Entry requirements

You should have, or expect to get, a 2:1 Honours degree in a relevant subject.

Months of entry

September

Course content

Explore the study of Islam at Birmingham. You’ll work with our academic experts and the Al-Mahdi Institute to investigate contemporary research in Islamic Studies and explore a range of topics.

You don’t need any formal learning in Islamic Studies for this course. For students who do have a background in Islamic Studies, it provides an ideal foundation for further research. Pursue your individual interests through our flexible module choices. You'll cover topics like Islamic perspectives in psychology, and law and ethics in Islamic thought and practice.

Course highlights

Take advantage of the expertise of both the Department of Theology and Religion and the Al-Mahdi Institute. This course will give you an in-depth understanding of Islamic Studies.

You'll study traditional and modern debates on Islam and Muslim societies, both pre-modern and contemporary, within a wider context of Philosophy, Theology, and Religion.

Benefit from diversity of experts in the Department and at the Al-Mahdi Institute, which provides you with a platform for further research in Islamic Studies.
Build your degree around your interests with flexible module choices ranging from focussed treatments of Islamic intellectual traditions to wider philosophical debates on politics and society.
Resources include Birmingham's Cadbury Research Library that houses many texts with religious significance, including the Birmingham Qur'an: one of the earliest surviving fragments of the Qur’an.
Immerse yourself in one of the most religiously and culturally diverse cities in Europe. Make the most of the Department's links with faith-based communities across the city.

Course delivery

At Birmingham, research and teaching go hand-in-hand. Lecturers and professors continue to research in their field, offering valuable expertise in Theology and Religion.

Taught modules - each module represents a total of 200 hours of study time, including preparatory reading, homework and assignment preparation.
Seminars – modules are mainly taught by small group teaching.
Dissertation – you'll undertake either a 15,000-word dissertation in an area that interests you or a placement-based dissertation.

Information for international students

If you are an international student, you will need to demonstrate you have a suitable level of English proficiency, usually through the form of an IELTS or equivalent qualification.

For this course we require IELTS 6.5 with no less than 6.0 in any band, which is equivalent to:

TOEFL: 88 overall with no less than 21 in Reading, 20 Listening, 22 Speaking and 21 in Writing
Pearson Test of English (PTE): Academic 67 with no less than 64 in all four skills
Cambridge English: C1 Advanced - minimum overall score of 176, with no less than 169 in any component
LanguageCert ESOL SELT (UKVI): B2 'Communicator' with no less than 33 in each skill

Fees and funding

The College of Arts and Law is a vibrant community of students and academics, dedicated to ensuring that excellence is rewarded, and that fears about finance do not constrain current or prospective students. For this reason, in addition to University funding schemes, we offer our own College-specific funding initiatives.

Qualification, course duration and attendance options

MA
part time
24 months
- Campus-based learningis available for this qualification
full time
12 months
- Campus-based learningis available for this qualification

Course contact details

Name: Postgraduate Enquiries

Visit website

Apply

Islamic Studies