The Chinese combined honours degree aims to give a broad understanding of Chinese culture through study of its language, history and literature from earliest times up to the present in combination with a solid grounding in another language or discipline.

The range of expertise in SOAS, not only in East Asian studies, but also with regard to languages and literatures of other regions is unique in UK institutions. Along with proven excellence in other disciplines, such as religious studies, anthropology, art and archaeology, and history, this offers students an unparalleled range of options in choosing their second subject of study.

Venue: Russell Square: College Buildings

Start of programme: September

Mode of Attendance: Full-time

Who is this programme for?: The programme has flexible entry requirements for students with various levels of Chinese proficiency, from absolute beginners to GCSE and A-level Chinese.  Follow us:
YouTube: SOAS China and Inner Asian Studies
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHRVwzHtNsvHo66-XzQRgJw
Facebook: @SOAS China and Inner Asia
https://www.facebook.com/SOASChinaandInnerAsia
Twitter: @SOAS China

May be combined with:

• Development Studies, (LT91 BA/DVSCH)
• Economics, (LT11 BA/ECCH)
• History, (TV11 BA/HCH)
• History of Art, (TV13 BA/CHAA)
• International Relations, (LB23 BA/IRC)
• Law, (MT11 BA/LWCH)
• Linguistics, (QT11 BA/CHLG)
• Music, (TW13 BA/MSCH)
• Politics,(LT21 BA/POLCH)
• Social Anthropology, (LT61 BA/SACH)
• World Philosophies, (T103)

Key Information Set data

Click on a combined programme to load KIS data

Year 1

Students will take modules to the value of 120 credits from the two subjects

Core Module

This module must be passed in order to proceed to the following year.

AND

Second Subject

60 credits are taken from the syllabus of the second subject.

Year 2

Core Module

This module must be passed in order to progress to the following year of study

Compulsory Modules

Students will take the modules below

AND

Second Subject

60 credits are taken from the syllabus of the second subject.

Year 3

*Year 3 (from 20/21) Year Abroad: For more information on the year abroad in China, please see the Teaching & Learning tab.

Year 4

Compulsory Modules

Students will take the modules below

AND

Guided Option

Choose modules from List A/List B or Central options (at the relevant FHEQ level for your academic year of study) to the value of 30 credits

AND

Second Subject

60 credits are taken from the syllabus of the second subject.

Year 4 - List A: Guided Option Modules

Year 4 - List B: Language Modules

FHEQ Level 6

Programme Specification

• BA Chinese and... Programme Specification (pdf; 412kb)

Important notice

Year abroad

Students spend the third year of their BA Chinese degree at Beijing Normal University (BNU).  Single-subject degree students are required to take the following modules: 

• Newspaper Reading (baokan 报刊)
• Reading and Writing (duxie 读写) 
• Conversation (huihua 会话)
• Listening (tingli 听力)

In order to proceed to the final year, students must pass all four of the language modules taken at BNU.  If a student fails one language module, they will be offered a re-entry test in September of the same academic year, to determine whether or not they can continue to Year 4. 

Teaching & Learning

Contact Hours

All full-time undergraduate programmes consist of 120 credits per year, in modules of 60, 30 or 15 credits. They are taught over 10 or 20 weeks. The programme structure shows which modules are taught over one term or the full year. It also shows which modules are compulsory and which are optional.

As a rough guide, 1 credit equals approximately 10 hours of work. Most of this will be independent study (see Approaches to teaching and learning at SOAS). It will also include class time, which may include lectures, seminars and other classes. Some subjects, such as learning a language, have more class time than others.

More information is on the page for each module.

Modern language teaching involves classroom work and independent study. A few non-language modules are taught by formal lecture. The single and combined degree modules are examined through oral and written examinations and coursework or reports.

SOAS Library

SOAS Library is one of the world's most important academic libraries for the study of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, attracting scholars from all over the world. The Library houses over 1.2 million volumes, together with significant archival holdings, special collections and a growing network of electronic resources.

Pre Entry Reading

Pre-Entry Readings

• Ebrey, Patricia: The Cambridge Illustrated History of Chinese Civilization. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1996/2010.
• Mair, Victor H.: The Columbia History of Chinese Literature. New York: Columbia University Press, 2001.
• Shei, Chris: Understanding the Chinese Language. London and New York: Routledge, 2014.

Further suggestions

• Goldman, Merle, Leo Ou-Fan Lee (eds.): An Intellectual History of Modern China. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002.
• Hong Zicheng: A History of Contemporary Chinese Literature. Leiden: Brill, 2007.
• Lau, Joseph S. M., Howard Goldblatt (eds.): The Columbia Anthology of Modern Chinese Literature. New York: Columbia University Press, 2007.
• Lovell, Julia: The Great Wall: China Against the World. 1000 BC - AD 2000. New York: Grove Press, 2006.
• Minford, John, Joseph S. M. Lau (eds.): Classical Chinese Literature: An Anthology of Translations. New York: Columbia University Press, 2000.

Tuition Fees

Full details of undergraduate tuition fees can be found on the Registry's Undergraduate Tuition Fees page.

Fees for 2021/22 entrants. The fees below are per academic year. Please note that fees go up each year. 

Scholarships

For further details and information on external scholarships visit the Scholarships section

As a graduate who specialised in China and Inner Asia, you will have gained competency in language skills and intercultural awareness and understanding. Familiarity with the region will have been developed through a study of language in combination with literature, development studies, economics, geography, history, history of art and archaeology,  law, linguistics, music, politics, social anthropology or religion.

Graduates leave SOAS not only with linguistic and cultural expertise, but also with a portfolio of widely transferable skills which employers seek in many professional and management careers, both in business and in the public sector. These include written and oral communication skills, attention to detail, analytical and problem-solving skills, and the ability to research, amass and order information from a variety of sources.

Choosing to study a joint degree programme will increase the breadth of your knowledge, and will develop additional skills with which to further your studies of China and the Inner Asian region, or to make comparative study with other areas.  Chinese may be combined with a huge range of other disciplines. For more information on the extra skills you will gain from your second subject, please see the relevant departmental page.

Recent graduates have found employment in the UK, Europe and East Asia. They work in management research, medicine, English language teaching, import/export, stockbrokerage, multinational corporations, NGOs, libraries, media, law, film production, galleries and museums and merchant banking. Others go on to postgraduate study.

Graduates have gone on to work for a range of organisations including:

Types of roles that graduates have gone on to do include:

For more information about Graduate Destinations from this department, please visit the Careers Service website.

• How to Apply
• UCAS website
• Request a prospectus
• Got a question - use our enquiry form (opens a new window)
• Funding options
• English language requirements
• Tuition Fees
• Admissions Contacts