Arabic and Mediaeval History

Arabic is the official language of more than twenty countries, spoken by hundreds of millions of people and serving as the vehicle for one of the world's great intellectual and literary traditions. Its history as a language of scholarship, theology, philosophy and science from the early medieval period onwards makes it indispensable for understanding not only the contemporary Middle East and North Africa but also the deeper currents of global intellectual history. Combining Arabic with Mediaeval History at the University of St Andrews gives you exactly the kind of dual competence that the historical and cultural connections between the two fields demand.

This four-year full-time programme develops your proficiency in Arabic while immersing you in the study of the mediaeval world, a period of extraordinary transformation in which Islamic civilisation, Christendom and the Byzantine Empire shaped one another through conflict, trade and scholarship. The Arabic component prepares you to engage with primary sources and contemporary texts in the original language, and the mediaeval history element trains you in the critical and archival methods of the historian. Together they allow you to ask questions about the past that no single discipline could answer on its own.

A year abroad is built into the programme, giving you extended immersion in an Arabic-speaking environment that deepens your linguistic fluency and cultural understanding.

This combination opens doors into fields where both linguistic skill and historical understanding are valued. Careers in diplomacy and international relations, government and the civil service, journalism, and academic research are all natural destinations. Roles in international organisations, think-tanks specialising in Middle Eastern affairs, and the heritage and cultural sector are also well-suited to graduates of this programme.

Postgraduate study in Middle Eastern studies, Islamic studies, history or international relations is a straightforward next step for those who wish to deepen their expertise.