The Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies is an Area Studies department grounded in multidisciplinary approaches to research and training. Within a purpose-built space, it brings together anthropologists, archaeologists, literary scholars, linguists, political scientists, historians, sociologists and scholars of religion. Researchers collaborate within the Institute, as well as within disciplinary networks at Exeter, alongside their contributions at national and international levels. We strongly believe that the presence of a variety of disciplines, along with geographic and temporal specialisms, within one building enriches the work we produce as a collective.
MPhil/PhD students work alongside researchers within the following research centres:
Centre for Gulf Studies
Centre for Persian and Iranian Studies
Centre for Kurdish Studies
European Centre for Palestine Studies
Centre for the Study of Islam
Centre for Islamic Archaeology
Centre for Middle East Politics
Centre for Magic and Esotericism
To learn more about modules, assessment methods, facilities and our staff research expertise please visit our course page.
Ways to study this course
Campuses
University of Exeter - Streatham Campus
Study options
MPhil • Full-time • 3 Years
PhD • Full-time • 4 Years
Start dates
09/2026
01/2027
How to apply
Fees and funding
Choose a specific option to see funding information.
We invest heavily in scholarships for talented prospective Masters students. This is in addition to the UK Government’s Postgraduate Loan Scheme. For information on how you can fund your postgraduate degree at the University of Exeter, please visit our course page.