MA Islamic Humanities and Intensive Language
London, United Kingdom
MA
DURATION
2 years
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
Course overview
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.
The programme is suitable for students of a diverse range of academic backgrounds, and does not require prior knowledge of Islam or the Islamic world, nor proficiency in a language other than English.
Why study MA Islamic Humanities and Intensive Language 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)
- We are ranked top 30 in the UK for Arts and Humanities (QS World University Rankings 2025)
- We are ranked 13th in the UK for Modern Languages (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
- 4th for research environment - with 100% of our research ranked as 'internationally excellent' and 85% as 'world-leading' - and 8th for research outputs in the REF 2021
Upon completion of this program, you will:
- Have to 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 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