MA Islamic Humanities
London, United Kingdom
MA
DURATION
1 year
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
GBP 12,220 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* Home | International: £25,320
Key Summary
This programme covers the social, cultural, and intellectual history, literature, religion, philosophy, arts, and digital humanities of the Islamic world, past and present.
Students deploy inter-disciplinary humanities approaches to the Islamic world, and engage seriously with its production in the humanities, not as an afterthought to the traditional humanities, but as a source of critical insights for a global humanities. Challenging essentialist narratives, the programme fosters an appreciation of diversity – regional, cultural, and religio-intellectual – within the Islamic world.
Why study MA Islamic Humanities at SOAS?
- SOAS is ranked 7th in the UK for African and Middle Eastern Studies (Complete University Guide 2026)
- We are ranked 2nd in the UK for 'graduate prospects' (Complete University Guide 2026)
- SOAS is ranked top 30 in the UK for Arts and Humanities (QS World University Rankings 2025)
- Modern Languages and Linguistics at SOAS has been ranked 10th in the UK in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021
Students must complete 120 credits of MA taught modules in addition to the compulsory dissertation (60 credits) as outlined below.
Core
- Dissertation in Islamic Humanities - 60 credits
Compulsory
- Critical Themes in the Study of Islam and the Islamic World - 15 credits
Guided Options List A
Minimum of 75 credits from List A
- Islam and the West: Artistic and Cultural Contacts - 15 credits
- Vision, Visuality and Islamic Visual Culture Studies - 15 credits
- The Early Development of Islam in Context - 15 credits
- Colonialism and Revolution in the Middle East - 15 credits
- Islamic Legal Theory - 15 credits
- Muslim Britain: Perspectives and Realities - 15 credits
Guided Options List B
Up to 30 credits from List B
- Art and Architecture of the Seljuks and Ottomans (12th -15th centuries) - 15 credits
- Community, Religion, and Conflict in South Asian History - 15 credits
- The Afghanistan Wars, 1979 to the Present - 15 credits
- Islamic Family Law - 15 credits
- Classical Persian Poetry: Texts and Traditions (PG) - 15 credits
- Palestine, History, Culture, Politics - 15 credits
- Turkey: Continuity and Change (1908-1945) - 15 credits
- Film and Society in the Middle East and North Africa - 15 credits
- PG Classical Arabic: Biography, History and Travel - 15 credits
- Religion and Violence - 15 credits
- Esotericism and the Making of Modernity in the Global South - 15 credits
Upon completion of this program, you will:
- Have an Understand a range of aspects of the Islamic world's history, culture, and religion through different humanities approaches.
- Have familiarity with a variety of approaches relating to humanities disciplines.
- Have gained factual knowledge about the history, culture, and religion of Islam and the Islamic world, past and present, and the cultural and historical forces that have shaped the Islamic world.
- Be able to synthesize different kinds of information, and be precise and cautious in your assessment of evidence.
- Have developed effective writing and referencing skills attention to detail and accuracy in presentation.
- Have gained awareness of locating materials and using research resources, critically assessing data and evidence from various sources, and solving problems of conflicting sources and interpretations.
- Be able to work alone in a self-motivated fashion; take feedback and criticism positively and use it as a springboard for effective improvement of your work.
In addition to an understanding of global faiths, histories and cultures, graduates from the Department of Religions and Philosophies develop the skills to analyse and communicate ideas in a clear, rational and comprehensive manner. These key proficiencies are valuable in many careers and are transferable to a wide range of sectors and roles.
Recent Department of Religions and Philosophies graduates have been hired by:
- Asia Society
- British Council
- Cabinet Office
- Chatham House
- Edelman
- Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
- HELP USA
- King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Princeton University
- Royal Government of Cambodia
- The Happiness Factory
- The Inter Faith Network for the UK
- The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
- UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency
- United Nations Development Programme