Subject guide to Arabic

Arabic at Manchester 

Arabic is one of the six official languages of the United Nations and used daily by more than 400 million people in North Africa, the Middle East, South America, Europe, and South-East Asia.  

In the city of Manchester, Arabic is the third most common language spoken and there are a range of cultural events and celebrations such as the Salaam Festival in November, and MACFEST (Muslim Arts and Culture Festival).

Our degree courses are designed for students learning Arabic as a beginner, building their skills and proficiency so that by the final year, they are fluent in modern-standard Arabic and able to translate English to Arabic and Arabic to English.  

Cultural course units cover topics such as politics and gender in MENA (Middle East and North Africa), histories, cultures and societies of the Mahgreb (Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, and Libya), Arabic literature, and the history and sociopolitics of Palestine/Israel.

I’d always wanted to study Arabic at university but wanted to combine it with other subjects, and through this degree I was able to further develop my maths, language, English and critical thinking skills.

Myra Haq / MBLM Arabic, 2024

Video: Discover more about studying here 

Courses - 2027 entry

Arabic is available as a specialism in the following 4-year degree courses:   

  • BA International Disaster Management and Humanitarian Response and Modern Languages 
  • BA Linguistics and Modern Languages  
  • BA Modern Languages and Business and Management  
  • BA Modern Languages  
  • BA Politics and Modern Languages  
  • BA Sociology and Modern Languages  

BA Modern Languages has 3 pathways for Arabic and students on this course must choose one:  

  • Arabic 
  • Arabic with Digital Humanities  
  • Arabic and a language chosen from French or Spanish   

The degree title on the graduation certificate will state the language(s) that have been studied. For example: BA Modern Languages (Arabic and French), BA Modern Languages (Arabic) and Business and Management, BA Politics and Modern Languages (Arabic).  

For information about entry requirements, tuition fees, scholarships and bursaries, please visit the online prospectus.  

Students looking for a 3-year course that includes Arabic can consider BA Middle Eastern Studies. On this course, learning a language (Arabic, Turkish or Persian) is optional, and the course has a stronger focus on the history, politics and anthropology of the Middle East and North Africa.  

Course structures

Single and joint honours degree courses in Arabic provide students with a range of choices. When considering the choices you’d like to make, please note:  

  • Arabic is available to students that are learning the language as a beginner.
  • Each year, all students study a total of 120 credits. Each course unit is 20 credits unless indicated.
  • The course unit titles for each year of study have been listed.
  • Joint honours. In Years 1 and 2, students take 60 credits of course units from Arabic. In Year 4 students can take 40, 60 or 80 credits of course units from Arabic. The remaining credits are taken from the other subject or language.
  • Single honours. Each year, students can take 120 credits of course units from Arabic, or they can take up to 40 credits from a range of subjects in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures, including digital humanities, or the University College for Interdisciplinary Learning.
  • Digital humanities. Students on BA (Hons) Modern Languages that take 40 credits of digital humanities course units each year will graduate with BA (Hons) Modern Languages (Arabic) with Digital Humanities.
  • Essential course information for students studying a 4-year degree.   

Course content

Our courses

See our Modern Language courses for 2027 entry.

Course listings

Arabic studies

Find out more about the Department, teaching staff and our research.

Discover more