Master of Arts in Oriental Languages and Cultures (Middle East Studies)
Our (two-year) Master’s programme studies Oriental languages and cultures in four sub-areas: China, India, Japan and the Middle East. As in the Bachelor’s programme, students take on two language variants from your choice of sub-areas, and a set of course units focusing on culture and academic methodology.
What
Admission to the Master’s programme is possible only after having successfully completed a Bachelor’s degree in Oriental Languages and Cultures, or an equivalent degree encompassing an (at least) intermediate level of the relevant languages and a sufficient number of background courses on the area of choice (China, India, Japan or the Middle East).
The (two-year) Master in Oriental Languages and Cultures offers a combined languages and cultures degree in the academic study of one of the following regional areas: China, India, Japan and the Middle East. We offer our students classes in language varieties from their area of choice (intermediate to advanced level), specialist courses on related socio-cultural issues, and training to carry out academic research. In addition, we offer a wide range of electives.
A major difference with the Bachelor’s programme is a more integrated approach to language, culture and research: students no longer ‘learn’ a language, but study language, text and context simultaneously. Within the Master’s programme, students choose four ‘Language, Text and Context’ courses (in line with the specialisation of the Bachelor’s programme):
- China: Modern Chinese and Traditional Language and Culture;
- India: Language, Text and Context of Modern and Pre-Modern South-Asia;
- Japan: Modern Japanese and Traditional Language and Culture;
- Middle East: Modern Arabic Language Acquisition and Middle East Politics and Society/Culture as well as Islam in the Past and the Present.
The ‘Culture in Perspective’ course unit engages with the variety of approaches in the academic study of various topics.
In the Master’s programme, students can opt for one of the various professionalisation tracks. They have the opportunity to benefit from a professional work experience through an internship at a company, a cultural institution, a government agency or any other relevant organisation. Internationalisation is an important aspect of the Master’s programme in Oriental Languages and Cultures. We encourage our students to spend one or two terms abroad, either in a country from their chosen area or in Europe. The internship can also be taken up abroad. The programme culminates in a Master’s dissertation, by means of which students demonstrate their ability to contribute actively and adequately (including via acquired language skills) to current academic (and wider) understandings of China, India, Japan or the Middle East and their diverse but interrelated socio-cultural landscapes.
For whom
The admission requirements may vary. Depending on your prior education, you can either enrol directly or there may be additional requirements.
Structure
During the Master’s programme, you will perfect your linguistic, academic and critical skills. Socio-cultural phenomena are studied in depth, providing you with a wide range of generic and specific competences and opportunities for the future. The Master’s programme has a strong academic orientation and offers various opportunities for wider training in the humanities and social sciences.
The programme consists of the following components:
- Language, Text and Context (i.e. Media Egyptian and academic Arabic, Modern Chinese or Modern Japanese and traditional language and culture, or Hindi, Sanskrit and Middle Indic): in-depth academic study of particular socio-cultural phenomena, in combination with integrated language training at an intermediate to advanced level;
- Culture in Perspective (for each cultural area; taught in English, often by international guest lecturers): advanced engagement with the variety of approaches in the academic study of diverse cultural themes related to China, India, Japan or the Middle East;
- Professionalisation module: a choice of several modules, including ‘Academic Proficiency’ (research module), ‘Society and Diversity’, ‘Political and Social Sciences’, ‘Economics and Business Administration’ and ‘Free Choice’;
- Internationalisation module: study at a university in a country from the chosen area or at another European university. Students who opt to stay at Ghent University, take the module ‘Internationalisation@Home’ with the ‘Globalisation’ course units;
- Internship: allowing for a first, very valuable pre-professional work experience. The programme can rely on a wide range of internship partners (companies, public authorities, museums etc.);
- ‘Master’s Dissertation’ and ‘Dissertation Seminar’: in these courses students demonstrate that they are able to contribute actively and adequately (including via their language skills) to current academic (and wider) debates of China, India, Japan or the Middle East.
If you want to combine your Master’s degree with a Teacher’s degree, then there is the option of taking a Master's Programme in Teaching (in Dutch: 'Educatieve master') instead of the above described master. The Master's Programme in Teaching, however, is a Dutch-taught programme. More information can be found on www.ugent.be/educatievemaster.
Labour Market
Graduates find employment in the cultural sector (museums, publishers, theatre companies, literary organisations, archives, the press, libraries and cultural centres), as well as at various governmental institutions and internationally oriented companies. They are often asked to welcome and escort trade missions, to manage trade contracts and to assist business leaders in the various countries of Asia, the Middle East and North-Africa. Students with a keen interest in research in humanities and social sciences related to China, India, Japan or the Middle East can also consider a career as a researcher.
