In 1975 Blankinship received an MA in Teaching English as a Foreign Language from the American University in Cairo, in 1983 a second MA in Islamic History from Cairo University and in 1988 a Ph.D. in History from the University of Washington.
I 1975 fik Blankinship en MA i Teaching English as a Foreign Language fra det amerikanske universitet i Cairo, i 1983 en anden MA i islamisk historie fra Cairo Universitet og i 1988 en Ph.D. i historie fra University of Washington.