Economics and Arabic
Economics and Arabic is a degree that opens up some of the world's most strategically and economically significant regions through both analytical rigour and direct linguistic access. Arabic is the official language of more than twenty countries and a major language of commerce, diplomacy, media, and culture across the Middle East and North Africa, a region that contains some of the world's largest energy reserves, fastest-growing consumer markets, and most complex political dynamics. Economics provides the analytical tools to understand how markets, trade, development, and finance operate in these contexts and beyond.
At the School of Oriental and African Studies this four-year programme, which includes a foundation year for those who need it, draws on SOAS's unparalleled expertise in the languages, cultures, and political economies of Asia and Africa. You will develop a high level of Arabic proficiency, encompassing modern standard Arabic and potentially one or more spoken varieties, alongside economic training that engages seriously with development economics, international trade, and the particular economic histories and structures of the Arab world. The SOAS approach to economics is distinctively global in its orientation, taking seriously the economic experiences of the global south rather than treating the Western experience as the default.
Graduates from economics and Arabic programmes are particularly well placed for careers in international finance and investment, diplomatic service, international development organisations, energy and commodity trading, international journalism, NGOs working in the Arab world, and academic research. Arabic proficiency combined with economic analytical skills is rare and highly valued in many professional contexts. The Middle East and North Africa region is central to global energy markets, to significant geopolitical dynamics, and to rapidly developing consumer economies, all of which create sustained demand for professionals who understand these contexts deeply.
Further study in development economics, area studies, or international relations is a natural option.