Application deadline
Thursday 7 August 2025
Applicants should apply as early as possible to be eligible for certain scholarships.
Entry requirements
- A 2.1 Honours undergraduate degree in History or Middle Eastern Studies. If you studied your first degree outside the UK, see the international entry requirements.
- English language proficiency. See English language tests and qualifications.
The qualifications listed are indicative minimum requirements for entry. Some academic Schools will ask applicants to achieve significantly higher marks than the minimum. Obtaining the listed entry requirements will not guarantee you a place, as the University considers all aspects of every application including, where applicable, the writing sample, personal statement, and supporting documents.
Application requirements
- CV or résumé. This should include your personal details with a history of your education and employment to date.
- a personal statement
- a sample of your own, single-authored academic written work (2,000 words)
- two original signed academic references
- academic transcripts and degree certificates
For more guidance, see supporting documents and references for postgraduate taught programmes.
English language proficiency
If English is not your first language, you may need to provide an English language test score to evidence your English language ability. See approved English language tests and scores for this course.
Course details
The MLitt in Middle Eastern History is a taught postgraduate programme run by the School of History.
Highlights
- Students explore in depth a broad variety of historical topics including social, political, cultural and intellectual history of this crucially significant region of the world.
- Fields available to explore include: classical Islamic history (Umayyads and Abbasids); the Seljuks; the medieval Islamic east; medieval Anatolia; the Ayyubid and Mamluk Near East; Ottoman History; medieval Armenia; Islamic intellectual history; and various other fields subject to prior consultation.
- The course introduces students to methodological and analytical approaches, including Orientalism.
Modules
The modules published below are examples of what has been taught in previous academic years and may be subject to change before you start your course. For more details of each module, including weekly contact hours, teaching methods and assessment, please see the module catalogue.
- Themes in Middle Eastern and Iranian History: looks at a variety of theoretical and disciplinary approaches, including Orientalism, as well as exploring questions of nationalism, statehood and identity.
Students will be advised, as appropriate, into a range of other optional modules, such as:
- State and Society in the Pre-Modern Middle East: introduces students to debates about development of states and societies in the Middle East from late antiquity to the eve of the modern period.
- Directed Reading in Middle Eastern History (1 and 2): encourages the development of skills of historical analysis through concentrated study of a topic chosen by the student in consultation with a supervisor.
- Language: modules in Arabic or Persian at the appropriate level.
- Middle Eastern Historical Translation: intended to complement and supplement language modules and to serve as a bridge between the language modules and history modules which constitute the majority of this MLitt programme.
Optional modules are subject to change each year and require a minimum number of participants to be offered; some may only allow limited numbers of students (see the University’s position on curriculum development).
Student dissertations will be supervised by members of the teaching staff who will advise on the choice of subject and provide guidance throughout the research process. The completed dissertation of not more than 15,000 words must be submitted by a date specified in August.
If students choose not to complete the dissertation requirement for the MLitt, there is an exit award available that allows suitably qualified candidates to receive a Postgraduate Diploma. By choosing an exit award, you will finish your degree at the end of the second semester of study and receive a PGDip instead of an MLitt.
Teaching
The course comprises two semesters of taught components followed by submission of a 15,000-word final dissertation.
Teaching methods include:
- classroom lectures
- textbook work
- language exercises
- tutorials
- individual reading projects
- essay assignments.
Class sizes range from individual supervision up to 12 students.
The modules are assessed by coursework or a combination of coursework and examination.
Events
The School of History hosts the Middle East History and Iranian seminar programme.
Fees
Home
£12,030
Overseas
£25,900
Application fee
Before we can begin processing your application, a payment of an application fee of £50 is required. In some instances, you may be eligible for an application fee waiver. Details of this, along with information on our tuition fees, can be found on the postgraduate fees and funding page.
Funding and scholarships
The University of St Andrews is committed to attracting the very best students, regardless of financial circumstances.
The School of History is pleased to be able to offer a number of competitive scholarships which contribute to the fees and maintenance for postgraduate study.
School of History MLitt Awards
Offer the cash equivalent of one year's home fees and cannot be held in conjunction with other awards offering full fees and maintenance.
Whenever it is relevant to your programme and possible, the School makes available competitive language bursaries for training prior to the start of an MLitt programme. To find out more, please contact pghist@st-andrews.ac.uk as early as possible. Note that, when available, the application deadline is normally in the early Spring.
15% Recent Graduate Discount
If you have graduated from the University within the last three academic years, you may be eligible for a 15% discount on postgraduate taught tuition fees. Terms and conditions apply.
After your degree
Careers
History postgraduates go on to pursue careers in a range of sectors including:
- journalism
- publishing
- think tanks
- government
- law
- teaching.
The Careers Centre offers one-to-one advice to all students as well as a programme of events to assist students in building their employability skills.
Further study
Many graduates continue their education by enrolling in PhD programmes at St Andrews.
Postgraduate researchContact us
- Phone
- +44 (0)1334 46 2900
- pghist@st-andrews.ac.uk
- Address
- School of History
St Katharine's Lodge
The Scores
St Andrews
KY16 9BA