Modern Languages (Arabic and Persian) and Management

Arabic and Persian are two of the most geographically and culturally significant languages in the world, together providing access to the literature, history, religion and contemporary life of the Middle East, Central Asia and the Islamic world more broadly. Arabic is by far the most widely used language of the Middle East, with hundreds of millions of speakers across more than twenty countries, and is also the liturgical language of Islam. Persian, spoken in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan, has a classical literary tradition of extraordinary richness and a contemporary significance shaped by Iran's central role in regional geopolitics.

Combining both languages with management studies produces graduates with an unusual combination of cultural depth and commercial capability.

At the University of St Andrews you will study across four years full-time, including a year abroad that is essential for deepening your linguistic fluency and cultural understanding in Arabophone or Persophone contexts. You will develop both languages alongside the study of management, covering strategy, organisational behaviour, finance and operations. The combination lends itself particularly to comparative analysis across different languages, cultures, business environments and political economies, giving you intellectual tools that are hard to acquire through either discipline alone.

Graduates with Arabic, Persian and management skills are among the most sought-after for roles in international business development, diplomatic service, intelligence and security, international finance, oil and gas, NGOs, journalism and policy research focused on the Middle East, Central Asia or Islamic world. UK government departments and international organisations consistently recruit candidates who combine these linguistic abilities with analytical and management skills. Many graduates also pursue postgraduate study in Middle Eastern studies, international management, law, security studies or translation, where the language combination represents a rare and valued specialism.