A young female university student studying in a beautiful courtyard with traditional Middle Eastern geometric tiles and archways, with an Arabic textbook and notebook open, representing the immersive language and cultural study experience of Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies degrees

DEGREE GUIDE

Arabic & Middle Eastern Studies

What do Arabic & Middle Eastern Studies degrees involve?

Arabic & Middle Eastern Studies degrees teach you about the languages, cultures, histories, and politics of the Middle East, a region with deep global significance. You will explore key areas such as Arabic language, Middle Eastern history, literature, religion, and international relations. These courses help you develop linguistic, analytical, and intercultural communication skills while examining themes like colonialism, conflict, migration, and economic development. You will also have the opportunity to study classical and modern Arabic texts, explore contemporary Middle Eastern issues, and understand the region’s role in global affairs. With language immersion, study abroad opportunities, and research projects, you’ll gain valuable expertise for careers in diplomacy, international development, journalism, and cultural consultancy.

Example
Modules

Beginning Arabic: Build your skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking, learning basic vocabulary and sentence structures to use in everyday situations.

Studying the Middle East: Explore the region’s rich cultural, religious and linguistic diversity while considering how it is shaped by politics, identity and media narratives.

Introduction to Islam: Learn about the core beliefs, rituals and history of Islam, and examine its role in shaping societies across the Middle East and beyond.

Common Degree Names

💼 Some programmes include placement or internship opportunities related to translation, NGOs, or diplomacy.
🌍 A year abroad in an Arabic-speaking country is a core and essential part of most Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies degrees.

BA (Hons) Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies
BA (Hons) Arabic Studies
BA (Hons) Arabic and Islamic Studies
BA (Hons) Middle Eastern Studies and Politics

An Arabic language textbook and ornate calligraphy print alongside a contemporary Middle Eastern politics book and handwritten Arabic practice notes, with traditional Arabic coffee and dates, illustrating the language skills and regional knowledge developed in Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies degrees

Level 3 (A-level / IB Diploma (HL) / Scottish Highers)

Arabic & Middle Eastern Studies usually offers two pathways: advanced (for students who have studied Arabic) and beginners/ab initio (starting from scratch).

For advanced-level entry:

Arabic – required at A-level or equivalent

For beginners/ab initio pathways:

No prior Arabic required – courses start from scratch
Other Modern Languages – show language-learning aptitude
History, Politics, or Religious Studies – great for regional context
English Literature – useful for close reading and essay writing

✨ If you haven't studied Arabic before, a beginner's pathway is your route in. Many excellent programmes start from scratch.

Universities may also accept:

BTEC Extended Diplomas, often alongside an academic A-level in a language or humanities subject
BTEC National Extended Certificates or National Diplomas alongside relevant A-Level subjects
IB Career-related Programme (IBCP) with at least two IB Higher Level subjects (ideally three) alongside your Career-Related Study — see above for IB subjects that could strengthen your application

Requirements differ between advanced and beginner pathways. Always check each university’s website for the exact subjects and entry criteria.

Level 2 Qualifications (GCSE / MYP / National 5)

Most courses ask for:

GCSE English Language and Maths at grade 4/C or above, or equivalents such as National 5s or MYP
GCSE Arabic (or equivalent) for advanced-level courses; not required for beginners’ routes

📘 Having another language at GCSE or equivalent (or clear evidence of language learning) can strengthen applications to beginners’ pathways.

💬 Interviews

Formal interviews aren't usually part of the application process. However, some universities may invite you for a short conversation, either online or in person, to learn more about your interest in the subject.

✨ Personal Statement Tips

What draws you to the Middle East - its languages, histories, politics, cultures, or contemporary issues? This is a diverse and complex region, so thinking about which aspects interest you most helps. If you've engaged through news coverage, literature in translation, films, music, or following current affairs, reflect on what sparked your curiosity and what questions it raised. Any steps you've taken to explore Arabic or other regional languages show commitment, but you don't need prior language study for many courses. Admissions tutors want to see genuine curiosity about the region and awareness of its diversity, not just interest driven by headlines.

If your qualifications don't match the usual entry requirements, there are some other possibilities.

🌱 Foundation Year in Humanities or Languages

Some universities offer a foundation year that can lead into Arabic & Middle Eastern Studies or related degrees. This adds an extra year but provides a route in if you don't have the required subjects or grades.

