • Within 5 days of admission for Italian students
  • Within 15 days of admission for international students

The payment methods will be communicated by the competent offices.

 

 

Step 6: enrolment and start of the Master's programme, through the instructions that will be sent by the competent offices.

To learn more about the Master in Middle Eastern Studies (MIMES), write to rebecca.zamperini@unicatt.it

 

To learn more about Middle Eastern Studies – MIMES, write to rebecca.zamperini@unicatt.it

 

Visa support: international students enrolled in the Master and who need to obtain a visa will receive a letter of admission to the Master that will be useful for the visa procedure.

 

Declaration of Value/Diploma Supplement: undergraduate and graduate degrees obtained abroad (from non-Italian universities) must be accompanied by a Declaration of Value for non-EU qualifications, or by a Diploma Supplement for qualifications obtained within the European Union.

 

For more information on these documents, please read the frequently asked questions and refer to the International Admissions Office: international.enquiry@unicatt.it

Are you a non Italian applicant? Do you still have doubts regarding your status and what you have to do? 

 

Check out the FAQ