| UCAS code | 1234 |
|---|---|
| Duration | 1 year full time 2 years part time |
| Entry year | September 2026 |
| Campus | Streatham Campus |
| Discipline | Arab and Islamic Studies |
| Contact | Web: Enquire online |
| Typical offer | We will consider applicants with a 2:2 Honours degree or above (or equivalent). |
|---|---|
Overview
- Equips you with the skills, sources and tools to study the Middle East, North Africa and the Muslim world
- Introduces you to theorists whose work has underpinned scholarship in key fields
- You’ll learn how to make choices around your own work and be exposed to the forms of work found in the most successful research
- Your understanding and appreciation of the culture, history and language of the Middle East will open up career paths in a wide variety of areas such as academia and education, international development, government and NGO’s
4th in the UK for African & Middle Eastern Studies
The Complete University Guide 2026
Top 3 in the Russell Group for student satisfaction in all seven themes
National Student Survey 2024
Home to Europe's most important research collection on the Arab world
Masters Excellence Scholarships available
4th in the UK for African & Middle Eastern Studies
The Complete University Guide 2026
Top 3 in the Russell Group for student satisfaction in all seven themes
National Student Survey 2024
Home to Europe's most important research collection on the Arab world
Masters Excellence Scholarships available
I enjoy having the freedom to explore a huge range of topics and areas – there are modules offered on literature, politics, gender studies, language, media and specific conflicts, but with the flexibility to apply those studies to different situations around the world.
Joanne
Arab and Islamic Studies Masters student
Entry requirements
We will consider applicants with a 2:2 Honours degree or above (or equivalent). We welcome students from any academic background.
Please also see our guidance on essential documentation required for an initial decision on taught programme applications.
Entry requirements for international students
English language requirements
International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course. The required test scores for this course fall under Profile B1. Please visit our English language requirements page to view the required test scores and equivalencies from your country.
Course content
The MA in Middle East Studies will equip you with the general research skills, sources and tools relevant to the study of the Middle East, North Africa and the Muslim world in general, and introduce you to a broad range of key theorists whose work has underpinned scholarship in several key fields of study.
You will learn how to make self-conscious choices around your own work and promote forms of theoretically-aware and interdisciplinary work found in some of the most successful research in Arab, Islamic and Middle East Studies.
90 credits of compulsory modules, 90 credits of optional modules
Compulsory modules
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ARAM232 | Theorising the Middle East | 15 |
| ARAM233 | Dissertation skills | 15 |
| ARAM027 | MA Dissertation | 60 |
Optional modules
Option modules available can be viewed via the URL
https://www.exeter.ac.uk/study/studyinformation/modules/?prog=arabislamicstudies
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MA Middle East Studies Option Modules 2025-6 | ||
| ARAM054 | State and Society in the Middle East | 30 |
| ARAM081 | Advanced Arabic Language | 30 |
| ARAM090 | Energy, Logistics, Infrastructure | 30 |
| ARAM091 | Ecological Struggles | 30 |
| ARAM093 | Energy Infrastructure Environment Placement | 15 |
| ARAM103 | New Approaches to Islamic Thought | 30 |
| ARAM112A | Independent Reading Course - Sem 1 | 15 |
| ARAM112B | Independent Reading Course - Sem 2 | 15 |
| ARAM147 | The Kurds: History and Politics | 30 |
| ARAM221 | The Palestine Question: Past and Present | 30 |
| ARAM244 | Politics and Economics of the Middle East | 30 |
| ARAM240 | Arabic Language 1 | 30 |
| ARAM251 | Esotericism and the Magical Tradition | 30 |
| ARAM257 | Philosophising Magic: From Late Antiquity to the Middle Ages | 15 |
| EFPM839 | Transdisciplinary Collaborations for Creative Futures | 30 |
| HASM013 | Mental Health in Social and Historical Context | 30 |
| UG option modules for IAIS PGT Programmes 2025-26 | ||
| ARA3045 | War, Violence and Revolution in the Modern Middle East | 30 |
| ARA3108 | The Politics of Authoritarian Rule | 30 |
| ARA3129 | Nationalisms in the Middle East | 15 |
| ARA3136 | The History and Political Development of Iraq | 15 |
| ARA3158 | Armed Islamist Movements: Jihadism and Beyond | 15 |
| ARA3162 | Britain in the Middle East, 1798-1977 | 15 |
| ARA3163 | Politics and Reform in the Gulf | 15 |
| ARA3197 | The Arabian Nights: Perception and Reception | 15 |
| ARA3200 | Gender, Sexuality and Violence in Palestine/Israel | 15 |
45 credits of optional modules chosen from modules offered by the IAIS, including up to 30 credits worth of modules offered outside of the department (also at the UG level) in line with the University’s modularity policy.
Find a list of example modules hereFees
2026/27 entry
UK fees per year:
£12,650 full-time; £6,325 part-time
International fees per year:
£25,550 full-time; £12,775 part-time
Scholarships
The University of Exeter offers a wide range of scholarships to support your education, with £7 million available for international students applying to study with us in the 2026/27 academic year, including our prestigious Exeter Excellence Scholarships *. We also provide awards for sport, music and other achievements, as well as regional and partner scholarships with organisations such as Chevening, The Beacon Trust and the British Council. For more information on scholarships and other financial support, please visit our scholarships and bursaries page.
University of Exeter Alumni Scholarship
We are pleased to offer University of Exeter alumni beginning a standalone postgraduate programme in 2026/27 with us a scholarship towards the cost of your tuition fees. Full details can be found here.
*Terms and conditions, including deadlines, apply. See our website for details..
