The one year course MPhil in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (Arabic Studies) will have the following structure:

• (i) three modules each assessed by a written examination or a 5,000 word essay or by an Alternative Exercise.

  The cumulative score of these three papers will be worth 50% of the final mark.

• (ii) a 15,000 word dissertation. The mark for the dissertation constitutes 50% of the overall mark for this course.
• (iii) an oral examination on the thesis and general field of knowledge within which it falls, which may be waived  at the discretion of the Degree Committee.

The following papers will be available for the MPhil pathway in Classical Arabic Studies in 2017 - 2018:

You need to choose three of the following papers:

• Classical Arabic Literature
• Science and Religion in Medieval Islam
• Qur’an, Hadith and Fiqh
• Modes of Legitimation in the pre-modern Islamic world
• Alternative Exercise [An individual student or a group of students sharing similar interests can arrange a topic for an 'Alternative Exercise' in consultation with specific instructors. Previous topics include:
  • Al-Jahiz and the Ninth Century
  • The Qira’at Tradition
  • The Arabic Geographical Tradition
  • Al-Ash’ari’s K. Maqalat al-Islamiyyin]

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the MPhil programme, students will be expected to have:

• acquired the ability to read, interpret  and translate primary sources in Classical Arabic;
• acquired a good knowledge of the general scholarship on Pre-Modern Middle Eastern culture(s);
• acquired an in-depth knowledge of the secondary literature relevant to the subject of their dissertation;
• developed the ability to formulate original research questions and produce a well-constructed, argument to answer them, in the form of an independent piece of research based on the use of primary and secondary sources;
• acquired the skills to use library and internet resources independently.

Continuing

Applicants for the PhD will be expected to have scored at least 67% or above (or the equivalent from an overseas University) in their Master's degree which should be related to the PhD programme they wish to pursue. All applicants should submit with their GRADSAF (graduate application) a workable and interesting research proposal and demonstrate that they have the required academic knowledge and skills to carry out their project.

Admission is at the discretion of the Degree Committee, which judges each graduate applicant on his or her own merits and in accordance with its own set rules and regulations.

During the year, MPhil students attend various training courses offered by the Department in subjects such as codicology, text reading, and other skills. They are also encouraged to attend fourth-year undergraduate lectures and language courses where relevant. They must attend graduate work-in-progress seminars where they have an opportunity to present their own work to their peers for feedback in a supportive environment.

The MPhil in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (Arabic Studies) is text based. Students taking the MPhil in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (Arabic) will be introduced to the analytical tools required for studying texts in Arabic Literary and Grammatical Tradition, Science and Religion, Qu'ran and Hadith, Islamic Law. Students will also be introduced to primary sources and bibliographical methods.

Feedback

Students taking the MPhil in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (Arabic Studies), i.e. working on essays or examinations or alternative exercises and a 15,000 word dissertation to be submitted in mid-August, will receive feedback on their work after the June Degree Committee meeting (for essays and examinations) and after the final Degree Committee meeting of the year in September (for MPhil dissertation results and overall Degree results). Students will receive feedback routinely throughout the year from their Supervisors. Supervisors also produce feedback via termly CGSRS reports on CamSIS.

Assessment

Thesis

For the MPhil in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (Arabic Studies), students will submit a thesis of not more than 15,000 words, including footnotes and appendices but excluding bibliography on a subject approved by the Degree Committee. All MPhil dissertations must include a brief Abstract at the start of the dissertation of no more than 400 words.

Essays

For the MPhil in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (Arabic Studies), students may submit essays as part of their degree:

With the approval of the Degree Committee, a candidate may offer, in place of one or more of the examination papers, the same number of essays, each of not more than 5,000 words, including footnotes, but excluding bibliography, or equivalent Alternative Exercises approved by the Degree Committee.

Written examination

For the MPhil in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (Arabic Studies), students may take examinations as part of their degree:

Three written examination papers on subjects approved by the Degree Committee, which shall fall within one of the fields specified in the Schedule to these regulations. With the approval of the Degree Committee, a candidate may offer, in place of one or more of those papers, the same number of essays, each of not more than 5,000 words, including footnotes, but excluding bibliography, or equivalent Alternative Exercises approved by the Degree Committee.

Practical assessment

There is no practical assessment associated with this course.

Other

An oral examination on the thesis and on the general field of knowledge within which it falls, but at the Degree Committee’s discretion the requirement for an oral examination may be waived.

• Magistr (Master's Degree) at Pass level. Diploma Specialista (completed post-1991) with a minimum overall grade of good or 4/5 Bachelor's from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and other prestigious institutions with an overall grade of 4/5 Bologna Bachelor's from other institutions with an overall grade of 5/5, Excellent
• Diploma Specialista (completed post-1991) with a minimum overall grade of Excellent or 5/5 Bachelor's from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and other prestigious institutions with an overall grade of 5/5
• IELTS (Academic) 7.5
• TOEFL Internet Score 110
• £50 application fee
• First Academic Reference
• Second Academic Reference
• Transcript
• Research Proposal 
• Attainments in languages. Good reading knowledge of Classical Arabic will be expected.Applicants are required to list the languages they know and their level of competence.
• Sample of Work
• Personal Reference. This is only required if you are applying for the Gates Cambridge Scholarship. Applicants who wish to be considered for the Gates Cambridge (USA) and Gates Cambridge (International) must include a personal reference with their GRADSAF and other supporting documentation.

• Global Education
• Gates Cambridge Scholarships