I'm fascinated by Persia, particularly the Achaemaenid empire, but as I'm looking at programs beyond the undergraduate level it seems kind of like I'm the only one. What should I pursue at the graduate level to further this interest? and where should I go to do that?
Any assistance is appreciated?
The major places to study ancient Persia in the US are the Department of Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations at the University of Chicago, which is home to the Persepolis fortification archive project, and the Department of Near Eastern Languages & Cultures at UCLA, which is home to the new Pourdavoud Center for the Study of the Iranian World. There is also the excellent Institute for the Study of the Ancient World at NYU, and, in Canada, the Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations at the University of Toronto.
Achaemenid studies is very language-intensive. At a minimum, you will be required to know ancient Greek and Old Iranian (Old Persian and Avestan), and you will almost certainly be expected to learn Aramaic and Elamite as well.