THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2025/2026
- ARCHIVE as at 1 September 2025

Timetable information in the Course Catalogue may be subject to change.
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Degree Programme Table: Islamic Studies (MA Hons) (UTISLAM)

Jump to: Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, Year 4

Year 1 Academic year: 2025/26, Starting in: September

Notes:
Students should aim to divide the number of credits they take in each academic year evenly between Semester 1 and Semester 2

It is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED that students choose outside courses in first year with a follow-on course in the second year, so that there is the possibility of an alternative degree programme at the end of second year

Compulsory courses

You must take these courses
Arabic 1a

Must be passed

IMES08026 20 credits
Arabic 1b

Must be passed

IMES08027 20 credits
Islamic History A: The Formation of the Islamic World
IMES08033 20 credits
Modern Middle Eastern History B: Postwar Independence and Conflict
IMES08037 20 credits

Course options

Group A

Select exactly 40 credits in this group.

Level 8 courses in Schedules A to Q, S, T, W and Y

Select between 20 and 40 credits from Level 8 courses in Schedules A to Q, S, T, W and Y
AND

Challenge Courses: Engaging with complex problems through interdisciplinary collaboration

Select between 0 and 20 credits of the following courses
Notes:
Challenge Courses are designed to bring together students from different degree programmes to explore the complex issues facing the world today through interdisciplinary collaboration and creative thinking.

Working with each other and expert academics, students will gain new perspectives and develop important life skills highly valued by employers, such as teamwork, problem-solving and adaptability.
Our Changing World
BIME08006 20 credits
Sustainability and Social Responsibility (UG)
EDUA08116 20 credits
Wicked problems: Reason and Rhetoric
EDUA08126 20 credits
Understanding decolonisation in a globalised world
EDUA08127 20 credits
Sustainable Development Goals: History, Progress and Beyond 2030
EFIE08008 20 credits
Living in the Anthropocene
GESC08004 20 credits
Understanding Gender in the Contemporary World
SSPS08012 20 credits
Healthy Eating for People and Planet
VETS08016 20 credits

Year 2 Academic year: 2025/26, Starting in: August

Notes:
It is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED that students choose outside courses in second year that follow on from first year, so that there is the possibility of an alternative degree programme at the end of second year.

Entry to Honours:

(1) Students must achieve 50% or more, at the first attempt, in Islamic and Middle Eastern Cultures.
(2) Students must achieve 50% or more, at the first attempt, in Introduction to Islam.

All courses (including any outside subjects) must be passed if students wish to spend all or part of their third year abroad; an outside course passed at Resit in August will be acceptable.

Compulsory courses

You must take these courses
Islamic and Middle Eastern Cultures

Must be passed 1st time at 50%

IMES08051 20 credits
Introduction to Islam

Must be passed 1st time at 50%

IMES08050 20 credits

Course options

Group A

Select exactly 40 credits in this group.

Islamic Studies Year 2 Course Options

Select exactly 40 credits of the following courses
Arabic 2
IMES08006 40 credits
Islamic History B: From the Crusades to the 'Gunpowder Empires'
IMES08034 20 credits
Modern Middle Eastern History A: Domestic Transformation and International Challenges
IMES08036 20 credits
Persian 1a
IMES08046 20 credits
Persian 1b
IMES08047 20 credits
Turkish 1A
IMES08048 20 credits
Turkish 1B
IMES08049 20 credits
AND

Group B

Select exactly 40 credits in this group.

Challenge Courses: Engaging with complex problems through interdisciplinary collaboration

Select between 0 and 20 credits of the following courses
Notes:
Challenge Courses are designed to bring together students from different degree programmes to explore the complex issues facing the world today through interdisciplinary collaboration and creative thinking.

Working with each other and expert academics, students will gain new perspectives and develop important life skills highly valued by employers, such as teamwork, problem-solving and adaptability.
Our Changing World
BIME08006 20 credits
Sustainability and Social Responsibility (UG)
EDUA08116 20 credits
Wicked problems: Reason and Rhetoric
EDUA08126 20 credits
Understanding decolonisation in a globalised world
EDUA08127 20 credits
Sustainable Development Goals: History, Progress and Beyond 2030
EFIE08008 20 credits
Living in the Anthropocene
GESC08004 20 credits
Understanding Gender in the Contemporary World
SSPS08012 20 credits
Healthy Eating for People and Planet
VETS08016 20 credits
AND

Level 8 courses in Schedules A to Q, S, T, W and Y

Select between 20 and 40 credits from Level 8 courses in Schedules A to Q, S, T, W and Y

Year 3 Academic year: 2025/26, Starting in: August

Notes:
Final assessment:

One unit of assessment is allocated to every 20 credits and constitutes one 20-credit paper. The following are the 20-credit papers on which the classification of the degree is based.

