Arab World Studies PhD

Middle Eastern Studies at Manchester offers exceptionally wide-ranging opportunities for research and advanced training in the history, languages, religious traditions and politics of the Middle East. Training and research supervision in all major cultures and periods of the region are delivered by experts whose publications contribute to their subject on an international level. The Department was awarded the role of hosting (together with Edinburgh and Durham) the national Centre for the Advanced Study of the Arab World in 2006. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise a total of 60% of its research was deemed to be in the two top quality categories of 4* (world-leading) and 3* (internationally excellent).

The Centre offers specialised intensive training in Arabic, and in a wide range of other research skills and techniques; it organises seminars, workshops and conferences, and offers fully-funded MA and PhD studentships. Another major research centre, the Centre for Jewish Studies (based in the Faculty of Humanities), brings together a wide range of specialists from across the University, and a large and active body of graduate students working on various aspects of Jewish culture and history.

Research embraces the historical-literary study of classical periods, as well as current approaches in the exploration of the social, cultural, literary or religious characteristics of the contemporary Middle East. Staff research interests include modern Islamic thought, the role of women in the Muslim world, Israeli culture, modern Jewish thought, 20 ^th century relations between Europe and the Arab Middle East as well as Iran, alongside classical Islamic history, Shiism and rabbinic Judaism. Some of Manchester's experts in Middle Eastern Studies contribute to the public debate on contemporary cultural-religious issues in the UK, or are part of the Middle Eastern discourses on the preservation of national heritages, gender roles or the relations between 'East' and 'West'. Manchester is also the editorial home of the internationally renowned academic periodical Journal of Semitic Studies, which recently celebrated its fiftieth anniversary

Academic entry qualification overview:

Successful completion of a Masters course with an overall classification of Merit or higher, or its overseas equivalent, with an element of research training, is a prerequisite for entry to a PhD. A research proposal must be included with the formal application materials. 

English language:

Students whose first language is not English require:

an overall IELTS score of 7.0 with 7.0 in the writing component

or

a TOEFL score of 600 paper-based test, 250 computer-based test, or 100 internet-based test

or

a Pearson Test of English (PTE) score of 70 overall with 70 in the writing component

Some English language test results are only valid for two years. Your English language test report must be valid on the start date of your programme

The PhD is the major postgraduate research degree. It involves three years of full-time study and the preparation of a thesis of not more than 80,000 words that makes a significant contribution to knowledge. A satisfactory PhD topic is one that a suitably qualified and properly supervised student can bring to completion within the permitted timeframe.   Please note, all PhD students are required to undertake Research Training as part of their PhD programme.

Your research will normally be supervised by two members of staff at the University. Your supervisors will most likely be members of the School, but if your research requires it, the School or Subject area may arrange for supervision by someone outside the School. Supervisory arrangements at Manchester are governed by a Code of Practice which is available on the University's website. Regular meetings will be held with the supervisors, and details of each of the meetings will be recorded. Research Panels (consisting of at least three academic staff, including the supervisors) are held once per semester to monitor progress.

Please note, the first year of the full-time programme and the first two years of the part-time programme are probationary; this means you will be required to show evidence of satisfactory progress in order to proceed with the programme.

All postgraduate students in the School can make use of the purpose-designed Centre for Graduate Studies, opened in 2003. The Centre is located in one of the University's most interesting architectural spaces, highlighted in Pevsner's guide to Manchester for its `Corbusian external stairs and a curving rooftop pavilion ... the interior of which is an exciting space with big circular rooflights and very narrow window slits on one side only.' Care was taken to enhance those features while providing state-of-the-art facilities for postgraduate study. These include 30 computers (several with dedicated translation studies software), LaserJet printers, `hot-desk' facilities for around 50 students (including workstation facilities for students with disabilities), and 132 secure lockers. The Centre also houses a collection of past theses and dissertations from all subjects studied in the School at PhD, MPhil and MA level, which students can access to inform their own research and writing.

In addition to the Centre for Graduate Studies, the University has five major computer clusters, together with many smaller clusters. In total there are more than 10,000 PCs and workstations across the campus. All provide access to standard office software as well as specialist programs, and all are connected to the campus network and internet. Every student is registered for email, file storage and internet access. If more demanding computer access is required, our specialist computing division Manchester Computing can provide high-end and specialist computing services.

The  University of Manchester Library is one of the best-resourced academic libraries in the UK and is widely recognised as one of the world's greatest research libraries. We also have one of the largest academic IT services in Europe - supporting world-class teaching and research.

School of Arts, Languages and Cultures

See: About us

Contact name: Postgraduate Office

Telephone: +44 (0)161 275 3559

Facsimile: +44 (0)161 275 3031

Email: PhDSALC@manchester.ac.uk

Website: www.alc.manchester.ac.uk/subjects/middleeasternstudies/postgraduateresearch/research/