| UCAS code | 1234 |
|---|---|
| Duration | 1 year full time 2 years part time |
| Entry year | September 2024 |
| Campus | Streatham Campus |
| Discipline | Arab and Islamic Studies |
| Contact | Programme Director Professor Marc Valeri |
| Typical offer | 2:2 Honours degree |
|---|---|
Overview
- Advanced and critical study of the history, politics, economy and culture of the Gulf, in one of the world's leading centres, which has played a key role in the evolution of this field of study
- A flexible programme which you can tailor to your particular interests and conduct independent research, with the option of using our unique holdings and research collections
- Our research-led modules are taught by a multidisciplinary team of high-profile academic specialists
- Exeter is a world leader in Gulf Studies. Our students play an important role in the activities of our lively Centre for Gulf Studies
- Your knowledge and expertise of the Gulf region will be valued by public and private sector employers and open doors for further academic study
1st for Middle Eastern and African Studies
The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024
Largest purpose-built Middle East centre in the UK
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 with 53% or above in a social sciences or humanities discipline. While we normally only consider applicants who meet this criteria, if you are coming from a different academic background which is equivalent to degree level, or have relevant work experience, we would welcome your application.
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 B2. Please visit our English language requirements page to view the required test scores and equivalencies from your country.
Course content
The MA Gulf 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.
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.
Fees
2024/25 entry
UK fees per year:
£12,000 full-time; £6,000 part-time
International fees per year:
£24,300 full-time; £12,150 part-time
Scholarships
We invest heavily in scholarships for talented prospective Masters students. This includes over £5 million in scholarships for international students, such as our Global Excellence Scholarships*.
For more information on scholarships, please visit our scholarships and bursaries page.
*Selected programmes only. Please see the Terms and Conditions for each scheme for further details.
Institute of Arab & Islamic Studies Masters Excellence Scholarship
The Institute of Arab & Islamic Studies has a number of Excellence Scholarships available, which are designed to recognise high academic achievement and ambition. The awards include a full tuition fee waiver plus maintenance grant, or a full tuition fee waiver without maintenance. These awards are available to Home and International fee status applicants who already hold an offer to study an eligible Masters programme in the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter beginning in the 2023/24 academic year.
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.
The Centre for Gulf Studies has the world’s largest concentration of researchers in humanities and social sciences interested in the Gulf region, including the Arabian Peninsula, Iraq and Iran. Our expertise encompasses: archaeology, history, international relations, Islamic studies, material culture, political economy and politics.
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
Careers
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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 Kurdish 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.
