Boren Fellowships / en Master’s of Professional Studies (MPS) in Persian /masters-professional-studies-mps-persian-0 <span property="schema:name">Master’s of Professional Studies (MPS) in Persian</span> <div class="field field--name-field-program field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline"> <div class="field--label">Program</div> <div class="field--items"> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/228" hreflang="en">Boren Fellowships</a></div> </div> </div> <span rel="schema:author"><a title="View user profile." href="/users/msaffleiieorg" lang="" about="/users/msaffleiieorg" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">MSaffle@iie.org</a></span> <span property="schema:dateCreated" content="2025-10-02T13:11:58+00:00">Thu, 10/02/2025 - 13:11</span> <div property="schema:text" class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><h4><a class="anchor" name="AFLI" id="AFLI">Master's of Professional Studies (MPS) in Persian</a></h4> <p><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Boren Fellowship applicants have a new opportunity to pursue a Master’s of Professional Studies (MPS) in Persian at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD), part of the Language Flagship Program in Maryland. The Persian MPS program, funded by the Defense Language and National Security Education Program within the U.S. Department of Defense </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">is open to U.S. graduate students with previous study of Persian who can demonstrate advanced level </span><a style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt;">proficiency</span><span style="font-size: 10.6667px;"> </span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">in Persian. The MPS program offers the unique opportunity for intensive, immersive language study designed for graduate students with professional level Proficiency in Persian, preparing them to pursue their career of choice. (IIE, please make this parallel to the Flagship section version).</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">All applicants, including current Persian Flagship students, must concurrently apply for a Boren Fellowship and to the UMD MPS in Persian. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Applicants should review the University of Maryland’s Persian MPS <a href="https://sllc.umd.edu/special-programs/arabic-persian/persian-flagship/capstone">website</a> (<a href="https://sllc.umd.edu/special-programs/arabic-persian/persian-flagship/capstone" style="color:#0563c1; text-decoration:underline">https://sllc.umd.edu/special-programs/arabic-persian/persian-flagship/capstone</a>) for important details including the UMD graduate program eligibility requirements, curriculum and instruction, living in College Park, and the link with instructions on how to apply for the program through UMD. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b>Program Name :</b> University of Maryland in College Park, MD</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b>Program Dates: </b>Fall 2026 – Spring 2027 (dates to be confirmed)</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b>Language: </b>MPS provides rigorous proficiency-oriented language instruction designed to allow advanced speakers of Persian to attain Professional Level Proficiency in Persian. The instruction model provides students with opportunities to practice Persian in academic, professional, and social settings. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The 30-credit program is designed as a one-year <b>master’s degree</b>, with students taking 15 credits each semester.  </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b>Ãå±±½ûµØ</b>: Applicants must meet all criteria for the Boren Fellowship and AND all eligibility criteria for the University of Maryland (UMD) </span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Persian MPS program</span></span><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">, including:</span></span></p> <ul><li style="margin-left:16px"><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Applicants must have completed an undergraduate degree from an accredited university by the Fall they plan to begin the program with at least a 3.0  grade point average. </span></span></li> <li style="margin-left:16px"><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Advanced proficiency (Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) 2 in speaking, reading, and listening) or greater is required for admission to the MPS Persian program and will be verified through testing.</span></span></li> <li style="margin-left:16px"><span style="font-size:15pt"><span style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span style="color:#666666"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt" xml:lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"><span style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Applicants should reference the </span></span></span><a href="https://www.govtilr.org/Skills/ILRscale2.htm#2" style="color:#0563c1; text-decoration:underline"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">ILR descriptions</span></span></span></a><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt" xml:lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"><span style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> to self-assess.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li> <li style="margin-left:16px"><span style="font-size:15pt"><span style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span style="color:#666666"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt" xml:lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"><span style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Applicants who do not meet the required proficiency but test at an Intermediate High (ILR 1+) may still qualify by attending UMD’s Persian Summer Language Institute in Summer 2026 with the goal of reaching an ILR 2 / Advanced proficiency ahead of the fall 2026 semester.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li> </ul><p class="MsoSubtitle" style="margin-bottom:21px"><span style="font-size:15pt"><span style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span style="color:#666666"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Costs</span></span></span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">: The following cost categories are eligible for Boren funding during the duration of the MPS Persian program:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <ul><li style="margin-left:16px"><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Tuition and fees</span></span></li> <li style="margin-left:16px"><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Books and materials</span></span></li> <li style="margin-left:16px"><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Housing</span></span></li> <li style="margin-left:16px"><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Meals</span></span></li> <li style="margin-left:16px"><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Round-trip travel costs to University of Maryland if applicable </span></span></li> </ul><p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Boren Fellows should understand that budget estimates reflect average costs for study at UMD. Costs such as housing, meals, and transportation will vary based on individual choices. Participants in the MPS Persian program should budget carefully, taking into account fixed costs (e.g. tuition and fees) and plan for other costs that vary based on choice (e.g. housing and meal costs). </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:15pt"><span style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span style="color:#666666"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt" xml:lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"><span style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Please note that <b>certain costs are <u>not</u> eligible to be covered</b> by the Ãå±±½ûµØ: expenses related to dependents; and personal travel and entertainment expenses. Boren will not cover personal domestic expenses such as credit card, college loans or car payments. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> </div> Thu, 02 Oct 2025 13:11:58 +0000 MSaffle@iie.org 15078 at