Iranian Studies and Intensive Language

Become an expert on Iran – looking at politics, contemporary history, language, culture, art, and international relations within the Middle East and beyond.

This is a unique programme, run by very few universities worldwide. At SOAS, you’ll have the benefit of studying in the centre of London, have the opportunity to learn Persian and other Middle Eastern languages, and link with research centres such the Centre for Iranian Studies and the Centre for Middle Eastern Studies.

The Iranian Studies MA's flexible programme and interdisciplinary curriculum will enrich students’ knowledge about the religious and politico-cultural influences affecting contemporary Iran and the region it is embedded in. Students will develop a critical understanding of the literature and/or of Iran and the diaspora and gain an understanding of Iran in the context of the Middle East with respect to gender, politics, Islam, music, and migration.

The MA Iranian Studies with Intensive language programme has many language modules for students to pick and choose from, including introduction, intermediate, advance Persian, Arabic, Hebrew and Turkish. Students will also spend the summer taking an Advanced Study Abroad module, worth 45 credits, while also having a choice of studying 2-years full-time or 4-years part-time.

You can view all the intensive language options available in the combined courses tool below.

Linguistic skills (two-year Intensive Language pathways)

• To acquire/develop skills in a language spoken in the Near and Middle East to Effective Operational Proficiency level
• To demonstrate awareness of the conceptual and communicative underpinnings of that language and through this interlinguistic and intercultural understanding
• Communicate in written and spoken medium in a relevant language
• Engage with people from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds, understand the role of different frames of reference

Why study MA Iranian Studies and Intensive Language at SOAS?

• SOAS is ranked 7th in the UK for African and Middle Eastern Studies (Complete University Guide 2026)
• SOAS is ranked 13th in the UK for Modern Languages (QS World University Rankings 2025)
• We are ranked 2nd in the UK for 'graduate prospects' (Complete University Guide 2026)
• Modern Languages and Linguistics at SOAS has been ranked 10th in the UK in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021
• We are ranked 4th for research environment - with 100% of our research ranked as 'internationally excellent' and 85% as 'world-leading' - and 8th for research outputs in the REF 2021