Bachelor of Arts in Middle Eastern and Asian Languages and Cultures (Arabic) and Linguistics

MQF Level

Duration and Credits

3 Years

180 ECTS

Mode of Study

Full-time

Middle Eastern and Asian Languages and Cultures (Arabic)

Applicants wishing to join the part-time mode must submit their application as full-time, and then include a note in the comments box of the application form, denoting their preference to be considered for the part-time option. Such requests will be considered by the Board of the Faculty.

The Bachelor’s degree programme in Middle Eastern and Asian Languages and Cultures (Arabic) studies provides you with a comprehensive understanding of the Arabic language, literature, cultures, and history. Through a rigorous academic curriculum and language experiences, the programme aims to equip you with the knowledge, skills, and critical thinking abilities necessary to engage with and contribute to the global Arabic-speaking community, foster cross-cultural understanding, and promote intercultural communication.

The overarching learning objectives of the Arabic programme is to develop your linguistic, cultural, and analytical competencies necessary to engage with the Arabic-speaking world. You will acquire advanced proficiency in Arabic, gain in-depth knowledge of different Arab cultures, literature, and contemporary issues, and develop critical thinking, research, and intercultural communication skills.

Linguistics

The undergraduate programme of study in Linguistics will give you an academic perspective of Maltese and global linguistics. During the course we will provide you with knowledge on the multifaceted qualities of linguistics, ranging from sociolonguistics, psycholinguistics and Maltese sign language, to applied linguistics, Python programming, Stylistics and the tripartite influence of discourse, ideology and power. We also encourage you to participate in our Erasmus+ mobility programme, as we believe that a multicultural and diversified international experience will deliver a more holistic and beneficial academic journey.

Communication and Academic Skills Programme

The communication and academic skills programme complements students’ main course of study. It introduces them to writing and presenting as situated within academic contexts sensitive to specific disciplines and develops their competences for future careers.

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Information for International applicants

Refer to the list of country-specific qualifications

Middle Eastern and Asian Languages and Cultures (Arabic)

Applicants in terms of the 'maturity (adult learners) clause' are required to sit for an interview, held on a date which will be announced in due course.

Applicants may also be required to submit a Learning Portfolio. Further information about the Portfolio will be forwarded to applicants.

Linguistics

Applicants in terms of the 'maturity (adult learners) clause' are required to sit for an interview, held on a date which will be announced in due course.

Applicants may also be required to submit a Learning Portfolio. Further information about the Portfolio will be forwarded to applicants.

You are viewing the entry requirements for International applicants. Switch to Local qualifications.

You can submit your application online. The deadlines for submission of applications vary according to the intake and courses. We encourage all international applicants to submit their applications as soon as possible. This is especially important if you require a visa to travel and eventually stay in Malta.

You can compare your national qualifications to the local requirements by visiting our qualifications comparability webpage. Access more information about our admission process and English language requirements.

The University of Malta has student accommodation on campus called Campus Hub. Campus Hub is just a 2-minute walk from the main campus. For more information, visit the accommodation website.

Our dedicated team at the student recruitment office is here to support you every step of the way. From the moment you start your application to the moment when you receive your decision letter, we're here to assist you. If you have any questions or need further information, don't hesitate to reach out to us. You can contact us at info@um.edu.mt, and our team will be more than happy to help.

After you receive an offer from us, our International Office will assist you with visas, accommodation and other related issues.

Middle Eastern and Asian Languages and Cultures (Arabic)


Semester 1

Compulsory Units (All students must register for this/these unit/s)

ARB1001	Arabic 1	8 ECTS	(NC)
ARB1025	Introduction to Arabic Studies	4 ECTS	(NC)


Semester 2

Compulsory Units (All students must register for this/these unit/s)

ARB1002	Arabic 2	8 ECTS	(NC)
ARB1042	Arabic Literature: The Abbasid Period	6 ECTS	(NC)

Requirement for regular progression to Year 2:
26 ECTS credits in Middle Eastern and Asian Languages and Cultures (Arabic)
26 ECTS credits in the other area
8 ECTS credits in optional study-units

Total credits for this year: 60 ECTS credits


Semester 1

Compulsory Units (All students must register for this/these unit/s)

ARB2016	Arabic 3	8 ECTS	(NC)
ARB3131	Arabic Readings: Classical Arabic Poetry and Prose	6 ECTS


Semester 2

Compulsory Units (All students must register for this/these unit/s)

ARB2003	Maghrebi Arabic	4 ECTS
ARB3057	Arabic 4	8 ECTS	(NC)

Requirement for regular progression to Year 3:
26 ECTS credits in Middle Eastern and Asian Languages and Cultures (Arabic)
26 ECTS credits in the other area
8 ECTS credits optional study-units

