MA Islamic Studies
Duration: One calendar year (full-time), or two or three years (part-time, daytime only)
Overview
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Minimum Entry Requirements: Minimum upper second class honours (or equivalent) in Arabic or Islamic Studies or any other subject, but there must be advanced knowledge of Arabic and an interest in Islamic Studies.
Start of programme: September intake only
The MA offers the students the opportunity to concentrate on the Qur'an, the Hadith and other Islamic texts, and so provides a unique training in the translation of Islamic religious material. The degree is designed to benefit academics, teachers of Islam in other institutions, translators of Islamic material into English in research centres, government departments and da'wa centres. It provides excellent research training and is a useful qualification for those who wish to progress to higher postgraduate degrees.Structure
Learn a language as part of this programme
Degree programmes at SOAS - including this one - can include language courses in more than forty African and Asian languages. It is SOAS students’ command of an African or Asian language which sets SOAS apart from other universities.
Students take three taught units (one major, two minor) and write a 10,000 word dissertation.
Two courses, including the major, must be taken from Group A. The third unit can be from Group A or B. Normally no more than two translation items may be taken.
Group A
- Qur'an and Hadith Studies - 15PNMC006 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- The Qur'an:Language,Style and Translation in English - 15PNMC142 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Islamic Legal Texts in Arabic - 15PNMC037 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- IslamicTexts - 15PNMC144 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Translation of IslamicTexts (a project) - 15PNMC145 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Sufism - 15PNMC036 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2012/2013
- Medieval Arabic Thought: the Philosophical and Theological Traditions - 15PNMC388 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Group B
- Modern Trends in Islam - 15PNMC228 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Islamic law (MA/LLM) - 15PLAC121 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Origins and Development of Islam in the Middle East: Problems and Perspectives - 15PHIC040 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Islam in South Asia - 15PHIC042 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Studies in Early Islamic Art and Archaeology - 15PARC001 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Ottoman Art - 15PARC011 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2012/2013
- Art and Architecture of the Fatimids - 15PARH035 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
- Islam and the West: Artistic and Cultural Contacts - 15PARH034 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1 - Not Running 2012/2013
- Music of the Near and Middle East and North Africa - 15PMUC033 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Programme Specification
Teaching & Learning
Destinations
As a postgraduate student specialising in Islamic Studies, you will gain competency in language skills and intercultural awareness and understanding. Familiarity with the region will have been developed through a combination of the study of language, literature and culture (which can include literature, film, music, art and religion) of various parts of the Middle East.
Graduates leave SOAS not only with linguistic and cultural expertise, but also with a portfolio of widely transferable skills which employers seek in many professional and management careers in both business and the public sector. These include written and oral communication skills, attention to detail, analytical and problem-solving skills, and the ability to research, amass and order information from a variety of sources.
For more information about Graduate Destinations from this department, please visit the Careers Service website.
How to apply
How to apply
- How to Apply
- Online Application
- Funding options
- English language requirements
- Tuition Fees
- Admissions Contacts
Scholarships
For further information visit the Scholarships section
D.G.E. Hall Scholarship
Application Deadline: 2013-03-22 00:00
Felix Scholarships
Application Deadline: 2013-01-31 00:00
The Ahmad Mustafa Abu-Hakima Bursary
Application Deadline: 2013-03-22 00:00
A Student's Perspective
Nicholas DayOne of the highlights of my course has been having the opportunity to study for one year at Thammasat University in Bangkok, Thailand. It was really daunting at first but there is no better way to learn a language than to totally immerse yourself in it and you learn all about the society and culture that you’re living in.
