Arabic Degrees - Study Arabic at a Top 3 UK University*
*Complete University Guide 2025, The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025
Arabic at the University of Exeter is taught within the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, the UK’s largest purpose-built centre dedicated to the study of Arabic, Middle Eastern, and Islamic cultures. Home to world-leading scholars and a dynamic, international student body, the Institute offers a truly multidisciplinary environment that integrates language learning with the study of history, politics, religion, literature, and cultural studies.
Taught by academics at the forefront of their fields, our degrees offer students the opportunity to explore Arabic language and culture in depth, while developing the analytical, intercultural, and research skills that set our graduates apart in a globalised world.
Top 3 for Middle East Studies in the UK
2nd in the Complete University Guide 2025; 3rd in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025
Top 150 worldwide for Social Sciences
Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2025
Spend a year abroad on an International Placement
2nd in the UK for world-leading research
Based on 4* research submitted to REF 2021 from the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies
Discover world-class Arabic degrees at the University of Exeter
At the University of Exeter, we provide a lively and friendly learning community in which to learn Arabic. The Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies is one of the foremost academic institutions in the UK offering research and taught degree programmes across the field of Middle East and Islamic Studies.
We offer students the opportunity to study the Arabic language alongside the history, politics, religion, culture and literature of the Middle East. Our breadth of specialist modules enables students to study Islamic archaeology and Qur’anic Arabic next to modern Middle East politics, art, and gender studies.
We are dedicated to producing world-class cutting-edge research and many of our academics are internationally-renowned, disseminating their work in internationally renowned journals and publications and at high profile events. We host a number of research centres which run events throughout the year and bring guests in from across the world.
Four pathways to study Arabic at Exeter
Undergraduate Arabic degrees
Our Arabic degrees offer a high level of choice, catering both for students who wish to do a degree with a significant language component and those who prefer to focus on non-language modules from across the social sciences and humanities.
We offer a broad range of modules that span several disciplines, including anthropology, archaeology, ethnography, history, modern foreign languages, politics, religious studies and sociology. You are also able to take modules (subject to availability) outside of the department, enabling you to study a variety of options beyond the Arab and Islamic world depending on your interests. The department has strong expertise on authoritarianism, gender studies, Gulf studies, Islamic and maritime archaeology, Islamic studies, Kurdish studies, magic and the occult, medical history, Palestine studies, terrorism and security studies.
Language students benefit from intensive training in Arabic, with the highest level of contact hours for Arabic language study at a UK university. In your second year you will study at one our accredited Arabic language study centres. Immersed in the culture of an Arabic-speaking country, you’ll supplement your language training through practical application.
Undergraduate combined honours degrees
Arabic can be studied as part of a combined degree at the University of Exeter, whether your interest lies with language study or more broadly humanities and social sciences.
Arabic may also be studied under the Flexible Combined Honours scheme or within our Liberal Arts degree programme.
Postgraduate Arabic degrees
Discover postgraduate study in Arabic and Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter, a top centre for Middle Eastern research. Choose from Master's courses in MA Islamic Studies, MA International Relations and Arabic, and more, combining academic training with immersive language learning. Benefit from excellent facilities, a global community, and strong career prospects in academia, media, diplomacy, and international development.
The Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies (IAIS) is known for its world-leading research, and the department was ranked no. 2 in the UK for its research based on REF2021 (UoA25 Area Studies). At the IAIS, we pride ourselves on research-led teaching and, thus, the research excellence of the department directly benefits our students, and particularly our postgraduates.
As a PGT student at IAIS, you will be taught classes based on ground-breaking new research and you will be able to ask questions and enter into dialogue with academic staff about their research – past and ongoing – as you discuss events, theories and methodological approaches in class.
Arabic PhD and research degrees
We offer sector-leading research degrees in Arabic, including MPhil or PhD Arabic and Islamic Studies.
The Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies is home to Europe's most important research collection on the Arab world and researchers within the Institute are actively engaged in cutting-edge projects across a broad range of research interests, with the space bringing together anthropologists, archaeologists, literary scholars, linguists, political scientists, historians, sociologists and scholars of religion.
Why choose the University of Exeter?
We offer world-class education and research with outstanding student satisfaction, committed to working with our students to make the world greener, healthier, and fairer. With beautiful, green campuses in Devon and Cornwall, we offer a unique opportunity to study in one of the most stunning parts of the UK.
As a member of the Russell Group, we are committed to maintaining the very best internationally recognised research, and translating our research into an outstanding teaching and learning experience. Our excellence is recognised by organisations worldwide, with Exeter graduates in the UK's top 10 for most targeted by leading employers*.
* The Graduate Market in 2024 report by High Fliers Research
