Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies (IMES) MScR

This programme builds on your knowledge in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies or related fields and aims to develop and enhance your research skills and your skills in academic writing.

It is ideal if you have a clear idea of the independent research you wish to undertake at masters level.

You are not required to have any prior competence in a Middle Eastern language, but you will have the opportunity to take courses in Arabic, Persian or Turkish.

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

Explore our range of research centres, networks and projects in Islamic and Middle Eastern 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.

• Browse Beyond the Books episodes and hear our research community talk about their work

These entry requirements are for the 2025/26 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2026/27 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2025.

MScR: A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in a related subject.

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

• Entry requirements by country

English language requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency which will enable you to succeed in your studies.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

• IELTS Academic: total 7.0 with at least 6.5 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
• TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 with at least 23 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
• C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 185 with at least 176 in each component.
• Trinity ISE: ISE III with passes in all four components.
• PTE Academic: total 73 with at least 65 in each component. We do not accept PTE Academic Online.
• Oxford ELLT: 8 overall with at least 7 in each component.

Unless you are a national of a majority English speaking country, your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start of the month in which the programme you are applying to study begins. If you are using an IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL, Trinity ISE, or Oxford ELLT test, it must be no more than two years old on the first of the month in which the programme begins, regardless of your nationality. (Revised 14 January 2025 to include Oxford ELLT.)

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

• UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

• Approved universities in non-MESC

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old at the beginning of your programme of study.

Find out more about our language requirements:

• English language requirements