Middle East Studies and Modern History

Middle East studies and modern history brings together a specialist focus on one of the world's most complex and geopolitically significant regions with the broader analytical tools of modern historical inquiry. Middle East studies provides training in the history of the region across fifteen hundred years, from the rise of Islam through the Ottoman period to the emergence of modern states and the conflicts and transformations of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Modern history gives you the analytical frameworks to understand the global forces, events and ideas that have shaped the contemporary world.

At the University of St Andrews you will engage with the history of the Middle East in depth, examining its cultures, religious traditions, political structures and engagement with colonial and post-colonial forces. The modern history strand extends your analytical scope across broader global themes, developing your ability to work with primary sources and to construct evidence-based historical arguments. The programme runs over four years full time and includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to engage with the region or with an international academic environment that broadens your perspective on both subjects.

Graduates of this combination are valued across careers in diplomacy, the foreign service, journalism, intelligence and security, international development, academic research, think tanks, policy analysis and international organisations. The depth of historical and regional knowledge combined with strong analytical and communication skills is sought after wherever organisations need genuine expertise in the Middle East and its complex contemporary dynamics. Postgraduate study in Middle Eastern studies, modern history, international relations or area studies is a natural further route.