BA South East Asian Studies (Combined Honours) is a three-year programme that strikes an exciting balance between the study of a South East Asian language (Burmese, Indonesian, Khmer, Thai or Vietnamese), the cultures of the region and a second subject in another discipline. 

Competence in a South East Asian language is developed as a tool for exploring the culture for which a spoken language is a vehicle. This degree is ideal for students who do not seek the intensive engagement with language demanded by the four-year degrees, but who desire a working knowledge of the language to enhance their engagement with the diversity of South East Asian culture.

Programme Code: See 'May be Combined with ..'

Venue: Russell Square: College Buildings

Start of programme: September

Mode of Attendance: Full-time

May be combined with:

• Development Studies, TLJ9 BA/DVSSEA
• Economics, TLJC BA/ECSEA
• History, VTCJ BA/HSEA
• History of Art/Archaeology, VTJ3 BA/HAASEAS
• International Management, TN3C BA/SEASIM
• International Relations, LTF4 BA/IRSEAS
• Law, TMJC BA/LWSEA
• Linguistics, TQJD BA/LGSEA
• Music, WTHH BA/MSSEA
• Politics, TLH2 BA/POLSEA
• Social Anthropology, TLHP BA/SASEA
• Study of Religions, VTPJ BA/SEASR

Key Information Set data

Click on a combined programme to load KIS data

Programme Specification

• BA South East Asian Studies and... Programme Specifications (pdf; 172kb)

Important notice

Year abroad

There is no year abroad requirement on this programme.  If you are interested in taking a year abroad in South East Asia as part of your degree, then please look at the named language degrees and the BA South East Asian Studies (including year abroad).

Teaching & Learning

Contact Hours

All full-time undergraduate programmes consist of 120 credits per year, taught in modules of 30 credits (taught over 20 weeks) or 15 credits (taught over 10 weeks). The programme structure shows which modules are compulsory and which 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.

In the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics, undergraduate modules take various forms. Modules may be taught through 1 or 2 hours of lectures a week, and some may have an additional 1-2 hours of weekly seminars. Languages classes may be 4-5 hours per week in the first and second year, typically less at higher levels.

More information is on the page for each module.

Module Information

Introductory and intermediate modules in a South East Asian language use a wide variety of learning experiences and techniques. Most other modules are taught by formal lecture and with related tutorials. Assessment is by a combination of written examination and coursework.

Special Features

The School's teaching is backed up by the South East Asia collection within the SOAS library, one of the world's major collections of information in the field of South East Asian studies. The South East Asia collection now contains over 6500 books and pamphlets and 550 periodical titles as well as substantial collections of microfilms and manuscripts.

Pre Entry Reading

Suggestions for preliminary reading

• Baker, C. and Pasuk Phongpaichit. 2009.  A history of Thailand. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Cornwel-Smith, P. 2005. Very Thai. Bangkok: River Books.
• Hellwig, T. and Tagliacozzo, E. (eds). 2009. The Indonesia reader: history, culture, politics. Durham: Duke University Press.
• Mulder, N. 2000. Inside Thai society: religion, everyday life, change. Chiangmai: Silkworm Books.
• Owen, N. (ed.). 2005. The emergence of modern Southeast Asia. Honolulu: University of Hawaii.
• Ricklefs, M.C., Lockhart, B. Lau, A. Reyes, P. and Maitrii Aung-Thwin. 2010. A new history of South East Asia. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Robson, S.O. 2004. Welcome to Indonesian, a beginner's survey of the language. Boston: Tuttle.
• Taylor, J.G. 2003. Indonesia: peoples and histories. New Haven:Yale University Press.
• Vickers, A. 2005. A history of modern Indonesia. New York:Cambridge University Press.

As a graduate who specialised in the South East Asian region, you will have gained competency in language skills and intercultural awareness and understanding. Familiarity with the region will have been developed through a combination of the study of language, literature, history, cinema, politics, economics or law. 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.

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

Atkins Heritage
Burmese Refugee Project
Dept for Environment, Food and Rural affairs
Evergreen Energy
Foreign & Commonwealth Office
JP Morgan
Karenni Student Development Programme
LCC Children's Services

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Netherlands
Pepperdine University
Semporna Islands Project
Suzhou Education Bureau
Medical Defence Union
Xoom Corporation
Climatechange.org
Child in Need Institute

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

Senior Heritage Consultant
Project Manager
Policy Advisor
Consul
Lecturer
Country Director
Company Director
Diplomat

Professor of History
Writer
English Language Assistant
Learning and Development Officer
SVP Business Development
Consultant
International Marketing Executive
Support Worker

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