Arabic and International Relations

Arabic is one of the world's great languages, spoken by hundreds of millions of people across North Africa, the Middle East, and beyond, and central to the cultural, religious, and political life of a vast and diverse region. Combined with international relations, it becomes the basis for a genuinely powerful education, equipping you with the analytical tools to understand global politics and the linguistic competence to engage with one of the most geopolitically significant parts of the world in its own language. Few combinations are as directly relevant to careers in diplomacy, journalism, development, and international law.

At the University of Westminster, this three-year full-time programme focuses on questions of governance, democracy, and human rights in international context while developing your Arabic language skills to a level suitable for graduate employment. You will study both Modern Standard Arabic, used in formal and written contexts, and gain exposure to the diversity of spoken varieties. In international relations you will examine the theory and practice of global politics, including conflict, international institutions, human rights frameworks, and regional politics in the Arab world and beyond.

The programme includes a sandwich year and a year abroad, giving you extended professional experience and the opportunity to study or work in an Arabic-speaking country, which is an invaluable dimension for language learning and cultural understanding. Work placement opportunities are embedded alongside these structural features.

You will develop skills in language analysis, political argument, research, and cross-cultural communication, all of which are highly relevant to international professional contexts.

Graduates from Arabic and international relations programmes pursue careers in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, international organisations, journalism, NGOs, intelligence and security services, international business, and academia. The combination of Arabic language proficiency and political analysis is genuinely rare and valued. Postgraduate study in Middle Eastern studies, international relations, international law, or languages is a natural next step.