Middle Eastern Studies MA (Hons)

Level: Undergraduate

Subject: Islamic Studies and Middle Eastern Studies

Year of entry: 2026

Key facts

UCAS Code

T600

Award

MA (Hons)

Duration of study

4 years

Delivery

Full-time

Study location

Central Area

Start date

September 2026

School

School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures

College

College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

Study abroad

Available

Placement

No

Open days and events

About the degree programme

Located at the crossroads between Europe, Africa and Asia, the Middle East has played a pivotal role on the world stage from ancient times.

The University of Edinburgh is recognised in the UK and internationally as a leading institution for the study of the Middle East, Middle Eastern languages and the Islamic world. Our collections in the subject are world-class.

Taking an Area Studies approach to the region, our four-year Master of Arts (MA) programme will develop your knowledge and understanding of Middle Eastern:

  • history
  • politics
  • societies and cultures
  • literatures

You will develop the skills to analyse, critique and compare key issues and concepts, both in group discussion and in written work - including your dissertation.

To help you access and interpret source material, you will take Year 1 classes in at least one of the three main languages of the Middle East:

  • Arabic
  • Persian
  • Turkish

You can continue to take your language(s) into Year 2, or opt to take courses from other areas.

You will graduate with the combination of specialist knowledge and an openness to other cultures and new ideas which is valued by employers around the globe.

How long it takes to complete this degree programme

This programme is studied over 4 years. This enables us to build choice and flexibility into your studies, giving you time to explore options, find what you like and build your skills.

Your first two years will be your pre-honours years. Year 1 in particular will give you a good grounding in a Middle Eastern language and in the history of the Middle East and Islam.

In addition to your core courses, you will broaden your education and skill set by choosing option courses from a range of disciplines. This gives you the chance to build your intercultural awareness in other areas of the arts, humanities, social sciences and beyond.

Your final two years will be your honours years. They will be tailored to your interests in specific topics or approaches to Middle Eastern Studies. You may have the option to study abroad in Year 3, either for the full year or for one semester. In Year 4, you will write a dissertation.

Programme rankings

  • 3rd in the UK in the Arts & Humanities

Rankings from QS World Rankings by Subject 2025

Programme benefits

  • Learn in an historic city where the Middle East has been studied since the 18th century.
  • Study over four years, giving you time to find your specialism.
  • Become confident in at least one Middle Eastern language, with the option to study Arabic, Persian or Turkish.
  • Try out different subjects in your first two years.
  • Join societies related to what you are studying.
  • Delve into fantastic libraries and collections.

Find your entry requirements

Use the dropdowns to find out your entry requirements.

  1. Select the country where you are studying or where you studied your qualification.
  2. Select the qualification you are studying or studied.
United Kingdom,

Tuition fees for MA (Hons) Middle Eastern Studies

View the tuition fees for one academic year of MA (Hons) Middle Eastern Studies.

Tuition fees for this programme

Additional costs

If you study abroad in Year 3, there will be additional costs. For example, you will be responsible for associated travel costs such as flights and visas.

Grants may be available to you to help with the extra costs of studying and living abroad.

Accommodation and living costs

You need to cover your accommodation and living costs for the duration of your programme.

We estimate that a single student can potentially spend a maximum of £920 to £2,257 on living costs each month, depending on your accommodation.

This estimate covers the costs of:

  • accommodation
  • food
  • utility bills
  • travel within Edinburgh
  • health and wellbeing costs

See a breakdown of living costs

Scholarships and funding

Funding information

You can find detailed information on financial support available, based on where you are living, in our funding section.

Funding

What you will study

You will take classes in at least one Middle Eastern language, choosing from:

  • Arabic
  • Persian
  • Turkish

Whichever language you choose, you will learn basic grammar and develop your vocabulary so that you can read and write the language and speak about a range of topics.

You do not currently need to know any of the languages, as Year 1 courses are designed for beginners.

You will also choose from courses in:

  • Islamic history, spanning the period 550 CE to around 1650
  • the religion of Islam - an exploration of the religion's branches, key texts, central beliefs and rituals
  • Islamic and Middle Eastern Cultures - an introduction to the literary, aesthetic and intellectual culture of the Middle East, from the eve of Islam to the modern period.
Option courses

You will complete your Year 1 studies with option courses chosen from a wide range offered by the University.

