School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London

What you'll study

Undergraduates study 120 credits per year, with modules delivered as 30-credit (over 10 or 20 weeks) or 15-credit (over 10 weeks) units. Arabic components involve intensive language and literature study across levels. Typical teaching formats include weekly lectures (one or two hours) and seminars; 15-credit language classes in years one and two may have around 4–5 hours of class time per week. Students spend the third year at a designated university or language institute in the Middle East to develop reading, writing, speaking and listening in Modern Standard Arabic and the local colloquial variant.

• Module weight and structure: 120 credits/year; Arabic and second subject split roughly 50/50.
• Teaching modes: lectures, seminars and extended language classes; 1 credit ≈ 10 hours of total work.
• Year abroad options (Arabic language): Qasid Institute in Amman, Jordan; French Institute.
• Year abroad delivery: programmes run September to May with around 15–17 hours of instruction per week.
• Progression requirement: students must pass the final language examinations at the year-abroad institution and submit an ISP to progress to the final year; failure requires repeating the year abroad at a designated location.

Entry requirements

Typical A-level offer: ABB, with a contextual offer of BBB. For joint degrees that list different entry standards, the offer will match the subject with the higher requirement. For combinations available with this programme, entry ranges between AAB–ABB. See SOAS undergraduate entry guidance for international and alternative entry pathways.

Career prospects

Graduates leave with linguistic and cultural expertise plus transferable skills in written and oral communication, analysis and problem solving. Recent employers of graduates from the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics include organisations such as Amnesty International, BBC World Service, Department for International Development, Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Google, United Nations Development Programme, UNHCR and a range of embassies, media outlets, consultancies and NGOs.

Scholarships & funding angle (general)

Fees differ for UK and international students; SOAS provides fees and funding information for undergraduates and separate guidance on study-abroad costs, travel arrangements, health and insurance. The SOAS Library supports study with a large specialised collection in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Prospective applicants should consult the SOAS undergraduate fees and funding pages for current funding opportunities and advice.