Course overview

Offered as part of the SOAS-Alphawood Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art programme, the Online Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art brings our esteemed programme to you, wherever you are in the world, for flexible, full-time study via an entirely online/distance 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.

For more information please download our online prospectus.

Minimum entry requirements

Candidates are expected to hold a good undergraduate degree in any subject or equivalent experience. Prior knowledge of Asian art history or archaeology is not a requirement, though candidates are expected to have an interest in the area.

Language requirements

All international applicants where English is not their first language must be able to show that their English is of a high enough standard to successfully engage with and complete the course.

Find out more about SOAS' English language requirements including details regarding exemptions and alternative forms of evidence.

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

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)

Graduate Diploma Programs in SOAS University of London

Online Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art

Online Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art