Asian and Middle Eastern Studies by Research (Arabic Studies)

Entry requirements

Applicants for this course should have achieved a UK High 2:1 Honours Degree.

High 2:1 or a first at BA level from a UK university or equivalent. Good working knowledge (oral and written) of Arabic will be expected. For students intending to offer a thesis in a pre-modern subject a good reading knowledge of Classical Arabic will be expected.

Those applicants whose native language is Arabic must have an excellent command of the English language (evidenced by the appropriate English-language test scores). The primary aim of the course is to prepare graduate students for independent academic research.

All prospective MPhil applicants are advised to peruse the staff profiles on our website to familiarise themselves with the research and teaching interests of staff members. Applicants should contact potential supervisors by email and discuss potential MPhil thesis topics.

Months of entry

October

Course content

The Arabic Studies pathway is a one-year research course, for highly motivated students who wish to pursue an extended research project on some aspect of Arabic Studies, classical or modern.

Graduates will be able to work independently to design research projects, and will have an in-depth knowledge of the primary sources and secondary literature in their chosen specialism in Arabic Studies.

They will be very well placed to study for a PhD, and will also be in a position to use their skills and knowledge of Arabic in other professions and activities where advanced research skills and independent critical thinking, analysis and communication skills are needed.

Learning Outcomes

The Arabic Studies research pathway develops its graduates' ability to develop a research project, to research independently using Arabic language sources and the related secondary literature, and to communicate those findings effectively.

Graduates also develop their ability to read, interpret and translate primary sources in Modern and/or Classical Arabic, acquire a good knowledge of current scholarship on modern and/or pre-modern Middle Eastern culture(s), and acquire an in-depth knowledge of the secondary literature relevant to the subject of their thesis.