MA Japanese Studies
London, United Kingdom
DURATION
1 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
TUITION FEES
GBP 25,320 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* for overseas student fees | home student fees: GBP 12,220 per year
Key Summary
Introduction
The MA in Japanese Studies at SOAS is the most comprehensive available anywhere in Europe.
You are able to choose modules that cover Japan’s history from the pre-modern era to the present, and range over the social and political sciences as well as humanities. Students who take this programme come from many countries and have a wide variety of academic backgrounds.
Some have already studied, or lived, in Japan and wish to broaden their knowledge or understanding. Others wish to focus their previous training on the region, while still, others will come from Japan or other East Asian countries wishing to study Japan from the perspective of a different culture and academic tradition. Knowledge of the Japanese language is not a requirement of the programme. Language modules, however, are popular options.
SOAS has its own Japan Research Centre and shares the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Culture with the University of East Anglia. Students are welcome to attend the regular seminars held by the centres, where international speakers present their research engaging with diverse aspects of the study in Japan.
Why study Japanese at SOAS
- We are home to the largest concentration of Japanese specialists outside of Japan
- You will not only learn the essential language skills but also an in-depth understanding of the region’s culture covering subjects from literature, history, cinema, and politics
- Your command of a language will set you apart from graduates of other universities
Gallery
Admissions
Curriculum
Students take a total of 180 credits, of which 60 credits are a dissertation, 15 credits are allocated to the core module and the remaining 105 credits are chosen from other taught modules. Students must choose a minimum of 45 credits of modules from List A (modules related to Japan) and a maximum of 60 credits from List B which includes language modules, and PGT central options.
For students opting to take language acquisition modules in more than one language, only one of these can be at an introductory level.
In the first term, students will be asked to choose the module on which they will base their dissertation. The convenor of this module will usually be their dissertation supervisor. The module will usually be chosen from List A modules within the department, but after consultation with the programme convenor, it may be possible to arrange for a supervisor from another department.
All modules are subject to availability.
Core
- Dissertation in Japanese Studies
- Connections and Intersections: Core Aspects of East Asian Studies
Guided Options - List B
- Elementary Spoken Cantonese (PG)
- Chinese 3 (PG)
- Chinese 2 (PG)
- Chinese 4 (PG)
- New Taiwan Cinema and Beyond (PG)
- Culture and Society of Taiwan (PG)
- Chinese for Business (PG)
- Literature, Politics and National Identity in Modern China (PG)
- Ch400: Advanced Chinese (PG)
- Contemporary Chinese Society (PG)
- Japanese 4 (PG)
- Trajectories of Modernity in Korean Literature and Film (PG)
- The Making of Modern Korea
- Japanese 1A (PG)
- Culture and Society in Traditional Korea (PG)
- Fieldwork Methods in Language and Culture (PG)
- Myths, Legends and Folkways of East Asia (PG)
- J400: Advanced Japanese (PG)
- K400: Advanced Korean (PG)
- Korean-English Translation (PG)
Guided Options - List A
- Japanese-English Translation (PG)
- Identity and Social Relations in Japanese (PG)
- Modernity, Nation and Identity in Japanese History (1853-1945) (PG)
- New Visions of Japan in Modern Literature and Popular Culture (PG)
- Japanese Cinema (PG)
Teaching and Learning
All Masters programmes consist of 180 credits, made up of taught modules of 30 or 15 credits, taught over 10 or 20 weeks, and a dissertation of 60 credits. The programme structure shows which modules are compulsory and which are optional.
Program Outcome
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge
- Students will acquire a comprehensive understanding of Japan’s past and present, within the parameters of the modules and disciplines chosen
- Students will acquire an advanced understanding of the theoretical and methodological tools of the relevant disciplines
- Students who choose to take language will improve their knowledge of and ability to use Japanese in their everyday life and, depending on the level achieved, professional career
Learning outcomes: Intellectual (thinking) skills
- Students will learn how to assess data and evidence critically from a variety of sources and how to resolve problems of conflicting sources and conflicting interpretations
- Students will learn the strengths and disciplines of particular disciplinary and theoretical approaches, cultivating their ability to draw on a variety of such approaches
- Students will learn how to design and manage an independent research project, formulate the problem to be addressed, identify the data to be analyzed, and synthesise the findings to present well-supported conclusions
Subject-based practical skills
- Students will learn how to read critically, participate effectively in seminar discussions, and present their work in both oral and written form
- More specific skills will depend on the particular modules taken
Transferrable skills
- Students will learn how to access and evaluate electronic and other data effectively and efficiently
- Students will learn how to solve complex problems, for example concerning economic development, historical causation, literary interpretation, or political decision-making
- Students will learn how to communicate effectively in a variety of settings and formats.
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
Graduates from the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures develop competencies in intercultural awareness, analysis and communication. Demand for specialists with advanced proficiency in the languages of China, Japan and Korea has significantly increased in recent years, and graduates with these skills are highly sought after by employers.
Recent graduates have been hired by organisations including:
- Accenture
- Amazon
- Bloomberg LP
- Department for Work and Pensions
- European Alliance for Human Rights in North Korea
- European Commission
- ITN
- Japanese Government
- Korea Trade Centre (KOTRA)
- KPMG
- Mizuho Bank
- Nagahama Board of Education
- Nanjing Museum
- Pinsent Masons LLP
- PwC
- Seoul Metropolitan Government
- ShelterBox
- UNDP