I’ve always been interested in postgraduate study but I just didn’t think it was financially feasible which is why the Global Excellence scholarship was great for me. When this opportunity came through for a fully funded year-long Masters in a well-respected institution, it was hard to turn down.
Melissa
MA Middle East Studies
Teaching and research
Teaching
- Lectures will give you direct access to the cutting-edge research being carried out by our academic team
- Take responsibility for your own learning and that of your peers by participating in group work, class discussions and student presentations
- Fine tune your critical reading skills and learn how to ask and field incisive questions
- Utilise a range of media from video and audio to articles from newspapers and academic journals
Assessment
The taught modules on this programme are assessed by a combination of essays, presentations and group work. Following completion of these in April, you will then be assessed by a 15,000-word dissertation for submission in September.
Research
As a Masters student you can attend regular research seminars held across the College of Social Sciences and International Studies and organised by our research centres. These are given by academics from Exeter and other Universities in the UK and overseas, as well as guest speakers from the private, public and charity sectors.
Facilities
The Institute is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities including a computerised language lab, lecture theatres, seminar rooms, lounge, satellite TV for viewing Middle Eastern channels and a gallery for Middle Eastern art exhibitions.
The Arab World Documentation Unit based in the Research Commons is a valuable research resource, housing numerous collections of academic textbooks, press cuttings, government papers and reports, periodicals, pamphlets, business yearbooks, and much more, with material in English, Arabic and Hebrew.
Gareth has been a regular commentator and adviser on Middle East politics over the last decade. He lived in pre-regime change Iraq between 1996 and 2001, where he was funded by the UK government to advise the Kurdish leadership.
He served as a Senior Political Adviser to the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq and is a member of the Command Advisory Group of the UK Permanent Joint Headquarters.
He has considerable fieldwork experience in a range of countries in the Middle East and Islamic World, including Iraq, Syria, the Kurdish regions, Morocco, the states of the Gulf, and more recently Afghanistan.
Read more from Professor Gareth Stansfield
Professor Gareth Stansfield
Al-Qasimi Professor of Arab Gulf Studies, Professor of Middle East Politics
William teaches on the core module Theorizing the Middle East. His special interests are in the history of colonial North Africa and, more generally, relations between the European and Arab-Islamic worlds from the medieval period to the contemporary world.
He aspires to produce work with and for subaltern communities, particularly in the Maghreb, and also publish widely in historical theory. Much of his recent work has also been translated into French, Turkish, and Russian.
Read more from Professor William Gallois
Professor William Gallois
Associate Professor of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean History
Transdisciplinary Collaborations for Creative Futures
You are invited to consider taking Transdisciplinary Collaborations for Creative Futures as an optional module in your course. It's available in two formats: 15 credits (EFPM838) or 30 credits (EFPM839).
Our Transdisciplinary Collaborations for Creative Futures module will give you the competitive career advantage of understanding how to bring your disciplinary knowledge into active dialogue with students and staff from other disciplines in order to tackle global sustainability challenges.
This module is taught by staff from across the University of Exeter and is grounded in the University's School of Education research, which shows that the best way to tackle complex real-world challenges is to creatively collaborate across disciplines and with stakeholders.
The challenges will come from external University strategic partners, ensuring issues are current, cutting edge and relevant, whilst supporting employability. The module aims to teach you how to collaboratively, and critically, produce original ideas, and think innovatively about the future through research-based activities, fieldwork and creative workshops that blend the arts, sciences, social sciences, humanities and business.
Using appropriately innovative assessment techniques, the module will equip you to respond to the global complexity and uncertainty that you will inevitably encounter when you graduate. You will be taught using pedagogical innovations, working in transdisciplinary teams with facilitation through cutting edge Creative Pedagogies and Design Thinking.
This module is particularly appropriate for international students seeking insight into UK business, creative industries and cultural contexts and employment possibilities.
Feedback from students who have taken this module highlights its value and the additional skills it helps them develop:
"This module has changed my perspective and transformed my vision. I now have a new understanding of how educational processes and practices should be designed so that learners can acquire skills such as problem-solving, collaborative working, critical and creative thinking in a transdisciplinary way." - Canan, MEd TESOL
"This module has made me more deeply understand the importance of interdisciplinary cooperation. This diversity is also a key reason why I chose this course. I hope to interact with people who have different viewpoints and come from different fields to help me look at problems from various perspectives." - Joey, MA Creative Arts in Education
"Taking this module is one of the best things I've done as part of my studies at Exeter. This is the most exciting and creative course I have ever attended." - Linh Le, MEd TESOL
"I would definitely recommend this module, not only can students learn by means of interdisciplinary cooperation through group cooperation, but also can expand the scope of communication, promote international students to know more about local culture, and promote the communication between international students and other students, which is really very good." - Sherry, MA Creative Arts in Education
Careers
Graduates from this programme may find professional employment in a wide range of sectors both in the UK and internationally. A comprehensive background in Islamic Studies is relevant to careers in:
- academia and education
- international agencies such as the United Nations or the European Union
- international development
- print and broadcast media
- politics
- private sector companies with interests in Islamic countries
- business and risk analysts
Further study
The academic skills developed on the MA Middle East Studies will enable to you to pursue doctoral study. The Institute has an international profile for our pioneering regional focus on the Gulf and Arabian Peninsula and expertise in Islamic Studies providing an ideal place in which to undertake an MPhil/PhD.
Employment and professional development
Our excellent Career Zone provides invaluable support, advice and access to graduate employers. Visit the employment and professional development pages for more information, including podcasts and profiles, about the range of support available.
In addition, the location of this programme within a hub of renowned academia will offer you the possibility of connections, networking opportunities, advice and guidance from others with extensive academic and career-related experience in this field.
