Overview and entry requirements

The MA Korean Studies is designed either to prepare the student for advanced graduate work in a wide range of subjects related to Korea, or as an end/qualification in itself. The programme explores the history, politics, art, music and literature of Korea, as well as providing opportunities to study the languages of the region.

The MA in Korean Studies consists of four components. Students choose one major course and two minor courses from the lists. Students who plan to go on to further research can take a higher-level Korean language course as a minor.

Students take three taught courses and must also complete a 10,000-word dissertation on an approved topic. 

See Japan and Korea Department

Why study Intensive Language Korean at SOAS

• SOAS is ranked 1st in London in the Complete University Guide 2021 for Middle Eastern and African Studies, and 6th in the UK
• ranked 8th in the UK in the Complete University Guide 2021 for South Asian Studies
• SOAS is specialist in the studies of Africa, the Middle East, South Asia and South East Asia
• access SOAS’s comprehensive cross-regional expertise and gain an understanding of the interconnectedness of these regions in an increasingly globalised world.

Venue: Russell Square: College Buildings

Start of programme: September intake only

Mode of Attendance: Full-time or Part-time

Structure

Students take a total of 180 credits, of which 60 credits are a dissertation, 15 credits are allocated to the core module and the remaining 105 credits are chosen from other taught modules. Students must choose a minimum of 45 credits of modules from List A (modules related to Korea) and a maximum of 60 credits from List B and/or List C (total of 30 credits), which includes language modules, modules related to other regions of East Asia and modules on Korea offered by other departments. For students opting to take language acquisition modules in more than one language, only one of these can be at an introductory level.

In the first term students will be asked to choose the module on which they will base their dissertation. The convenor of this module will usually be their dissertation supervisor. The module will usually be chosen from List A modules within the department, but after consultation with the programme convenor it may be possible to arrange for a supervisor from another department.

All modules are subject to availability.

Programme

Compulsory Dissertation

Core Module

List A: Guided Options (Korea)

Choose modules to minimum value of 45 credits from List A.

List B: Guided Options (East Asia)

Choose modules to maximum value of 30 to 60 credits from List B.

Language

List C: Guided Options

Choose modules to maximum value of 0 to 30 credits from List C or from the central options list.

Programme Specification

• MA Korean Studies - Programme Specification (pdf; 219kb)

Important notice

Teaching & Learning

All Masters programmes consist of 180 credits, made up of taught modules of 30 or 15 credits, taught over 10 or 20 weeks, and a dissertation of 60 credits. The programme structure shows which modules are compulsory and which optional.

Contact hours

As a rough guide, 1 credit equals approximately 10 hours of work. Most of this will be independent study, including reading and research, preparing coursework, revising for examinations and so on. 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. At SOAS, most postgraduate modules have a one hour lecture and a one hour seminar every week, but this does vary.

More information is on the page for each module

Learning outcomes

Knowledge

• Students will acquire a comprehensive understanding of Korea’s past and present, within the parameters of the modules chosen.
• Students will acquire an advanced understanding of the theoretical and methodological tools of the relevant disciplines.
• Students who choose to take language will improve their knowledge of and ability to use Korean in their everyday life and, depending on the level achieved, professional career.

Intellectual (thinking) skills

• Students will learn how to assess data and evidence critically from a variety of sources and how to resolve problems of conflicting sources and conflicting interpretations.
• Students will learn the strengths and disciplines of particular disciplinary and theoretical approaches, cultivating their ability to draw on a variety of such approaches.
• Students will learn how to design and manage an independent research project, formulating the problem to be addressed, identifying the data to be analyzed, and synthesizing the findings to present well-supported conclusions.

Subject-based practical skills

• Students will learn how to read critically, to participate effectively in seminar discussions, and to present their work in both oral and written form.
• More specific skills will depend on the particular modules taken.

In the two year intensive language pathway:

• Students will acquire/develop skills in Korean language to Effective Operational Proficiency level
• Students will be able to demonstrate awareness of the conceptual and communicative underpinnings of Korean and through this interlinguistic and intercultural understanding.
• Students will learn to communicate in written and spoken medium in contemporary Korean.
• Students will be able to engage with people from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds, understand the role of different frames of reference.

Transferable skills

• Students will learn how to access and evaluate electronic and other data effectively and efficiently.
• Students will learn how to solve complex problems, for example concerning economic development, historical causation, literary interpretation, or political decision-making.
• Students will learn how to communicate effectively in a variety of settings and formats

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 2021/22 entrants, per academic year (Band 3 tuition fee)

Fees go up each year, therefore, your tuition fee in your second and subsequent years of study will be higher.

Our continuing students, on the same degree programme, are protected from annual increases higher than 5%.

Full details of postgraduate tuition fees can be found on the postgraduate 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

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