Undergraduate Arabic MA Hons programmes

Skills and experience

Studying one or more languages to degree level demonstrates that you're a good communicator, and someone open to other cultures and new ideas – what employers value as intercultural competence.

Beyond the language skills you will develop on our programmes, you will gain a nuanced understanding of diverse cultures and societies. 

Graduating with a four-year Master of Arts degree from the University of Edinburgh also shows intellectual maturity, resilience, and flexibility.

The skills you will be able to demonstrate to employers include the ability to:

• understand, analyse and articulate complex issues and concepts
• manage your time to meet deadlines on different types of projects
• work independently and as part of a group

Opportunities across sectors

Our programmes are an excellent primer for a range of careers, especially those that place a premium on thinking that is both disciplined and imaginative.

Within the private, public, not-for-profit, and for-benefit sectors, previous graduates have gone on to work in:

• business, finance, commerce and tech
• communications, marketing, advertising and public relations
• education, outreach, advocacy and training
• journalism, broadcasting and media
• leisure, tourism and travel
• politics, policy work, diplomacy, civil service and law
• publishing, culture, heritage and the arts
• research, development, consultancy and venture acceleration
• translating and interpreting

Local and global opportunities

With increasing migration in response to changing global dynamics, there is demand for our graduates in Scotland, the UK and abroad.

Wherever you are based in the world, the ability to communicate in another major world language, and to understand the cultures to which it opens doors, will make you stand out.

If you are keen to work abroad, it’s good to know that more than 350 million people are native speakers of Arabic, the sixth most widely spoken language in the world.

Arabic is the common language of the 22 countries in the Arab League, and one of the six official languages of the United Nations, with sizeable communities of speakers in Western Europe and Latin America.

Further study

The enhanced research skills you will develop on a four-year programme, particularly in your honours years, are a valuable asset if you wish to continue studying at postgraduate level. 

At the University of Edinburgh, we typically offer both taught and research-led masters programmes in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies, and interdisciplinary taught Masters programmes in:

• Comparative Literature
• Intermediality
• Translation Studies

Any of our masters degrees, whether research-based or taught, is a good foundation for a PhD, but is equally of value as a stand-alone qualification.