Arabic and English

Arabic is one of the world's major languages, spoken by over 400 million people and serving as the liturgical language of Islam. It carries an extraordinarily rich literary, scientific, and philosophical tradition stretching back over a millennium, and it remains central to understanding the contemporary politics, culture, and economies of the Middle East and North Africa. Studying Arabic alongside English gives you two powerful tools for communication and analysis, and the combination opens doors across international business, diplomacy, journalism, and translation.

At the University of Westminster, you will develop competence in both Modern Standard Arabic and the cultural contexts in which the language operates, alongside deepening your understanding of English as a global language and a field of academic study. The programme places particular emphasis on employability, offering high-quality teaching across all language skills, including reading, writing, listening, and speaking, together with grounding in contemporary cultural contexts. You will develop as both a linguist and a communicator, with the critical and intercultural awareness that graduate employers increasingly seek.

The programme runs over three years full-time and includes a sandwich placement year, a year abroad, and a work placement, giving you substantial real-world and international experience integrated into the degree.

Graduates of Arabic and English programmes go on to careers in translation and interpreting, international journalism, diplomacy, the foreign and civil service, international development, NGOs, business, and education. The combination of language skills and cultural knowledge is particularly valued by organisations working across the Arab world or with Arabic-speaking communities. Postgraduate routes include translation studies, Middle Eastern studies, linguistics, and international relations, where your linguistic foundation sets you apart.