Quality Assurance
At Ghent University, we strive to educate people who dare to think about the challenges of tomorrow. For that purpose, we provide education that is embedded in six strategic objectives: Think Broadly, Keep Researching, Cultivate Talent, Contribute, Extend Horizons, Opt for Quality.
Ghent University continuously focuses on quality assurance and quality culture. The Ghent University's quality assurance system offers information on each study programme’s unique selling points, and on its strengths and weaknesses with regard to quality assurance.
More information:
Unique Selling Points
- Language through culture and culture through language: the Oriental Languages and Cultures programme is founded on these two equally important pillars: language and culture. Our students choose one cultural area -- with a corresponding package of language courses: Arabic, Chinese, Indian or Japanese. They gradually build up knowledge of a modern and a classical language variant, giving them access to, and getting to know the culture of the region (i.e. society, politics, history, religion/philosophy, literature) in depth.
- Regional specialists in diversity: in addition to the language and culture courses of the chosen cultural region, our curriculum includes a number of other courses. We offer, for example, a number of general courses in which students acquire the necessary skills to be able to work creatively and in a problem-solving way. We also offer elective courses or diversification modules by means of which students can either specialize or broaden their knowledge, and/or seek a connection with advanced studies or the labour market.
- Internationalisation: our programme is inherently internationally oriented. We encourage our students and lecturers to gain international experiences. The (largely) English-taught two-year Master's curriculum includes a stay abroad, either in the chosen cultural region or at a European university, and a compulsory internship that can also be taken up abroad. These international experiences not only deepen students’ language skills; they sharpen their view on the society, culture, etc. of the chosen cultural area.
- Talent development: from the beginning, the curriculum contains general courses, methodology and research or practice-oriented courses. In these courses we teach our students to approach the world with a critical and academic mind, and to think creatively and in a problem-solving way. The available elective sets (i.e. economics, politics, teaching, multiculturalism) offer opportunities to compose a curriculum tailored to your own interests and vision of your future.
- Broad employability: due to the special additional attention that we pay to methodological and practice-oriented courses, our graduates have advanced knowledge of their discipline, but can also easily find employment in other domains. The internship, which ties in with the chosen elective courses or diversification module, forms an initial work experience.
Strengths
- Lecturers with practical experience and expertise: our lectures have proven academic track records in one or more aspects of their (culture specific) area of expertise. Their experience often stems from prolonged stays in that cultural region. Our lecturers can count on the support of teaching assistants, tutors and native speakers. Together, they closely supervise and monitor our students during intensive courses, especially with regard to the acquisition of the modern languages.
- Multiperspectivism and room for diversity: we study each cultural region from a wide range of perspectives (e.g. social, religious, literary, philosophical, linguistic). In so doing, our programme reflects our students’ diversity of interests and talents.
- Practical experience in a cultural region: the two-year Master's programme offers an opportunity for studying abroad and the additional option of spending the mandatory internship abroad as well.
- Academic-scientific knowledge and skills: we pay special attention to the integration of academic research in our teaching practice. In the methodology courses, our students gradually learn to create academic knowledge themselves. Our programme also offers opportunities for critical thinking and specialisation.
- Future prospects: by implementing a mandatory internship in the Master's curriculum, we offer our students an initial professional experience even before they graduate. This is an excellent starting point when applying for national and international jobs in the public and private sectors. Our students’ advanced language skills, in-depth insight into their chosen cultural region, and broad critical-academic knowledge and skills are an excellent preparation for the labour market or advanced studies.
Challenges
- Stakeholder involvement: we want to optimally involve our current students, alumni and professional field representatives in thinking about and (re)designing the curriculum. We are specifically looking for ways to (1) encourage our students to active participation in consultations, to (2) strengthen our ties with our alumni, and to (3) maintain our contacts with the professional field in order to achieve a better connection to the labour market.
- Information dissemination: we want to improve the influx of new students by disseminating correct information about the study programme through all channels available (e.g. study information days or “sid-ins”, information sessions, brochures, websites, open classes, children's university, lecture series, classes for secondary schools). In doing so, we emphasise the societal importance of our study programme. Participation of our staff in cultural events, activities, think tanks, etc. … leads to an enhanced visibility of our study programme in society.
- Benchmarking: we benchmark our study programmes to parallel programmes in Belgium and abroad, and wherever possible, integrate good practices.
This study programme is accredited by the Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (Dutch: NVAO). Accreditation was extended following the positive outcome of the institutional review in 2022. Programme quality was validated by a quality review, i.e. a screening of the Education Monitor by the Education Quality Board. The Quality Assurance Resolution (in Dutch) can be found here.
This information was last updated on 01/03/2025.
In case of questions or suggestions with regard to the publicly available information, please contact the study programme.