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Postgraduate Taught

MA Gender Studies (Middle East and Islamic World) - 2024 entry

Please note: The below is for 2024 entries. Click here for 2023 entries.
UCAS code 1234
Duration 1 year full time
2 years part time
Entry year 2023
Campus Streatham Campus
Discipline Arab and Islamic Studies
Contact

Programme Director Dr. Katie Natanel
Web: Enquire online
Phone: +44 (0)1392 723192

Typical offer

View full entry requirements

2:1 Honours degree

Contextual offers

Overview

  • Advanced and critical study of the theory and politics of gender in the Middle East and Islamicate world, with an emphasis on connecting the language of academia with lived lives
  • A  flexible programme   which you can tailor to your particular interests and conduct independent research using our unique collections and archival resources
  • Besides the in-depth knowledge of gender issues in the region, our students particularly appreciate the connections our innovative teaching makes with creativity and activism
  • Get involved in a variety of IAIS activities and join our vibrant and creative research community. Our Postgraduate students in gender studies play an active role in various research centres, including Islamic Studies, Palestine, Gulf and Kurdish Studies
  • Your knowledge and expertise in complex political and cultural issues relating to gender and the Middle East will be valued by public and private sector employers and open doors for further academic study

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View 2023 Entry

Fast Track (current Exeter students)

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Contact

Programme Director: Dr. Katie Natanel

Web: Enquire online

Phone: +44 (0)1392 72 72 72

Largest Centre for Middle East Studies in a UK university

Home to Europe’s most important research collection on the Arab world

Masters Excellence Scholarships available for 2022 entry

4th in The Complete University Guide 2022

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

For admission to the programme we would normally expect that you hold a 2:1 Honours degree (or equivalent) in a social sciences or humanities discipline. While we normally only accept applicants who meet this criteria, if you have a high 2:2 or equivalent, 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 B. Please visit our English language requirements page to view the required test scores and equivalencies from your country.

Course content

The MA in Gender Studies (Middle East and Islamic World) will equip you with a solid foundation in core theories and methods necessary for the analysis of Gender Studies at the highest level

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

2023/24 entry

UK fees per year:

£11,000 full-time

International fees per year:

£22,500 full-time

Scholarships

We invest heavily in scholarships for talented prospective Masters students and have over £2.5 million in scholarships available, including our Global Excellence Scholarships* for international fee paying students.

For information on how you can fund your postgraduate degree at the University of Exeter, please visit our dedicated funding 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.

Learn more:

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.

Our Postgraduate students in gender studies play an active role in various research centres, including Islamic Studies, Palestine, Gulf and Kurdish Studies

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.

Read more

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, Director of Research

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 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.

Read more