Total credits for this year: 60 ECTS credits


Semester 1

Compulsory Units (All students must register for this/these unit/s)

ARB3018	Arabic 5	8 ECTS	(NC)
ARB3032	Arabic Readings: Modern Arabic Literature	4 ECTS	(NC)


Semester 2

Compulsory Units (All students must register for this/these unit/s)

ARB2012	Media Arabic	6 ECTS
ARB3015	Synoptic Study-Unit 1: Arabic Grammar	6 ECTS	(NC)
ARB3016	Synoptic Study-Unit 2: Arabic Texts; Arabic Literature	6 ECTS	(NC)

Requirement for successful completion of Year 3: 60 ECTS credits, of which:
30 ECTS credits in Middle Eastern and Asian Languages and Cultures (Arabic)
28 ECTS credits in the other area
2 ECTS credits optional study-units

Requirement for award of B.A. Middle Eastern and Asian Languages and Cultures (Arabic) and in another area of study: 180 ECTS credits, of which:
80 ECTS credits in Middle Eastern and Asian Languages and Cultures (Arabic)
80 ECTS credits in the other area
20 ECTS credits optional study-units

Linguistics


Year (This/these unit/s start/s in Semester 1 and continue/s in Semester 2)

Compulsory Units (All students must register for this/these unit/s)

LLT1160	Sociolinguistics: An Introduction to Language Variation and Change	4 ECTS


Semester 1

Compulsory Units (All students must register for this/these unit/s)

LIN1017	Maltese Sign Language 1 for Linguistics Students	2 ECTS
LLT1002	Techniques and Skills for doing Linguistics	4 ECTS
LLT1011	Introduction to Linguistics 1	6 ECTS	(NC)


Semester 2

Compulsory Units (All students must register for this/these unit/s)

LIN1024	Hands-on Language	4 ECTS
LLT1012	Introduction to Linguistics 2	6 ECTS	(NC)

Requirement for regular progression to Year 2:
26 ECTS credits in Linguistics
26 ECTS credits in the other area
8 ECTS credits in optional study-units

Total credits for this year: 60 ECTS credits

In addition to the compulsory study-units, students are required to choose study-units to the value of 10 ECTS credits from the elective study-units on offer during the year.


Semester 1

Compulsory Units (All students must register for this/these unit/s)

LLT2510	Introduction to Programming for Language Applications	4 ECTS

Elective Units (Elective units are offered subject to availability, a minimum number of student registrations and time-table constraints)

LIN1121	Language for Humans and Machines	4 ECTS
LIN2033	Discourse Analysis	4 ECTS
LIN3070	Maltese Sign Language 2: Intermediate Course	2 ECTS
LLT2180	Language Variation and Change: Historical Linguistics	4 ECTS
LLT2191	Psycholinguistics: Language Acquisition	4 ECTS
LLT2360	Language and Culture of Deaf People	4 ECTS
LLT2811*	Introducing Research Methods and Quantitative Research Basics for Linguistics	4 ECTS
LLT2812	Introducing Qualitative Research Basics for Linguistics	2 ECTS
* Study-unit LLT2811 is strongly recommended.

Semester 2

Compulsory Units (All students must register for this/these unit/s)

LIN2022	Models of Grammar	4 ECTS
LIN2083	Issues in Semantics and Pragmatics	4 ECTS
LIN2350	Issues in Phonetics and Phonology	4 ECTS

Elective Units (Elective units are offered subject to availability, a minimum number of student registrations and time-table constraints)

LIN3098	Corpus Linguistics	4 ECTS
LLT2161	Lingua Francas	4 ECTS
LLT2830	Quantitative Research in Linguistics	4 ECTS
LLT3190	Second Language Acquisition and Language Learning	4 ECTS
LLT3370	Foundations in Sign Linguistics	4 ECTS

Requirement for regular progression to Year 3:
26 ECTS credits in Linguistics
26 ECTS credits in the other area
8 ECTS credits optional study-units

Total credits for this year: 60 ECTS credits

In addition to the compulsory study-units, students are required to choose study-units to the value of 12 ECTS credits from the elective study-units on offer during the year.

During their third year of study, students have the possibility to register for elective study-units which were offered during their second year (relisted below) given that these were not already registered for.


