Persian MA (joint degree) 2026 entry

All modern language modules involve a combination of lectures, tutorials and practical languages classes. Lectures provide information, stimulate thought, and suggest directions for further reading and personal study. Small language tutorials allow you to actively work together with your tutors to practise language skills, present papers, and discuss texts and issues relevant to the course.

Sub-honours Persian modules are delivered through lectures and small-group tutorials (10 to 25 students). At Honours level, lectures are replaced by small classes of 5 to 10 students.

When not attending lectures, tutorials and language classes, you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. Typically, this will involve:

• working on individual and group projects
• undertaking research in the library
• preparing coursework assignments and presentations
• preparing for examinations

You will be taught by an experienced teaching team with expertise and knowledge of Persian. Postgraduate research students who have undertaken teacher training may also contribute to the teaching of tutorials and seminars under the supervision of the module leader.

• Assessment

  Modules at sub-honours level are assessed by a combination of coursework (40%), oral examinations (20%) and written examinations (40%). At Honours level, all modules include at least 40% assessed coursework.

  Coursework includes:

  • advanced language exercises
  • reaction papers and essays in Persian
  • discursive essays in English
  • oral presentations in Persian

  Examinations are held at the end of each semester during a dedicated exam diet with revision time provided beforehand. Examinations are either entirely in written format or comprise both written and oral components.

  Tutors advise you closely on the preparation of written work and give individual assessments of your performance. The Department aims to provide feedback on every assessment within three weeks to help you improve on future assessments.

  Undergraduates at the University of St Andrews must achieve at least 7.0 on the St Andrews 20-point grade scale to pass a module. To gain access to Honours-level modules, students must achieve the relevant requisites as specified in the policy on entry to Honours and in the relevant programme requirements. To find out the classification equivalent of points, please see the common reporting scale.

• Support

  You can find contact information for all staff from the Department of Arabic and Persian on the School of Modern Languages website.

  In addition to your studies in the Department of Arabic and Persian, optional academic support is available through practical study skills courses and workshops hosted by the University.

  The University's services and support teams can help students with additional needs resulting from disabilities, long-term medical conditions or learning disabilities, as well as many other difficulties and challenges students might face while studying.

Joint Honours degrees

You can only take Persian as part of a joint Honours degree in which you will take core modules of your chosen subjects.

Triple subject degree options

It is possible to take Persian as part of a Modern Languages Honours degree including either three modern languages or two modern languages and one additional subject. In taking a 'triple' modern languages degree, you are required to take core modules in all of your subjects.

"With" degrees

You can take Persian as part of a "with" Honours degree in which the majority of the course deals with the first name subject. St Andrews offers the following "with" degrees in Persian:

• Master of Arts (Honours) Geography with Persian - UCAS code 8810
• Master of Arts (Honours) Internation Relations with Persian - UCAS code 82L9
• Master of Arts (Honours) Medieval History with Persian - UCAS code 96T2
• Master of Arts (Honours) Modern History with Persian - UCAS code 91V6

Careers

Persian-speaking graduates are becoming increasingly in demand with the potential rapprochement between Iran and the west. Graduates in Persian go on to pursue a wide range of careers in:

• academia as international culture experts
• banking
• government
• international relations
• journalism
• museum curators
• oil industry

The Careers Centre offers one-to-one advice to all students as well as a programme of events to assist students to build their employability skills.