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SOAS University of London

East Asian Studies

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Award Attendance Study Duration Start Domestic fees International fees
BA On-Campus Full-time 3 find out £20350 per year £9250 per year

About East Asian Studies, BA - at SOAS University of London

The BA East Asian Studies combines the study of both East Asian languages and East Asia-related subjects in various disciplines. Compared to the existing single-subject BA Chinese, BA Korean and BA Japanese degrees, there is a greater emphasis on gaining a broader understanding of East Asia as a region, across a wide range of disciplines.

In addition to the disciplinary modules, you will be able to study a Chinese, Japanese or Korean language module each year too. The flexible structure of the degree allows you to study a different language each year or to progress through a sequence of levels in just one language. We can accommodate complete beginners or more experienced learners. Progression through a total of four levels is offered, whereas for those who exceed the highest level, language-based modules in literature and film, as well as a language-based dissertation, are available.

Note that the BA East Asian Studies does not include a year abroad.

See Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures

Why study East Asian Studies at SOAS

  • Ranked 10th in the UK in the 2022 Complete University Guide for East Asian Studies
  • SOAS is home to the largest concentration of East Asian specialists in Europe
  • gain a broad understanding of East Asian culture covering subjects including history, popular culture, literature, society, history, and cinema
  • study either one East Asian language or several different languages as part of the degree
  • flexibly structure your programme using our central options modules to take advantage of the expertise of our other departments

Venue: Russell Square: College Buildings

Start of programme: September

Mode of Attendance: Full-time

Email: eastasia@soas.ac.uk


Entry requirements

Contact SOAS University of London to find course entry requirements.


Why study at SOAS University of London

  • SOAS is in London, which is officially the best student city in the world - and has been for five years in a row (QS World Rankings 2024)
  • There are 5,630 students on campus, from 135+ countries 
  • 2nd in the UK for international faculty (QS World Rankings 2024)
  • Top 30 in the UK (The Times Good University Guide 2024)
  • Top 40 in the UK for research quality Complete University Guide 2024)
  • 6th in the UK for employment outcomes (QS World Rankings 2023)
  • Top 100 in the world for addressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals for Peace, Justice, Poverty and Gender Equality (Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, 2023)
  • One of 35 National Research Libraries in the UK. We have over 1.5 million volumes, periodicals and audio-visual materials in 400 languages, focusing on Asia, Africa and the Middle East
  • 87% of research ranked 'world-leading or internationally excellent' (Research Excellence Framework 2021)