MA South East and Pacific Asian Studies

The MA South East and Pacific Asian Studies programme provides exceptional opportunities for advanced study of one of the world’s most diverse and important regions, and students gain competency in language skills, intercultural awareness and understanding.

Students on this programme come from a wide range of backgrounds. Some join after having acquired an interest in South East Asia during their undergraduate career, or as a result of travelling in the region.

This South East and Pacific Asian Studies MA programme also attracts mature students: some take the MA degree as a partial preparation for employment in the region; others, having lived in South East and Pacific Asia for a number of years, seek to place their experience and impressions into a more structured, analytical framework.

Knowledge of a South East or Pacific Asian language is not a pre-requisite for admission to this programme. However, all students on this programme are required to take a South East or Pacific Asian language as one their modules.

Why study South East and Pacific Asian Studies at SOAS?

• SOAS is ranked 1st in London and 9th in the UK in the Complete University Guide 2023 for Asian Studies.
• Top 10th in the UK in the Complete University Guide 2023 for African and Middle Eastern Studies
• Modern Languages and Linguistics at SOAS has been ranked 10th in the UK in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021
• 4th for research environment - with 100% of our research ranked as 'internationally excellent' and 85% as 'world-leading' - and 8th for research outputs in the REF 2021
• SOAS is a specialist in the studies of Africa, the Middle East, South Asia and South East Asia
• Access comprehensive cross-regional expertise and gain an understanding of the interconnectedness of these regions in an increasingly globalised world
• You will be eligible to apply for internships, available to students starting 2023/24

Graduates of the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics leave SOAS not only with linguistic and cultural expertise, but also with skills in written and oral communication, analysis and problem solving.

Recent graduates have been hired by:

• Africa Matters
• Amnesty International
• Arab British Chamber of Commerce
• BBC World Service
• British High Commission
• Council for British Research in the Levant
• Department for International Development
• Edelman
• Embassy of Jordan
• Ernst & Young
• Foreign & Commonwealth Office
• Google
• Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies
• Middle East Eye
• Saïd Foundation
• TalkAbout Speech Therapy
• The Black Curriculum
• The Telegraph
• United Nations Development Programme
• UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency
• Wall Street Journal

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