Postgraduate study

Welcome to Edinburgh, where we have been teaching about Islam and the Middle East for over 250 years. Our MSc is the only postgraduate degree in the UK that offers such a wide diversity of disciplines, ranging from early Islamic history to globalisation, from medieval manuscripts to the digital world, from architecture to film. Our courses are designed to cater to your academic interests. You could also start learning Arabic, Persian, or Turkish, or you can consolidate existing language skills through advanced instruction. The MSc is designed for both students with no experience of Islamic and Middle Eastern studies and for those who want to further develop their knowledge of the field and in the languages used in the region. The programme is flexible, allowing you to choose your preferred specialisation from a wide range of options. You will design your own independent research project in the form of a dissertation, and you will receive detailed training in research methods and ethics. We have a renowned experienced and international team of teachers in the languages and disciplines that make the Islamic and Middle Eastern world historically and in the contemporary era. By coming to Edinburgh, you will join a multicultural community of scholars and students. Around the historic environment of the central campus in George Square, you will attend seminars and classes, film screenings, and book clubs. You will also benefit from the University's excellent library facilities and a wide range of study spaces where you can work on your independent research project or explore the unique collection of the manuscripts held in the University's special collections. Our alumni are making an impact worldwide across a variety of professions, and some have continued with us for a PhD. If people want to learn more about the Middle East and Islamic world and learn this from an interdisciplinary perspective, it's a beautiful option to come and to experience, and in terms of community as well. Everyone is so nice from my own experiences all year, I many times just stopped and appreciated and how beautiful it was with my supervisor, with my lecturers, with the whole department, and including the Alwaleed Centre as well. The historic city of Edinburgh is ideal for student and scholarly life. On a human scale, you will enjoy walking across the green spaces of the campus and the wider city. Edinburgh provides a unique, vibrant, and cultured environment in which you will live and learn. Come and join us. We are very much looking forward to meeting you.