Global Development and Arabic

Global development and Arabic is a combination that brings together one of the most practically urgent fields of study with direct linguistic and cultural access to one of the world's most important regions. Global development is concerned with understanding and addressing the profound inequalities that divide the world, examining why poverty and vulnerability persist, how development interventions succeed or fail, and what the relationships are between colonialism, governance, trade, aid, and the experiences of people living in the Global South. Arabic gives you direct access to a region, the Arab world, that is central to many development questions and that has produced a rich tradition of political, literary, and intellectual engagement with questions of justice, modernity, and change.

At the School of Oriental and African Studies, this four-year full-time programme includes a foundation year, providing a supported entry point before the main degree. SOAS's unparalleled expertise in the languages, cultures, and histories of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East gives this combination a depth and specificity that is difficult to match elsewhere. You will develop your Arabic from beginner or intermediate level to genuine proficiency, studying the modern standard language alongside engagement with Arabic literature, media, and culture, and you will engage with global development through the lens of political economy, postcolonial theory, and the empirical study of development practice across different regions and contexts.

Graduates are well-placed for careers in international development organisations, NGOs, humanitarian agencies, the civil service, journalism, research, and the charity sector. Arabic language competence combined with global development knowledge is particularly valuable in organisations working in the Arab world or in multilateral settings where Arabic is a working language. Many graduates continue to postgraduate study in development studies, Arabic, international relations, or related fields, and some pursue research or policy careers.