Modern Language and Business and Management

Arabic and business management is a degree that responds to one of the most pressing needs in international commerce: the need for people who can engage with Arabic-speaking markets, organisations, and governments with genuine linguistic and cultural competence. The Arab world spans over twenty countries across the Middle East, North Africa, and beyond, is home to enormous sovereign wealth funds and energy resources, and is undergoing rapid economic diversification in countries such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar. Navigating business relationships in this context requires more than a translator; it requires people who understand the language, the culture, and the professional norms of Arab business environments.

At the University of Manchester, which is one of the UK's leading universities for both modern languages and business, this four-year full-time programme includes a sandwich placement year and a work placement. Manchester's Arabic and Middle Eastern studies provision draws on the university's strong research tradition in the region, and Alliance Manchester Business School's reputation gives the business management component real weight. The sandwich year and work placement are central to the degree's design, giving you the opportunity to work in a commercial or organisational environment where your Arabic language skills are put into professional use.

You will develop Arabic language proficiency from an appropriate entry level, study the literature, culture, and history of the Arab world, and engage with business management content including strategy, marketing, finance, and international business. The combination produces graduates who are genuinely bilingual in a business context, not just linguistically capable but culturally and professionally equipped.

Graduates move into international business and trade, management consultancy, finance, diplomacy, journalism, NGOs working in the Arab world, and a wide range of roles where engagement with Arabic-speaking countries and communities is professionally relevant.