You can, for example, opt to learn an additional Middle Eastern language. Our courses in Arabic, Persian and Turkish are suitable for complete beginners.

Other options include, but are not limited to, courses in:

  • European languages and cultures
  • Asian studies, with the option to learn Chinese, Japanese or Korean
  • business, economics and informatics
  • politics, social policy, social anthropology and international relations
  • art and architectural history
  • history, classics and archaeology
  • Celtic and Scottish ethnology
  • linguistics and language sciences
  • philosophy, divinity and law
Find Year 1 courses (2024-2025 academic year)

You will take courses in modern Middle Eastern history. These will chart the region's political, economic, social and cultural history from the late Ottoman period to the present day.

You do not have to study a Middle Eastern language this year, but you can opt to continue with your language studies, or to take up another language, if you wish. This could be a Middle Eastern language (Arabic, Persian or Turkish) or another world language.

As in Year 1, you can also choose to take courses in other subject areas offered by the University.

Find Year 2 courses (2024-2025 academic year)

This is the first of your honours years. You will choose specialist option courses from a wide selection of subject areas at the University relating to Middle Eastern Studies. These include:

  • history
  • politics, social policy, social anthropology and international relations
  • religion
  • history of art and cultural studies

Alternatively, you may have the option to study abroad for either the full year or one semester at a partner university or other approved institution.

If you study abroad in Year 3, you will still be a student at the University of Edinburgh, with remote access to all our services. The Year Abroad Office and your Student Adviser, both based in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC), will check in with you at key points during the year.

Find Year 3 courses (2024-2025 academic year)

You will continue with your honours-level studies, choosing further specialist option courses from a wide selection of subject areas relating to Middle Eastern Studies.

Building on all the knowledge and skills you have developed over four years, including in independent research, you will complete a dissertation on a subject of your choice and under the supervision of an academic adviser.

Find Year 4 courses (2024-2025 academic year)

Study abroad

You may have the option to study abroad in Year 3. Regardless of location, you will study a range of courses on subjects relating to Islam or the Middle East.

What are my options for going abroad?

Teaching and assessment

Teaching

University is a place to plan your own goals under expert guidance, study independently and in groups, and reflect upon your learning throughout your degree.

Our approach to learning and teaching is active, inclusive and question-driven, so it may be different to your experiences at school. It will help you gain the skills for life after university, and we will guide you through the steps from one phase to the next.

Depending on the size of your year group, and which option courses you take, your classes will typically fall into three categories:

  • lectures
  • tutorials
  • seminars

In addition to these classes, to get the most out of your courses, you will need to read widely.

Lectures

Lectures are taken by all students on a course, typically at the same time. They are delivered as interactive presentations which may involve audio-visual material.

Lectures are given by an experienced academic. They are designed to guide you through the background, questions and debates related to the topic you are studying.

Tutorials

Tutorial groups are smaller. They are also led by an academic, but here the emphasis is more on what you think about the topic yourself. So, tutorials are your chance to discuss and expand upon what you have learned in a lecture.

Language tutorials give you the opportunity to develop your linguistic skills in a range of real-world tasks under the supervision of an experienced language teacher.

These classes typically cover skills such as reading, writing, listening and speaking - all of which involve learning and applying grammar.

Seminars

Seminars blend features of lectures and tutorials. Again, they are designed to encourage and enable your active participation in learning.

On some courses, you will have seminars instead of lectures, especially in your honours years (Years 3 and 4).

Assessment

You will be assessed through a combination of coursework and exams.

Coursework is generally completed throughout the year, while exams take place at the end of a teaching block.

Coursework will take a range of forms to give you the opportunity to practice different skills. For example, you may be asked to:

  • write an essay, review, blog post, opinion piece or learning journal
  • respond to a piece of writing, film, or other media, including through close reading
  • give a short talk or presentation
  • record a podcast or video
  • design a poster or presentation

While you are studying a language, exams will include oral exams to test your spoken language skills.

In your final year, you will also complete a dissertation.

