A PhD in Middle Eastern Political History and International Relations is a highly specialized, advanced research degree designed for individuals who are committed to making significant contributions to the academic study of the Middle East. The program emphasizes critical, independent research on historical, political, and socio-economic dynamics within the region and their implications for global politics. Students develop the necessary tools to conduct original research, engage with existing scholarship, and contribute to the understanding of the Middle East’s role in international affairs.

Bridging the theory and practice of international affairs, the PhD program includes a range of courses covering the history, politics, economics, international relations and cultures of the societies and nations of the Middle East. After gaining a broad overview of the region through a set of core courses, each student will develop a program of study in a more specialized field based on the student's specific academic and career interests. Students are expected to develop Middle Eastern language skills (in Arabic, Hebrew or Persian) that will enable them to work at the highest levels of scholarship and teaching in their chosen field.  In addition, completion of the Ph.D. requires demonstrated oral and reading proficiency in a language of the Middle East region.

The PhD in Political History and International Relations of the Middle East is a four to four-year course consisting of individual supervision on establishing a research agenda and resulting in a PhD thesis. Students are given guidance in areas specific to their subject and in advanced research methods, which might take from one to two years. Following the completion of the courses, students should take a written and oral examination in order to decide on his/her knowledge adequacy of political history and international relations of the Middle East. With the supervisor's confirmation, students submit a PhD thesis, followed by a viva (oral examination) within two to four years.