BA Middle East Studies
About this course
BA in Middle East Studies, an undergraduate degree focusing on the politics, history, and societies of the Middle East. Core topics include Research Methods and Critical & Analytical Thinking. Students complete a final-year dissertation project. The first year establishes foundational knowledge through compulsory study in Politics and Economy of the Contemporary Middle East, Introduction to Islam, Introduction to Persian History and Culture, and Histories of the Middle East, 600-1800 C.E., alongside optional modules such as Arabic for Beginners, Elementary Turkish I, and Power and Democracy. As the degree progresses, optional module choices allow students to explore diverse subjects such as Islamist Movements: From the Muslim Brothers to the Islamic State, Conflict and Peacemaking Palestine/Israel, and The Kurds: History and Politics. In the final year, students undertake the compulsory Dissertation module alongside further specialised option modules.
Written by AI from the university's course page and module list. It can get details wrong, so check the official course page before you rely on it.
Entry requirements
A level: ABB-BBB. IB: 32/655-30/555.
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Admissions (2022 entry, home applicants)
Offer rate 86%: 12 offers from 14 applications, from the university's Freedom of Information return.
What students say
Based on about 15 final-year students who answered, across similar courses at this university (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Teaching on my course: 97%
- Learning opportunities: 90%
- Assessment and feedback: 92%
- Academic support: 100%
- Organisation and management: 86%
- Learning resources: 95%
- Student voice: 80%
Do students stay on the course?
Based on about 25 students who started, across similar courses at this university (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Continued on course: 90%
- Left higher education: 10%
What graduates do next
Based on about 7 graduates who answered, across similar courses at this university (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Working: 85%
- Further study: 10%
Most common jobs
- Business, Research and Administrative Professionals: 15%
- Caring personal services: 10%
- Sales occupations: 10%
- Teaching Professionals: 10%
- Media Professionals: 10%
- Find their work meaningful: 75%
- Feel on track for their future plans: 70%
- Use what they learnt on the course: 50%
Where graduates work (5 years on)
Based on about 230 graduates, across similar courses at this university
- North West: 2%
- Yorkshire and the Humber: 3%
- East Midlands: 1%
- West Midlands: 5%
- East of England: 10%
- London: 38%
- South East: 15%
- South West: 21%
- Wales: 4%
Who gets in
Based on about 15 students who started, across similar courses at this university (a small group: a rough guide only)
- A levels: 100%
Accreditation & quality ratings
TEF 2023 (whole university): Gold overall, Gold for student experience, Gold for student outcomes.
Modules
- Politics and Economy of the Contemporary Middle East
- Introduction to Islam
- Introduction to Persian History and Culture
- Histories of the Middle East, 600-1800 C.E.
- Arabic for Beginners
- Introduction to Islamic Archaeology
- Elementary Turkish I
- Elementary Turkish II
- Religious Communities of the Middle East: Culture, Endangerment and Survival
- Power and Democracy
- International Politics of the Global South
- Global Sustainability Policy and Governance
- Regions and Empires in Islamic Archaeology
- Magic and the Abrahamic Religions
- Islamist Movements: From the Muslim Brothers to the Islamic State
- Gender-Identity and Modernity in the Middle East
- Islamic Law and Society
- Ethnography of the Middle East
- Conflict and Peacemaking Palestine/Israel
- Classical Islamic History
- Arabic for Beginners II
- Muslims in Britain
- Political Economy of Development in the Middle East
- Intermediate Turkish I
- Intermediate Turkish II
- A History of the Modern Middle East, 1900-2014
- Dissertation
- From Home Lands to Host States: Migration, Displacement and Diaspora in the Middle East
- Drugs: Histories, Science, Policy
- Nationalisms in the Middle East
- The History and Political Development of Iraq
- The Kurds: History and Politics
- Iranian History, 1500-the Present
- Armed Islamist Movements: Jihadism and Beyond
- Intermediate Arabic Language I
- Britain in the Middle East, 1798-1977
- Politics and Reform in the Gulf
- The Arabian Nights: Perception and Reception
- Gender, Sexuality and Violence in Palestine/Israel
- Queer Theory in a Global Context
- The Politics of Authoritarian Rule
- Violence and Revolution in the Modern Middle East
Questions about this course
How much do graduates of BA Middle East Studies at University of Exeter earn?
The median salary is £29,000 after 15 months, £28,500 after 3 years, £36,500 after 5 years. After five years the middle half of graduates earn between £29,000 and £48,000. The £36,500 median after five years is £6,000 more than the UK median for African and modern Middle Eastern studies.
What do graduates of BA Middle East Studies at University of Exeter do next?
90% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing (Graduate Outcomes 2023-24).
Are students happy with the teaching on BA Middle East Studies at University of Exeter?
97% of final-year students were positive about the teaching in the National Student Survey 2025-26.
What grades do I need for BA Middle East Studies at University of Exeter?
The typical offer is BBB at A level. The average entrant had 131 UCAS points.
What is the offer rate for BA Middle East Studies at University of Exeter?
86% of home applicants received an offer for 2022 entry: 12 offers from 14 applications, according to the university's Freedom of Information return.
How many students continue on BA Middle East Studies at University of Exeter?
90% of students continued into their second year, and 10% left higher education.