Director of the SOAS-Alphawood Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art & Senior Lecturer in Arts Education
SOAS-Alphawood Asian Art Programme
Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art (online)
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Key information
Key information
- Start of programme
- September, January or May
- Attendance mode
- Full-time or part-time, online
- Location
- Online Learning
- Fees
-
£10,320
- Entry requirements
-
A good undergraduate degree in any subject or equivalent experience. Prior knowledge of Asian art history or archaeology is not a requirement.
Course overview
Offered by the SOAS-Alphawood Asian Art Programme, the Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art (online) brings our esteemed programme to you, wherever you are in the world, for flexible, full-time or part-time study via an entirely online learning programme.
We lead you on a journey of exploration supported by lectures and contributions from a wide range of leading scholars, curators, and art market professionals. We have a formal association with the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum, which allows us to offer exceptional access to the collections and curatorial expertise of both institutions.
Our online pathway offers you flexibility in how and where you study, while retaining our object-based approach. Your online learning will be supported by a range of bespoke, professionally produced videos, shot in situ at the museums we work with. You are supported by online platforms and technologies that allow you to engage deeply with the objects you study. You can choose to either complete your full programme online, or to augment your online experience with an intensive two-week supporting course offering museum-based study in London (Asian Art in the Museum).
Our programme will appeal to all those with a serious interest in Asian art, regardless of your personal, professional or academic background. It is also a proven pathway to further postgraduate study in Asian art history, and to careers in museums, the commercial art world and academia.
Application procedure
Please apply by completing our online application form. You must also submit:
- Your undergraduate degree transcript or certificate
- Evidence of proficiency in English language (where applicable)
- Copy of the photo page of your passport
Our prospectus
For full details regarding our programme, entry criteria and application procedure, please view our prospectus:
SOAS-Alphawood Asian Art Programme Prospectus 2026/27
PDF document, 35.37MB
Contact us
- Email: asianart@soas.ac.uk
- Phone: +44 (0)20 7898 4445
- Dr Malcolm McNeill, Programme Director (mm133@soas.ac.uk)
- Mr Patrick Monger, Programme Manager (pm50@soas.ac.uk)
Structure
The SOAS-Alphawood Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art requires 120 credit points and can be completed via a flexible combination of modules. You can begin the programme in September, January or May.
Our online modules are designed to be accessible from anywhere in the world, and with those who will have other professional and/or personal commitments in mind (although we do recommend allocating 30 hours of study time per week).
Full-time students must complete the programme within one year, with consecutive teaching sessions. Part-time students must complete the programme within three years.
Our module options
| Compulsory Module | ||
|---|---|---|
| Analysing and Exploring the Arts | Runs alongside every teaching session | 15 Credit Points |
| Guided Options A (select 2 or 3) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Asia's Art Histories | 28 Sep - 16 Dec 2026 (annually) | 30 Credit Points |
| Curating Asian Art | 18 Jan - 07 Apr 2027 (annually) | 30 Credit Points |
| Arts of Southeast Asia (online) | 03 May - 21 Jul 2027 (biennially) | 30 Credit Points |
| Arts of the Buddhist World (online) | May - Jul 2028 (biennially) | 30 Credit Points |
| Guided Options B (select 1 or 3) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Independent Study Project in Asian Art History | Runs September to January and May to August | 15 Credit Points |
| Asian Art: Theories, Practices and Objects (online) | Runs September to December | 15 Credit Points |
| Asian Art in the Museum | Runs 26 July – 06 August 2027 (in London) | 15 Credit Points |
Our study pathway options
Full time (required for international students): Full-time students are required to complete this programme in consecutive periods of study within one year
Part time: Part-time students are required to complete this programme within three years
Teaching and learning
Our online 30-credit modules offer you an immersive foundation at postgraduate level in a richly rewarding field of study, with a unique range of digital resources and exceptional pedagogical support over 10-weeks.
Our online modules are designed to be accessible from anywhere in the world, and with those who will have other professional and/or personal commitments in mind (although we do recommend allocating 30 hours of study time per week).
Online modules consist of a variety of different modes of learning, including:
- Asynchronous, online lectures given by SOAS academic staff, leading national and international scholars, museum curators, and art market professionals
- Exclusive contributions filmed in the exhibitions, galleries, and reserve collections of the British Museum and Victoria & Albert Museum
- Recommended weekly readings
- Live, weekly seminar discussions conducted via Zoom
- Recommended weekly readings
- Online discussion fora facilitated by module convenors
- Weekly one-to-one tutorials with your module convenors
Scholarships
| Title | Deadline date |
|---|---|
| Alphawood Online Scholarships: SOAS-Alphawood Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art |
Fees and funding
Fees
| Qualification | 2026/27 |
|---|---|
| Postgraduate Diploma (online) | £10,320 |
| Postgraduate Diploma (online) with Asian Art in the Museum | £12,160 |
Deposits and payment schedules
Successful applicants must secure their place on the programme by making a £500 deposit payment, which will be credited towards your total tuition fee. The remaining fee balance must be paid at least 5 weeks prior to your start date.
Students studying part-time can opt to pay in three installments (60 credit blocks). Installments paid in future academic years will be subject to any annual increase in tuition fees.
Annual fee increases
Tuition fees are subject to annual increases (applied from each September). Part-time students paying in installments are protected from any annual increase exceeding 5%.
Alumni and family discount
The alumni and family discount provides a 25% reduction in tuition fees to all alumni who have an undergraduate degree in any subject from SOAS, but no higher qualification. The same discount is available to any applicant whose family member (defined as grandparent, parent, sibling, child or spouse) is a SOAS graduate or staff member.