Group A - Year 3 spent at Edinburgh (full year) - classification is based on the following twelve 20-credit papers (240 credits):

From year 3:
1. IMES Honours Option
2. IMES Honours Option
3. IMES Honours Option
4. IMES Honours Option
5. IMES Honours Option OR Globalised Muslim World Option
6. IMES Honours Option OR Option course from another School

From year 4:
7. IMES Dissertation Part 1 (same mark as 8)
8. IMES Dissertation Part 2
9. IMES Honours Option
10. IMES Honours Option
11. IMES Honours Option
12. IMES Honours Option OR Globalised Muslim World Option

Group B - Year 3 spent at Edinburgh (half year); and on Erasmus (half year) - classification is based on nine 20-credit papers: two IMES honours options and one Globalised Muslim World option in year 3, and all six 20-credit papers in year 4 (180 credits).

Group C - Year 3 spent on Erasmus (full year): classification is based on the six 20-credit papers in year 4 only (120 credits).

There are no compulsory courses in this year of this programme.

Course options

Group A

Select exactly 120 credits in this group.

Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Core Honours Option Courses

Select between 40 and 120 credits of the following courses
Notes:
'IMES option courses' are courses involving discursive studies of Islam/Middle East-related subjects with texts read in English. A list of courses is made available to students prior to the start of the new academic year, and whilst the courses offered change from year to year, they typically include subjects in history, politics, religion, or cultural studies.
Selected courses must be passed
Mystical Islam (Sufism)
IMES10033 20 credits
Cinema and Society in the Middle East
IMES10035 20 credits
Modern Persian Literature and 'Modern' Iran
IMES10061 20 credits
The Arab-Israeli Conflict: Nations in Collision
IMES10072 20 credits
Islam Through the Arts
IMES10074 20 credits
Of Wine, Love and Loss: Reading Iran through Classical Persian Literature
IMES10076 20 credits
Gender and Media in the Arab World
IMES10085 20 credits
The Qur'an - Islam's Holy Book
IMES10086 20 credits
History and Culture of Iran
IMES10099 20 credits
Gendering the Middle East
IMES10100 20 credits
The Ottoman World: the Society, Culture and Legacy of Islam's Last Empire
IMES10101 20 credits
Iraq: From 'Republic of Fear' to the Islamic State
IMES10102 20 credits
The Seventh Century: The Transformation of East Rome and the Rise of Islam
IMES10104 20 credits
AND

Globalised Muslim World Honours Option Courses

Select between 0 and 20 credits of the following courses
Notes:
Please be aware that all courses may not be available every year.
Selected courses must be passed
Muslims in Europe
IMES10098 20 credits
Globalized Muslim Politics
IMES10103 20 credits
Muslim Societies in Southeast Asia
IMES10106 20 credits
Regional Perspectives in a Globalised Muslim World
IMES10107 20 credits
International, Transnational and Globalised Dynamics of the Muslim World
IMES10108 20 credits
Muslim Africa in Global Perspective
IMES10109 20 credits
Unfolding Afghanistan in a Globalised Context
IMES10110 20 credits
Gulf Histories, Cultures, and Societies
IMES10112 20 credits
AND

Non-IMES Middle Eastern Related Course Collection

Select between 0 and 20 credits of the following courses
Notes:
'Non-IMES Middle Eastern Related Courses' are courses being delivered outside IMES involving discursive studies of Islam/Middle East related subjects. A list of courses is made available prior to the start of the new academic year, and whilst availability varies from year to year, these courses are offered in a range of subject areas including Classics, Divinity, History, History of Art, Politics and Social Anthropology.
Selected courses must be passed
Christian-Muslim Relations: diatribe, discourse and dialogue
DIVI10042 20 credits
Pioneers of Political Islam
DIVI10101 20 credits
Science, Sorcery and Wonder in Islam
DIVI10108 20 credits
The Arts in the Age of the Great Caliphs 650-1250
HIAR10165 20 credits
Stars, Robots, and Talismans: Science, Magic & Medieval Islamic Visual Culture
HIAR10166 20 credits
Law and Power in the Muslim World
LAWS10289 20 credits
Politics of the Middle East
PLIT10036 20 credits
Social Movements and Collective Action in the Middle East
PLIT10128 20 credits
The Persian Gulf in International Relations
PLIT10142 20 credits
OR

Group B

Select exactly 120 credits in this group.

IMES ERASMUS half year

Select exactly 60 credits of the following courses
IMES ERASMUS half year
IMES10058 60 credits
AND

Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Core Honours Option Courses

Select between 20 and 60 credits of the following courses
Notes:
'IMES option courses' are courses involving discursive studies of Islam/Middle East-related subjects with texts read in English. A list of courses is made available to students prior to the start of the new academic year, and whilst the courses offered change from year to year, they typically include subjects in history, politics, religion, or cultural studies.
Selected courses must be passed
Mystical Islam (Sufism)
IMES10033 20 credits
Cinema and Society in the Middle East
IMES10035 20 credits
Modern Persian Literature and 'Modern' Iran
IMES10061 20 credits
The Arab-Israeli Conflict: Nations in Collision
IMES10072 20 credits
Islam Through the Arts
IMES10074 20 credits
Of Wine, Love and Loss: Reading Iran through Classical Persian Literature
IMES10076 20 credits
Gender and Media in the Arab World
IMES10085 20 credits
The Qur'an - Islam's Holy Book
IMES10086 20 credits
History and Culture of Iran
IMES10099 20 credits
Gendering the Middle East
IMES10100 20 credits
The Ottoman World: the Society, Culture and Legacy of Islam's Last Empire
IMES10101 20 credits
Iraq: From 'Republic of Fear' to the Islamic State
IMES10102 20 credits
The Seventh Century: The Transformation of East Rome and the Rise of Islam
IMES10104 20 credits
AND

