Program Overview

Middle East Studies MA (joint degree) 2025 entry

Overview

Middle East Studies provides training in the history of the Middle East, extending across 1500 years from the rise of Islam to the modern Middle East. Taken with another subject, Middle East Studies offer a good opportunity for historical and comparative analysis between different literatures, cultures, history, and politics.

Entry Requirements

The University offers different entry requirements, depending on your background. Find out more about Standard, Minimum, and Gateway entry requirements.

• SQA Highers

  • Standard entry grades: AAAAB, including A in History
  • Minimum entry grades: AABB, including B in History
  • Gateway entry grades: Applicants who have narrowly missed the minimum entry grades, but meet the University's contextual criteria, may be interested in one of the University’s Gateway programmes.

• GCE A-Levels

  • Standard entry grades: AAA, including A in History
  • Minimum entry grades: ABB, including B in History

• IB points

  • Standard entry grades: 38 (HL 6,6,6), including HL6 in History
  • Minimum entry grades: 36 (HL 6,5,5), including HL5 in History

General Entry Requirements

All applicants must have attained the following qualifications, or equivalent, in addition to the specific entry requirements for individual programmes.

• SQA qualifications

  • SQA National 5 (B) in English and one SQA National 5 (B) from the following:
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Computing science
    • Geography
    • Lifeskills Mathematics (A grade)
    • Mathematics
    • Physics
    • Psychology

• GCSE qualifications

  • GCSE (5) in English language or English literature, and one GCSE (5) from the following:
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Computing Science
    • Geography
    • Mathematics
    • Physics
    • Psychology

Other qualifications

We accept a wide range of qualifications for entry on to our programmes. Please see our entry requirements for more information.

Do I need to have studied this subject before?

You do not need prior knowledge of Middle Eastern history, but you must have studied History at SQA Higher, GCE A-Level, or equivalent.

Course Details

The Middle East Studies portion of the four-year joint Honours degree course is run by the School of History. The course teaches a wide range of disciplinary skills that are of great use in studying and understanding this culturally diverse and strategically important region of the world.

• Modules

  • In the first two years of your degree (known as sub-honours), you will take the required modules in Middle East studies along with modules from your chosen joint subject.
  • Typically, you will take one module including Middle Eastern history per semester during your first two years, and two modules during your third and fourth years (known as Honours).

• Teaching

  • Teaching format: Lectures (120 to 300 students) and small group tutorials (6 to 9 students).
  • Assessment: A balanced combination of coursework and examination.
  • Support: Optional academic support is available through practical study skills courses and workshops hosted within the University.

Fees

• Scotland: £1,820
• England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Republic of Ireland: £9,535
• Channel Islands, Isle of Man: £9,535
• EU and overseas: £31,670

Joint Honours degrees

You can take Middle East Studies MA (joint degree) as part of a joint Honours degree in which you will take core modules of your chosen subjects.

Joint degree subject options available are: Arabic, Art History, Classical Studies, Economics, English, Geography, German, Hebrew, International Relations, Management, Medieval History, Modern History, Persian, Russian, Social Anthropology, and Spanish.

Careers

Graduates in Middle East studies go on to a wide range of careers for which an Arts degree is a recognised qualification. For those who wish to make particular use of their Middle Eastern expertise, there are opportunities for work in the Middle East with international agencies and welfare, educational, or missionary organisations.

In the UK, there are careers in the diplomatic service or other specialist government agencies, in Middle East-related journalism, lobbying, commerce, financial services, and business consultancy.