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Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies (IMES) at The University of Edinburgh - UCAS

Course options

2025 - 2026
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There are other course options available which may have a different vacancy status or entry requirements – view the full list of options

Course summary

A PhD in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies (IMES) is an opportunity to expand upon your interests and expertise in a community that really values research, and to make a definite and original contribution to the field. Why Edinburgh With over 260 years of history in teaching and research, we are globally recognised as a leading centre for postgraduate study in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies. Our research resources and facilities are outstanding, and we have excellent links with a number of centres and networks, including the Alwaleed Centre and the Centre for Medieval & Renaissance Studies. Research excellence In the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021), our research was submitted in the categories of:

  • Modern Languages
  • Politics
  • Sociology
  • History
  • Theology
The results reaffirm Edinburgh’s position as one of the UK’s leading research universities - third in the UK based on the quality and breadth of its research in Modern Languages alone, according to Times Higher Education's REF power ratings. Research areas We are able to supervise research in a wide range of specialist and interdisciplinary areas. Our expertise includes:
  • Language and literature: classical and modern Arabic literature, classical and modern Persian literature, cultural transmission and translation between Arabic and Persian cultures
  • History and historiography: pre-Islamic to modern Iran, early Islamic history, Ottoman history, Safavid history, modern history, in particular Iraq, Iran and Egypt; the Middle Eastern prison, the Middle Eastern press
  • Religion: early and classical Islam, Qur’an and Qur’anic exegesis, Hadith, the biography of Muhammad, Sufism, Islam in the Ottoman Empire, contemporary religious authority, Shi'i Islam
  • Contemporary Muslim politics: Islamism, sectarianism, social movements, comparative social and political change in the Muslim world
  • Arts and cultures of the Middle East, and of Muslim societies: particularly visual arts, cinema
  • Gender and sexuality in the Middle East and North Africa, contemporary Arab media
  • Shi’i Islam: Shi’i history and contemporary Shi’ism in local and transnationalist perspective
  • Islam and Muslims in Europe
  • Diasporas and ethnic minorities of the Middle East
In addition, you have the opportunity to undertake interdisciplinary research in areas such as:
  • comparative literature
  • film studies
  • translation studies
Go beyond the books Beyond the Books is a podcast from the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC) that gives you a behind-the-scenes look at research and the people who make it happen. Listen to a mix of PhD, early career and established researchers talk about their journey to and through academia and about their current and recent research. Guests include Bahar Fayeghi (Series 2 - Episode 5), a PhD student in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies who is researching the experience of Afghan women refugees in Iran.

Modules

See our website for detailed programme information.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for individual programmes vary, so please check the details for the specific programme you wish to apply for on our website. You will also need to meet the University’s language requirements.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

No fee information has been provided for this course

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

Tuition fees vary between degree programmes. Find the specific fees for your chosen programme on our website.
Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies (IMES) at The University of Edinburgh - UCAS