Year (This/these unit/s start/s in Semester 1 and continue/s in Semester 2)

Compulsory Units (All students must register for this/these unit/s)

LIN3003	Synoptic Study-Unit: General Linguistics	6 ECTS	(NC)
LIN3004	Synoptic Study-Unit: Interdisciplinary Issues in Linguistics	6 ECTS	(NC)


Semester 1

Compulsory Units (All students must register for this/these unit/s)

LIN3010	Language Typology and Universals	4 ECTS

Elective Units (Elective units are offered subject to availability, a minimum number of student registrations and time-table constraints)

LIN3070	Maltese Sign Language 2: Intermediate Course	2 ECTS
LIN3301	Experimental Psycholinguistics	4 ECTS
LIN3502	Multimodal Interaction and Communication	4 ECTS
LLT2180	Language Variation and Change: Historical Linguistics	4 ECTS
LLT2191	Psycholinguistics: Language Acquisition	4 ECTS
LLT2360	Language and Culture of Deaf People	4 ECTS
LLT2520	Introduction to Computational Models for Language Data	4 ECTS
LLT2811*	Introducing Research Methods and Quantitative Research Basics for Linguistics	4 ECTS
LLT3060	Advanced Issues in the Sound Structure of Languages	4 ECTS
LLT3410	Discourse, Ideology and Power	4 ECTS
LLT3550	Speech Technology	5 ECTS
* If not already taken during the second year, study-unit LLT2811 is highly recommended.

Semester 2

Elective Units (Elective units are offered subject to availability, a minimum number of student registrations and time-table constraints)

LIN3095	Writing Systems	4 ECTS
LIN3098	Corpus Linguistics	4 ECTS
LLT2161	Lingua Francas	4 ECTS
LLT2830	Quantitative Research in Linguistics	4 ECTS
LLT3190	Second Language Acquisition and Language Learning	4 ECTS
LLT3370	Foundations in Sign Linguistics	4 ECTS

Requirement for successful completion of Year 3: 60 ECTS credits, of which:
28 ECTS credits in Linguistics
28 ECTS credits in the other area
4 ECTS credits optional study-units

Requirement for award of B.A. Linguistics and in another area of study : 180 ECTS credits, of which:
80 ECTS credits in Linguistics
80 ECTS credits in the other area
20 ECTS credits optional study-units

This programme of study is governed by the General Regulations for University Undergraduate Awards, 2019 and by the Bye-Laws for the award of the Bachelor of Arts and the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) under the auspices of the Faculty of Arts.

Middle Eastern and Asian Languages and Cultures (Arabic)

By the end of the undergraduate programme, you will gain the following skills:

Language Proficiency: The acquisition of an advanced level of proficiency in Modern Standard Arabic and at least one dialect will enable you to communicate effectively in diverse settings.
Cultural Competence: Possessing a deep understanding of Arab culture, traditions, customs, and values will enable you to navigate and interact respectfully within Arab societies and contribute to intercultural dialogue.
Analytical Skills: The development of strong analytical and critical thinking skills will allow you to critically analyse and evaluate complex social, political, and cultural issues related to the Arab world.
Research and Scholarship: You will be able to demonstrate the ability to conduct independent research, utilising primary and secondary sources in Arabic, and apply scholarly methodologies to produce high-quality academic work in the field of Arabic studies.
Global Perspective: The course material will include a global perspective and will therefore provide you with interdisciplinary knowledge, thus enabling you to understand the historical, geopolitical, and socio-cultural complexities of the Arab world and its relationships with other regions.
Intercultural Communication: You will be able to proficiently exhibit practical intercultural communication skills, demonstrating sensitivity to cultural differences and the ability to bridge gaps through open dialogue and respectful engagement with diverse communities.

Linguistics

By the end of this course you will be able to:

Have a specific skill-set that will contribute to your heightened verbal and written communication faculties.
Carry out and conduct critical academic research through the use of quantitative and qualitative methodologies.
Be proficient in language and data analysis which are crucial for the accurate collection, management and interpretation of data.
Solve problems through your honed ability to analyse language and your refined capacity for critical thinking.
Be aware of contemporary linguistic-use in different cultures, mediums and societies.

Non EU Applicants:

Fee per academic year: Eur 8,500

You are viewing the fees for non EU nationals. Switch to EU nationals if you are a national of any country from within the EU/EEA.

Middle Eastern and Asian Languages and Cultures (Arabic)

As a graduate in this course you will be employable, both locally and internationally, as a translator, writer, researcher, human resources officer, editor, journalist, teacher, publisher, librarian, social worker, public cultural educator and as a tourism officer. If you are interested in furthering your education, or are considering an academic profession, then we encourage you to enrol in one of our local postgraduate courses for a honed academic background.

Linguistics

As a graduate of this course you will be employable, both locally and foreign, as a linguist, lexicographer, technical writer, forensic linguist, accent coach, translator, copywriter, interpreter, editor, language therapist and as a computational linguist. If you are interested in furthering your studies, or are considering an academic profession, then we encourage you to pursue on of our postgraduate local programmes.