SOAS University of London

MA Japanese Studies and Intensive Language

London, United Kingdom

DURATION

2 up to 4 Years

LANGUAGES

English

PACE

Full time, Part 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

About: The MA Japanese Studies and Intensive Language program focuses on advanced language skills and cultural understanding of Japan. Students engage with Japanese society through various disciplines, including history, literature, and politics.

Career Outcomes: Graduates can pursue careers in fields such as education, translation, international relations, and cultural exchange. Further opportunities exist in tourism, diplomacy, and business sectors that require Japanese language expertise and cultural knowledge.

Introduction

The MA in Japanese Studies and Intensive Language is a 2-year full-time (or four-year part-time) programme.

This MA is designed to provide intensive language training at different proficiency levels - depending on entry level - within a Masters programme in Japanese Studies

The MA Japanese Studies and Intensive Language programme allows students to:

Cultivate or further develop a basic expertise in particular aspects of Japanese Studies
Choose modules that meet their own needs, with respect to their interest in Japan and future career plans
Develop their abilities to synthesize information, think critically, manage a complex research project and present results in verbal and written form
achieve a high level of language proficiency
Master transferable language and analytical skills in order to prepare for a variety of potential future professional or research careers

Why study Japanese and Intensive Language at SOAS?

SOAS is ranked 12th in the UK for Modern Languages (QS World University Rankings 2023)
We are ranked 6th in the UK for employability (QS World University Rankings 2023)
We are home to the largest concentration of Japanese specialists outside of Japan
You will not only learn 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

Duration

Two years (full-time), four-year (part-time)

Gallery

Admissions

Program Outcome

The MA Japanese Studies and Intensive Language programme allows students to develop in four key areas:

Knowledge

Students will acquire a comprehensive understanding of Japan’s past and present, within the parameters of the modules and disciplines chosen, and of her connections to the wider East Asian Region through the core module
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 careers

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

Transferable 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

Through your Study of Language Study

You will acquire/develop skills in both written and spoken language
Develop a procedural knowledge of rules governing both oral and written linguistic usages and of multiple norms regulating intercultural communication, analytical skills (problem-solving, formal operations), critical skills and creativity
Develop the ability to engage with people or texts from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds, understanding the role of different linguistic or cultural frames of reference.