Program Overview

MA Islamic Studies

Overview

The MA Islamic Studies is a postgraduate program that offers advanced study of Islam with leading scholars in the field. The program is broad and flexible, allowing students to tailor their studies to their particular interests and conduct independent research. Students will investigate key issues and debates in Islamic studies and receive training in the methodologies of Islamic studies research.

Entry Requirements

• 2:2 Honours degree or above in a social sciences or humanities discipline
• Accepted social science subjects include:
  • Anthropology
  • Archaeology
  • Area and Development Studies
  • Criminology
  • Demography
  • Development Studies
  • Economics
  • Economic and Social History
  • Education
  • Environmental Planning
  • Human Geography
  • International Relations
  • Law
  • Linguistics
  • Management and Business Studies
  • Media and Communication Studies
  • Philosophy
  • Politics and International Studies
  • Psychology
  • Science and Technology Studies
  • Social Policy
  • Social Statistics, Methods, and Computing
  • Social Work
  • Socio Legal Studies
  • Sociology

Course Content

• 135 credits of compulsory modules, 45 credits of option modules
• Compulsory modules:
  • ARAM103: New Approaches to Islamic Thought (30 credits)
  • ARAM232: Theorising the Middle East (15 credits)
  • ARAM233: Dissertation skills (15 credits)
  • ARAM027: MA Dissertation (60 credits)
• Optional modules:
  • ARAM054: State and Society in the Middle East (30 credits)
  • ARAM055: Iranian History, 1500 - the Present (15 credits)
  • ARAM102: Islam in Practice (30 credits)
  • ARAM112A: Independent Reading Course - Sem 1 (15 credits)
  • ARAM112B: Independent Reading Course - Sem 2 (15 credits)
  • ARAM131: Nationalisms in the Middle East (15 credits)
  • ARAM186A: International Relations of the Middle East (15 credits)
  • ARAM221: The Palestine Question: Past and Present (30 credits)
  • ARAM225: Gender and Politics in the Middle East (30 credits)
  • ARAM227: Oral History: Principles and Practice (30 credits)
  • ARAM230: Gender, Sexuality and Violence in Palestine/Israel (15 credits)
  • ARAM235: Contemporary History and Politics of the Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula (30 credits)
  • ARAM236: Sociology and Anthropology of the Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula (15 credits)
  • ARAM244: Politics and Economics of the Middle East (30 credits)
  • ARAM246: Critical Readings in Kurdish Studies (15 credits)
  • ARAM247: Rethinking Palestine: Critical Readings (15 credits)
  • ARAM249: Theorising Islam (15 credits)
  • ARAM250: The Sovereign, the Good, and Society in Islamic Thought (15 credits)
  • ARAM251: Esotericism and the Magical Tradition (30 credits)
  • ARAM248: Texts and Traditions in Islamic Intellectual History (15 credits)
  • ARAM147: The Kurds: History and Politics (30 credits)

Fees

• 2025/26 entry:
  • UK fees per year: £12,500 full-time, £6,250 part-time
  • International fees per year: £25,300 full-time, £12,650 part-time

Scholarships

• The University of Exeter has many different scholarships available to support your education, including £5 million in scholarships for international students applying to study with us in the 2025/26 academic year.
• Exeter Excellence Scholarships
• University of Exeter Alumni Scholarship

Teaching and Research

• 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.

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.

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.