🎓 Access to HE Diploma (Humanities or Social Science)

Accepted by universities offering this degree. Choose a pathway with essay-based units such as history, politics or cultural studies, and aim for strong results in your graded units.

Is this degree right for you?

Members can explore whether this degree fits who they are:

Skills you'd develop and whether they match your strengths
How this aligns with your interests, motivators and values
Career paths and where graduates end up

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Skills you would develop in X degree

Skill Name

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Is this a good fit for you?

Use the tabs to explore the kind of person that this would be a good fit for. Do you share the Interests, Motivations, Values, Work identity and skills that people who thrive in this course tend to have?

Not sure what these things are? Explore your Identity Tree with us first.

Interests that connect well with an Arabic & Middle Eastern Studies degree

Students who enjoy this degree often share these interests. You don't need to feel strongly about all of them, and interests develop over time. If one or two catch your curiosity, or sound like something you'd like to know more about, that's a good sign.

Different Cultures, Languages & Beliefs: The degree takes you deep into the Middle East: its cultural traditions, diverse societies, and the beliefs that shape daily life across the region. You'll study Islam as a major world religion, explore how cultural identity is expressed from North Africa to the Gulf, and develop Arabic language skills that open the door to direct engagement.

The Past & How It Shapes Us: History runs through the entire degree, from the rise of Islam and the great medieval empires through to Ottoman decline, European colonialism, and the creation of modern nation-states. Understanding this past is essential to making sense of the Middle East's present.

Global Issues & International Affairs: The politics of the Middle East is a major strand. You'll study how regimes function, how conflict and diplomacy shape the region, and why the Middle East matters so much to international affairs, from oil and trade to migration, security, and the politics of intervention.

Language, Stories & Writing: Intensive Arabic study runs through the degree. You'll work with a non-Indo-European language that organises meaning very differently from English, learn the Arabic script, and develop reading and translation skills across classical and modern forms of the language.

Students who thrive in an Arabic & Middle Eastern Studies degree are often motivated by

Analysing and Investigating

You're energised by making sense of information, looking for evidence, spotting patterns, and piecing together how things connect. Whether it's pulling apart data, questioning assumptions, or tracing a problem back to its source, you find energy in the process of understanding what's really going on. You'd rather dig into the details than accept things at face value.

Curiosity and Learning

You're energised by the activity of learning itself: diving into a subject you've never explored, watching documentaries, taking apart how something works, or constantly asking "why?" The process of learning gives you energy, not just the outcome. You don't just want the answer; you want to understand how things connect, why they matter, and what's underneath the surface explanation.

Working Internationally

You're energised by work that crosses borders and connects you with people from different countries, backgrounds, and systems. That might be collaborating with international colleagues, working in a place that isn't your own, using another language professionally, or tackling problems that don't stop at a single country's borders. You come alive when the work you're doing reaches beyond your own patch of the world.

What makes Arabic & Middle Eastern Studies click for the students who love it?

Some of the oldest cities, languages and literatures in the world sit in this region, alongside a religious and political life that still shapes events far beyond it. They want to understand it on its own terms, reading its own writers and thinkers and comparing rival accounts of its history and politics rather than trusting the loudest voice. For many it centres on the language: learning Arabic, putting it to use during a year living in the region, and building the kind of knowledge that only comes from being there.

These are the skills that students who love this degree tend to enjoy using. You don't need to be great at them already, but if they sound like you, that's a good sign.

Skill Name

Skills that suit this degree

You don't need to be great at these already — but if you enjoy using them or want to get better at them, that's a good sign.

Does the idea of learning a completely new language and alphabet appeal to you, even if it feels challenging at first?
Do you enjoy thinking about why the same event or place can be understood so differently depending on who's telling the story?
Do you find it satisfying to express yourself clearly, especially when ideas are complex or need to cross cultural boundaries?

Careers an Arabic & Middle Eastern Studies degree could lead you to

Arabic & Middle Eastern Studies

What do Arabic & Middle Eastern Studies degrees involve?

Example Modules

Common Degree Names

Is this degree right for you?

Skills you would develop in X degree

Skill Name

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Is this a good fit for you?

Careers an Arabic & Middle Eastern Studies degree could lead you to

Example
Modules