Support for your studies

As well as the teaching staff and other staff members you will meet day-to-day, there are lots of ways to get help with your learning, including through the University’s Institute for Academic Development (IAD). Peer support schemes bring together students across year groups to help each other with specific study skills, topics or themes.

Where you will study

Study location

When you are on campus, you can expect to spend most of your time in the University of Edinburgh's Central Area - in class, in the library, or in one of the University’s many social and support spaces.

The Central Area is located on the edge of Edinburgh's historic Old Town, surrounded by lots of green space.

Academic facilities

Libraries and collections

The Main University Library holds academic books, journals and databases, films, newspapers and other media. It has over 23,000 resources in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies (IMES), of which around 9,000 printed books are in Arabic, 2,600 in Persian and 1,500 in Turkish. More than 100 films are in either Arabic or Persian.

The Library is also the home of the University's Centre for Research Collections which brings together:

  • more than 400,000 rare books
  • six kilometres of archives and manuscripts
  • thousands of works of art, historical musical instruments and other objects

Highlights include:

  • The Serjeant and Watt Collections of some 6,400 titles in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies
  • some of the world’s most precious Islamic manuscripts, such as Rashid al-Din’s History of the World and al-Biruni’s Chronology of Ancient Nations
  • an extensive collection of the Egyptian newspaper al-Ahram al-yawmi (1876-1930)

Many of the University's Special Collections are digitised and available online from our excellent Resource Centre, computing labs and dedicated study spaces in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC).

IMES also has its own library in 19 George Square, with views across a central garden to both the Main University Library and LLC.

Centres for research, teaching and outreach

We have great links with the Alwaleed Centre for the Study of Islam in the Contemporary World which promotes a better understanding of Islam and Muslim culture locally, nationally and internationally.

Career paths

Skills and experience

Graduating with a four-year Master of Arts degree from the University of Edinburgh shows intellectual maturity, resilience, and flexibility. This includes the ability to:

  • understand, analyse and articulate complex issues and concepts
  • manage your time to meet deadlines on different types of projects
  • work both independently and as part of a group

Additionally, this programme will give you a nuanced understanding of other cultures and societies and how they shape our world - what employers value as intercultural competence.

Learning either Arabic, Persian or Turkish in Year 1 (with the option to continue into Year 2) will also sharpen your written and oral communication skills.

Local and global opportunities

With increasing migration in response to changing global dynamics, there is demand for our graduates in Scotland, the UK and abroad.

Your degree in Middle Eastern Studies, which includes some language learning, is an excellent primer for a range of careers. Within the private, public, not-for-profit, and for-benefit sectors, previous graduates have gone on to work in:

  • business, finance, commerce and tech
  • communications, marketing, advertising and public relations
  • education, outreach, advocacy and training
  • journalism, broadcasting and media
  • leisure, tourism and travel
  • politics, policy work, diplomacy, civil service and law
  • publishing, culture, heritage and the arts
  • research, development, consultancy and venture acceleration

Careers Service

Throughout your time with us, we will encourage you to identify and hone your employability skills.

Through the University's excellent Careers Service, you can:

  • get careers advice tailored towards Middle Eastern Studies
  • book one-to-one appointments and practice interviews
  • access a range of online resources
  • attend events and themed fairs such as the Creative and Cultural Careers Festival
  • get help finding work while you study and for around two years after you graduate

The Careers Service is also a partner in Life After LLC, a panel event where you can draw inspiration from recent graduates of programmes in literatures, languages and cultures.

Visit the Careers Service website

Further study

The enhanced research skills you will develop on a four-year programme, particularly in your honours years, are a valuable asset if you wish to continue studying at postgraduate level.

At the University of Edinburgh, we typically offer both taught and research-led masters programmes in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies.

You can also typically choose from masters programmes in The Globalised Muslim World, The Middle East in Global Politics, and more.

Any of our masters degrees, whether research-based or taught, is a good foundation for a PhD, but is equally of value as a stand-alone qualification.

Graduate profiles

How to apply

You must submit a full application through UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) before the relevant deadline.

