Overview and entry requirements
The BA East Asian Studies combined degree programme blends the study of both East Asian languages and East Asia-related subjects in various disciplines. Compared to the existing single-subject BA East Asian Studies degree, there is less emphasis on language learning. Compared to the existing 2-degree BA Chinese/Japanese/Korean and… (combined) degree, there is more space to study East Asia-related courses in a range of disciplines. This programme also differs from the existing offerings in that there is no year abroad included.
Through the course of the three years, students take modules in modern East Asian languages at the appropriate level. They can start as complete beginners, or they can start from higher levels. Progression through a total of four levels is offered, whereas for those who exceed the highest level, language-based courses in literature and film, as well as a language-based dissertation, are available. The programme also offers courses in regional languages.
See Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures
Combine East Asian Studies with other subjects
The nature of the East Asian Studies combined honours degree enables you to develop a specialist niche for yourself by studying another subject such as Development Studies, Economics, History, History of Art, International Relations, Law, Linguistics, Music, Politics, Social Anthropology, World Philosophies.
Why study East Asian Studies combined degree at SOAS
- SOAS is ranked 10th in the UK in the 2022 Complete University Guide for East Asian Studies
- SOAS is home to the largest concentration of East Asian specialists in Europe
- study East Asia-related subjects without a strong emphasis on language, or work at an advanced language level within a more traditional framework, as it is offered at most other universities.
- flexibly structure your programme using our central options modules to take advantage of the expertise of our other departments
Venue: Russell Square: College Buildings
Start of programme: September
Mode of Attendance: Full-time
Email: eastasia@soas.ac.uk
Entry requirements
- duration:
- 4 years
Fees 2022/23
Fees for 2022/23 entrants per academic year
- UK fees:
- £9,250
- Overseas fees:
- £20,350
Please note that fees go up each year. Further details see 'Fees and funding' (tab on this page) or the Registry's undergraduate tuition fees page.
Please see the Unistats data for the various combinations of this programme under the Combinations tab.
May be combined with:
- Development Studies, TT25 EA/GD
- Economics, T4L1 EA/Ec
- History, T4V1 EA/Hi
- History of Art, T4V3 EA/HA
- International Relations, T4G2 EA/IR
- Law, T4M1 EA/Law
- Linguistics, TQ41 EA/LI
- Music, T4W3 EA/Mu
- Politics, TL44 EA/Pol
- Social Anthropology, T4L3 EA/Anth
- World Philosophies, T444 EA/WP
Key Information Set data
Click on a combined programme to load KIS data
Structure
Students take a total of 120 credits each year.
- Year 1: students normally take 30 credits of language and 30 credits of culture/history module. The remaining 60 credits are taken in the second subject.
- Year 2: students take a further 15 credits of compulsory culture module. The remaining 45 credits can be taken from the lists of culture/history/language modules. The remaining 60 credits are taken in the second subject.
- Year 3: students take a further 15 credits of compulsory culture module. The remaining 45 credits can be taken from the lists of culture/history/language modules. The remaining 60 credits are taken in the second subject.
Programme
Year 1
Students will take 60 East Asian Studies credits
Option 1
Students can take a 60 credit module from the Language module list below.
NB Students may take the 60 credit language in year 1 only. This will enable them to transfer to the language programme and go on a year abroad.
OR
Option 2
Students will take modules to the value of 30 credits form the Language module list below
AND
AND
Second Subject
Students will choose modules to the value of 60 credits from their second subject
Year 2
Students will take the compulsory module:
Students must take modules to the total value of 45 credits from List A / Language List below.
AND
Second Subject
Students will choose modules to the value of 60 credits from their second subject
Year 3
Students must take modules to the total value of 45 from credits from List B and/or Language list below.
AND
AND
Second Subject
Students will choose modules to the value of 60 credits from their second subject
List A Guided option modules
List B Guided option modules
Language Modules
Important notice
The information on the programme page reflects the intended programme structure against the given academic session. If you are a current student you can find structure information on the previous year link at the top of the page or through your Department. Please read the important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules.
Teaching & Learning
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.
Contact hours
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.
Year abroad
The BA East Asian Studies and... (combined) degree programme does not have a year abroad.
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.
Tuition fees
Fees for 2022/23 entrants per academic year
| Programme |
Full-Time |
UK
Students |
Overseas
Students |
|
BA, BSc, LLB
|
£9,250
|
£20,350 |
| BA/BSc Language year abroad |
£1,385 |
£10,175 |
Please note that fees go up each year.
For full details of undergraduate tuition fees, see our Registry's undergraduate tuition fees page.
Scholarships
For further details and information on external scholarships visit the Scholarships section
Employment
Graduates from the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures develop competencies in intercultural awareness, analysis and communication. Demand for specialists with advanced proficiency in the languages of China, Japan and Korea has significantly increased in recent years, and graduates with these skills are highly sought after by employers.
Recent Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures graduates have been hired by organisations including:
- Accenture
- Amazon
- Bloomberg LP
- Department for Work and Pensions
- European Alliance for Human Rights in North Korea
- European Commission
- Google
- ITN
- Japanese Government
- Korea Trade Centre (KOTRA)
- KPMG
- Mizuho Bank
- Nagahama Board of Education
- Nanjing Museum
- Pinsent Masons LLP
- PwC
- Seoul Metropolitan Government
- Shelterbox
- UNDP
Find out about our Careers Service.
A Student's Perspective
You might not be able to find a department dedicated to your major... However, because SOAS has many courses that are interdisciplinary, you also might be able to find courses of your interests. For example, for SOAS does not have a dedicated philosophy department, I, a philosophy major, looked for courses in other departments that cover philosophical discourses. My experience here of studying Buddhism and Taoism was highly inspiring.
Dong-Kyung Lee, Korea University
