Welcome to the Iranian Studies Initiative
The Iranian Studies Initiative (ISI) was established in 2010, supported by the Duncan and Suzanne Mellichamp Endowment and the Gramian-Emrani Foundation. The program offers Persian language courses and various courses on Iran across multiple disciplines, with significant contributions from over a dozen faculty members. Most Iranian Studies courses are offered through the Department of Religious Studies. Students can pursue an undergraduate minor, MA, or PhD in Iranian Studies across several departments. UC Santa Barbara hosts over 700 students of Iranian heritage and many graduate students from Iran pursuing MA or PhD degrees. For more information, please click here.
