Asian and Middle Eastern Studies and Joint Schools
- On average, St John's accepts 3-5 AMES students per year.
- In addition to single subjects, Asian and Middle Eastern Studies has several joint courses including with Classics, Theology and European languages, giving students flexibility and a unique range of choices.
- Languages such as Arabic, Chinese or Japanese are studied from scratch and prior knowledge of the language is not expected. While some experience in learning languages is helpful, applicants should demonstrate in particular strong motivation for studying these languages and an excellent academic record.
- Candidates should demonstrate disposition to handle cultures and languages different from their own, to think independently and critically.
- The entry requirements for AMES are determined by the University’s Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies.
- More information about applying to study AMES at Oxford can be found on the Faculty’s website.
- General advice about applying to St John’s can be found here.
- St John's has links with Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, and Arabic in particular, extending back to the seventeenth century when the current Professorship in Arabic was established by William Laud (President of St John's 1611-21) in 1936.
- St John's is unique among Oxford Colleges in having both the Laudian Professor, recently renamed the AlBabtain Laudian Professorship in Arabic, and a Tutorial Fellow in Modern Arabic.
- Middle Eastern Studies in Oxford is one of the strongest departments in the country and is frequently judged to be the best such department in the UK.
- St John's is situated very close to the Oriental Institute, where there is an excellent library and where most of the lectures and classes take place.
- The College also admits two postgraduate students in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies per year.
- Our students have their own society, The Beaston Society, and play a full and active part in University societies, such as the Middle East Society.
- Read profiles from two St John's students of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (Arabic and Persian) here and Classics and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (Egyptology) here.
- Graduates with good degrees in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies are much sought after — such is the geopolitical and economic importance of languages such as Arabic, Chinese and Japanese.
- Graduates gain subject-specific skills and transferable one, which prepare them for a variety of career pathways. Thei gain competence in a foreign non-European language; in-depth knowledge of cultures; and in-person experience in living within a foreign culture. They gain excellent communication skills, writing skills, self-reliance and working under pressure. AMES graduates pursue gradute studies, careers in the non-profit sector, banking, consultancy, the media and government.
