Overview and entry requirements
The BA Korean combined honours degree provides students with the highest level of competence in all aspects of the written and spoken language, as well as an introduction to both classical and modern Korean culture - from the study of pre-modern Korean literature and history, to contemporary Korean cinema and TV.
This Korean degree programme is suitable for both absolute beginners as well as those with some knowledge of the Korean language. Students will spend the third year of study in Korea furthering language proficiency and understanding of the local business practices and culture. Additionally, the nature of the Combined Honours Degree will allow you to create a specialist niche for yourself by studying another subject. All students will spend year three in South Korea at Korea University or Sogang University.
See Japan and Korea Department
Combine Korean with other subjects
You may combine Korean with other subjects such as Development Studies, Economics, History, History of Art and Archaeology, International Relations, Law, Linguistics, Music, Politics, Social Anthropology, World Philosophies.
Why study Korean Combined Honours at SOAS
- UK Top 10 in the 2021 QS World University Rankings for Modern Languages
- SOAS is home to the largest concentration of Korean specialists in Europe
- gain essential language skills but also have an opportunity to study modules on culture, history, literature, cinema, politics.
- spend your third year in Korea furthering language and cultural proficiency
Explore
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, TL49 BA/KODVS
- Economics, LTCL BA/KOEC
- History, TVL1 BA/KOH
- History of Art & Archaeology, VT34 BA/HAAK
- International Relations, LT24 BA/IRK
- Law, MTDL BA/LWKO
- Linguistics, QTCJ BA/KOLG
- Music, TWLJ BA/MSKO
- Politics, LTFL BA/POLKO
- Social Anthropology, LTPL BA/SAKO
- World Philosophies, T431 BA/KOWP
Key Information Set data
Click on a combined programme to load KIS data
Structure
Students take 120 credits per year totaling 480 credits during their time at SOAS. The credits taken at SOAS are normally split 60/60 per academic year.
- Year 1: students normally take 60 credits of language and 60 credits from their second subject.
- Year 2: student continue with language learning and choose modules on culture, history, literature within the Korean syllabus to the value of 60 credits. The remaining 60 credits will be taken from the second subject.
- Year 3: students will spend this year abroad at Korea Univeristy of Sogang University in Seoul, where the focus is on further language training.
- Year 4: student continue with higher level language learning and choose modules on culture, history, literature within the Korean syllabus to the value of 60 credits. The remaining 60 credits will be taken from the second subject.
Programme
Year 1
Core Module
This module must be passed in order to progress to the following year of study
Second Subject
Students take 60 credits 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
Second Subject
Students take 60 credits from the syllabus of the second subject
Year 3
*Year 3 (from 2021) Year Abroad: For more information on the year abroad in Korea, please see the Teaching & Learning tab.
Year 4
Compulsory Module
Students must take the module below
AND
Guided Option
Choose modules from List A/List B/Central Options List to the value of 30 credits.
AND
Second Subject
Students take 60 credits from the syllabus of the second subject.
Year 4 - List A Guided Option Modules
FHEQ Level 6
Year 4 - List B Language Modules
FHEQ Level 5/6
Programme Specification
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
As a two-subject student of Korean you will attend one of our partner institutions in Korea in Year 3 of your programme for the academic year. You will be required to enrol in the Korean Regular Course for three terms, sit and pass the local examinations at the Korean partner university. Students will also be required to complete a particular level by the end of the 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
Application Deadline: 2020-04-30 15:00
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
The best thing about my time here is that there has been a huge improvement in my language skills and I have become more aware of people from various backgrounds.
Alice Yuen