Globalised Muslim World Honours Option Courses

Select between 0 and 20 credits of the following courses
Notes:
Please be aware that all courses may not be available every year.
Selected courses must be passed
Muslims in Europe
IMES10098 20 credits
Globalized Muslim Politics
IMES10103 20 credits
Muslim Societies in Southeast Asia
IMES10106 20 credits
Regional Perspectives in a Globalised Muslim World
IMES10107 20 credits
International, Transnational and Globalised Dynamics of the Muslim World
IMES10108 20 credits
Muslim Africa in Global Perspective
IMES10109 20 credits
Unfolding Afghanistan in a Globalised Context
IMES10110 20 credits
Gulf Histories, Cultures, and Societies
IMES10112 20 credits
OR

Group C

Select exactly 120 credits in this group.

IMES ERASMUS full year

Select exactly 120 credits of the following courses
IMES ERASMUS full year
IMES10057 120 credits

Year 4 Academic year: 2025/26, Starting in: August

Notes:
Final assessment:

One unit of assessment is allocated to every 20 credits and constitutes one 20-credit paper. The following are the 20-credit papers on which the classification of the degree is based.

Year 3 spent at Edinburgh (full year) - classification is based on the following twelve 20-credit papers (240 credits):

From year 3:
1. IMES Honours Option
2. IMES Honours Option
3. IMES Honours Option
4. IMES Honours Option
5. IMES Honours Option OR Globalised Muslim World Option
6. IMES Honours Option OR Option course from another School

From year 4:
7. IMES Dissertation Part 1 (same mark as 8)
8. IMES Dissertation Part 2
9. IMES Honours Option
10. IMES Honours Option
11. IMES Honours Option
12. IMES Honours Option OR Globalised Muslim World Option

Year 3 spent at Edinburgh (half year); and on Erasmus (half year) - classification is based on nine 20-credit papers: two IMES honours options and one Globalised Muslim World option in year 3, and all six 20-credit papers in year 4 (180 credits).

Year 3 spent on Erasmus (full year): classification is based on the six 20-credit papers in year 4 only (120 credits).

Compulsory courses

You must take these courses
IMES Dissertation (Part 1)
IMES10027 20 credits
IMES Dissertation (Part 2)
IMES10028 20 credits

Course options

Group A

Select exactly 80 credits in this group.

Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Core Honours Option Courses

Select between 20 and 80 credits of the following courses
Notes:
'IMES option courses' are courses involving discursive studies of Islam/Middle East-related subjects with texts read in English. A list of courses is made available to students prior to the start of the new academic year, and whilst the courses offered change from year to year, they typically include subjects in history, politics, religion, or cultural studies.

Mystical Islam (Sufism)
IMES10033 20 credits
Cinema and Society in the Middle East
IMES10035 20 credits
Modern Persian Literature and 'Modern' Iran
IMES10061 20 credits
The Arab-Israeli Conflict: Nations in Collision
IMES10072 20 credits
Islam Through the Arts
IMES10074 20 credits
Of Wine, Love and Loss: Reading Iran through Classical Persian Literature
IMES10076 20 credits
Gender and Media in the Arab World
IMES10085 20 credits
The Qur'an - Islam's Holy Book
IMES10086 20 credits
History and Culture of Iran
IMES10099 20 credits
Gendering the Middle East
IMES10100 20 credits
The Ottoman World: the Society, Culture and Legacy of Islam's Last Empire
IMES10101 20 credits
Iraq: From 'Republic of Fear' to the Islamic State
IMES10102 20 credits
The Seventh Century: The Transformation of East Rome and the Rise of Islam
IMES10104 20 credits
AND

Globalised Muslim World Honours Option Courses

Select between 0 and 20 credits of the following courses
Notes:
Please be aware that all courses may not be available every year.
Muslims in Europe
IMES10098 20 credits
Globalized Muslim Politics
IMES10103 20 credits
Muslim Societies in Southeast Asia
IMES10106 20 credits
Regional Perspectives in a Globalised Muslim World
IMES10107 20 credits
International, Transnational and Globalised Dynamics of the Muslim World
IMES10108 20 credits
Muslim Africa in Global Perspective
IMES10109 20 credits
Unfolding Afghanistan in a Globalised Context
IMES10110 20 credits
Gulf Histories, Cultures, and Societies
IMES10112 20 credits
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