Guidance on applying through UCAS

What you need to apply

As part of your application, you will need:

  • your academic qualifications
  • a personal statement
  • evidence of your English language skills (with relevant qualifications)
  • a reference

How we select

If you have met, or are predicted to meet, all our entry requirements by the relevant deadline, then your application will go into our selection process.

As part of this selection process, we will review all the information you submit in your UCAS application when we decide who to select for this degree programme.

How we select applicants

When to apply

  • 2026 entry UCAS deadline: 14 January 2026 (6:00pm GMT)

This is the deadline for all UK, EU and international applicants to non-medicine and veterinary medicine programmes.

To find out if any degree programmes have spaces after 14 January 2026, search the University of Edinburgh on the UCAS website.

Search degrees that are open on the UCAS website

Key application dates and deadlines

After you apply

After you have applied for your degree programme, we suggest you have a look at the following information to help you prepare for university:

Applying as an international student

As an international student, you apply for this degree programme through UCAS.  

Find out more about applying through UCAS  

Visas and immigration 

If you do not have the right to live in the UK, you will need to apply for and secure a Student visa before the start date of your degree programme.  

Our Student Immigration Service can help you with the Student visa application process. 

Applying for a visa  

Agents  

An education agent is someone who can help you with the application process as an international student. 

We work with education agents around the world and have a list of local offices you can contact.  

Find contact details for an education agent

What our students say

I think what makes Edinburgh special is that there is so much to do whatever your interests are! Whether you enjoy hiking, relaxing in a café, socialising with friends, or literally anything else, you will never run out of options here.

Minju Kim LLC graduate (2024)

In her final year studying at Edinburgh, Minju served as the Undergraduate Representative for the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures. Together with Programme Representatives for Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies, Undergraduate Representatives are your voice in the university - sharing your feedback to continually improve the student experience for everyone. Their roles are supported by the Edinburgh University Students' Association (EUSA).

Accommodation

We guarantee an offer of University accommodation for all new, single undergraduate students from outside Edinburgh. To be eligible, you need to meet all criteria and apply for accommodation by 16 August in the year of your entry to the University.

University accommodation website

Accommodation guarantee criteria

If you prefer to live elsewhere, we can offer you advice on finding accommodation in Edinburgh.

Accommodation information from the Edinburgh University Students' Association Advice Place

Societies and clubs

The Edinburgh University Students' Association (EUSA) supports more than 300 student-led societies and clubs, including the Islamic Society, and promotes opportunities with local charities through its volunteering centre.

From acting to dancing, making friends in language cafes to campaigning on global issues, these student-led groups offer lots of ways to engage with other cultures.

The University's accreditation as a University of Sanctuary, the first in Scotland, has given a number of our students the chance to engage with displaced speakers of Middle Eastern languages.

Examples include students tutoring and providing peer support to teenage Syrian refugees living in Edinburgh, a project which won an Outstanding Global Citizenship Impact Award and a Sir William Darling Memorial Prize.

Societies

Sports clubs

The city of Edinburgh

Edinburgh is a world-leading festival city filled with cinemas, theatres, galleries, libraries and collections.

The city's resources for studying literatures, languages and cultures are exceptional, and its world cinema scene is particularly strong.

Many national collections are located close to the University's Central Area, making them easy to access between classes.

Highlights include the:

  • National Library of Scotland
  • National Museum of Scotland
  • National Galleries of Scotland

Find out more about living in Edinburgh

Health and wellbeing support

You will have access to free health and wellbeing services throughout your time at university if you need them.

The support services we offer include:

  • a student counselling service
  • a health centre (doctor's surgery)
  • support if you're living in University accommodation
  • dedicated help and support if you have a disability or need adjustment

Health and wellbeing support services

Contact us

Contact us through our enquiry team if you have any questions about this programme.

Open days, events and visits

Find out when our next open days will be taking place

Open days, events and visits

Chat to our students on Unibuddy

Related degree programmes

Other degrees in Islamic Studies and Middle Eastern Studies

You may also be interested in

Discover Uni data

This information is part of a government initiative to enhance the material that higher education institutions provide about their degree programmes.

It is one of many sources of information which will enable you to make an informed decision on what and where to study.

Some programmes do not have Discover Uni data available.