MA Arabic and French and Persian
About this course
Arabic, French, and Persian is one of the most ambitious language combinations available at British universities, pairing Arabic, by far the most commonly used language of the Middle East, with French, one of the world's most widely spoken and culturally important European languages, and Persian, one of the oldest continuously written literary languages in the world with an influence that stretches across Iran, Central Asia, and South Asia. St Andrews does not offer Arabic as a single honours degree, but you can take it in combination with a wide variety of other subjects, and the combination with French and Persian creates exceptional opportunities for comparative analyses between very different languages, literatures, cultures, histories, politics, and economies. At the University of St Andrews, this four-year full-time programme develops genuine competence across all three languages within the Scottish MA (Hons) structure, building on the university's strong provision in both Middle Eastern languages and French. You will develop linguistic proficiency in Arabic script and grammar, Persian script and classical and modern literature, and French language and culture, engaging with texts and traditions across very different historical and geographical contexts. A year abroad is part of the programme, giving you the opportunity to develop your languages and cultural understanding through immersion in one or more of the relevant language communities. With a typical entry tariff of 232 UCAS points, this is a highly competitive programme at one of the UK's most prestigious universities. The combination of Arabic, French, and Persian creates a genuinely unusual and professionally distinctive profile. Graduates pursue careers in diplomacy and international affairs, intelligence and security analysis, journalism and broadcasting, translation and interpreting, international organisations, NGOs, academic research, and international business across the regions where these languages are spoken, a combined geography spanning the Arab world, the francophone world, and the Iranian sphere.
Syllabus & Modules
Typical curriculumStudent Satisfaction
National Student Survey - 30 respondents (70% response rate)
Similarly Ranked Alternatives
What comes next? 🎓
Choosing the right university starts with choosing the right school. Explore transparent, data-driven school profiles powered by official DfE statistics.
Explore Schools on WhatSchool.ai →