Arabic and International Communication with Foundation

Arabic and international communication is a combination that equips you with one of the world's most significant and diplomatically important languages alongside the skills of professional cross-cultural communication. Arabic is spoken by more than 400 million people across the Middle East and North Africa, and it is the liturgical language of Islam, meaning that proficiency opens access to an enormous range of cultural, literary, religious and political traditions as well as to careers in international affairs, business, journalism and diplomacy that operate across a critically important region. International communication develops the understanding of how people and organisations communicate across cultural and linguistic boundaries, examining media, translation, intercultural dialogue and global information flows.

At the University of Westminster, this four-year full-time programme includes a foundation year that prepares you for advanced study before you progress onto the full honours degree, making it accessible to students who need to consolidate their academic foundation before beginning the main programme. You will develop language skills in Arabic, progressing through the levels of the language from fundamentals towards professional proficiency, alongside study of the history, politics, culture and media landscapes of the Arab world. The international communication component gives you a framework for understanding how meaning is made, negotiated and sometimes lost across linguistic and cultural differences.

A sandwich year provides extended professional experience, a year abroad gives you the opportunity to study in an Arabic-speaking country, and a work placement further strengthens your professional preparation.

Graduates find careers in diplomacy, international affairs, journalism and media, translation and interpreting, international development, the civil service, NGOs, international business and cultural organisations working with Arabic-speaking communities and countries. The combination of Arabic proficiency and international communication skills is rare and genuinely valued by employers operating across the Middle East and North Africa. Postgraduate study in Arabic, Middle Eastern studies, translation or international relations is a well-established pathway for those who wish to specialise further.