Japan and Korea section & School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics

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Start date
Duration
4 years
Start of programme
September 2025
Attendance mode
Full-time
Location
On Campus
Fees

Home: £9,535
International: £22,870

Course code
T210
Entry requirements

ABB

Contextual: BBB

 

See undergraduate entry requirements and English language requirements for international and alternative entry requirements.

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The BA Japanese programme provides you with the highest level of competence in all aspects of the written and spoken language, as well as an introduction to both classical and modern Japanese culture. 

From the study of contemporary Japanese society, film and popular culture to pre-modern literature and history, the BA Japanese is suitable for both absolute beginners as well as those with some prior knowledge of the Japanese language. If you already have prior knowledge of Japanese, you must sit a placement test in welcome week which will determine your entry level. Further information about these placement tests will be sent out to successful applicants before the start of the academic year.  

Students will spend the third year of study in Japan furthering their language proficiency and understanding of Japanese society and culture.  

Why study Japanese at SOAS?

  • SOAS is ranked 12th in the UK for Modern Languages (QS World University Rankings 2023)

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Students take 120 credits per year composed of core, compulsory and guided modules. 

  • Year 1: students will learn Japanese language intensely and take history/culture modules and 15 credits of academic writing. 
  • Year 2: students will take modules of Japanese language and history/culture. 
  • Year 3: students will spend the year abroad at one of the Japanese universities with which we have exchange partnership agreements. Please note that not all Japanese universities listed below are available every year and that some of them have entry requirements. 
  • Year 4: students will continue their study of Japanese language, write an Independent Study Project and study further modules on history/culture. 

Important notice 

The information on the website reflects the intended programme structure against the given academic session. The modules are indicative options of the content students can expect and are/have been previously taught as part of these programmes. 

However, this information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability is subject to change. 

Year 1 - J200 entry pathway - Core

Year 1 - J100 entry pathway - Core

J100 entry take 60 credits of language

Year 1 - J100 entry pathway - Compulsory

Year 1 - J200 entry pathway - Compulsory

Year 1 - J100 entry pathway - Guided options List A

Take 30 credits from J100 List A

Year 1 - J200 entry pathway - Guided options List A

Take three modules from J200 List A

Year 2 - Core

If J200 was completed in Y1, please select Japanese 4.

Year 2 - Compulsory

Year 2 - Guided options Language

Available to all students and subject to student's language level, placement test and/or convenors' approval

Year 2 - Guided options - List B

Take a minimum of 2 modules and a maximum of 4 modules from List B

Year 4 - Compulsory

Year 4 - Guided Option - List D

15-60 credits from List D

Year 4 - Guided option - List C

Choose at least 15 credits from List C

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Most modules are taught through a combination of lectures and tutorial delivered across the week. Lectures are led by an academic while tutorials are sessions in which students are expected to present reports and take a lead in discussions.

Depending on the size of the class, some intermediate and advanced level modules are less strictly divided between a formal lecture and a tutorial discussion, and instead, the topic is briefly introduced by the lecturer, followed by a seminar discussion. Advanced level modules, which are usually taught in one two-hour bloc, often take this format.

The assessment procedures involve coursework assignments, tests and unseen examinations. They provide students with opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the content and systems taught in lectures, tutorials and the literature.

Contact hours

All full-time undergraduate programmes consist of 120 credits per year, in modules of 60, 30 or 15 credits. They are taught over 10 or 20 weeks. The programme structure shows which modules are taught over one term or the full year. It also shows which modules are compulsory and which are optional.

As a rough guide, 1 credit equals approximately 10 hours of work. Most of this will be independent study. It will also include class time, which may include lectures, seminars and other classes. Some subjects, such as learning a language, have more class time than others.

Year abroad

All students spend their third year in Japan at one of the Japanese universities listed below, following successful completion of their second year. Students will study a combination of language and non-language modules, and must pass 75% of them in order to proceed to Year 4.  Please note that not all universities will have places available every year, and that each university has a limited number of places. Students indicate preferences, but final allocation will be determined by the department.

Tokyo

Nagoya

Kyoto

Osaka

Kobe

Fukuoka

Hokkaido

SOAS Library

SOAS Library is one of the world's most important academic libraries for the study of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, attracting scholars from all over the world. The Library houses over 1.2 million volumes, together with significant archival holdings, special collections and a growing network of electronic resources.

Pre-entry reading

  • B. Frellesvig, A History of the Japanese Language (Cambridge University Press, 2011)
  • K. Friday, Japan Emerging: Premodern History to 1850 (Westview Press, 2012)
  • C. Gerteis and T.S. George, Japan Since 1945: From Postwar to Post-bubble (Bloomsbury, 2013)
  • C. Goto-Jones, Modern Japan: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2009)
  • J. Hendry, Understanding Japanese Society (Routledge, 2012)
  • M.B. Jansen, The Making of Modern Japan (The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2000)
  • H. Shirane, T. Suzuki, and D. Lurie (eds.), The Cambridge History of Japanese Literature (Cambridge University Press, 2015)
  • P. Varley, Japanese Culture (University of Hawai’i Press, 2000)

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Fees for 2025/26 entrants per academic year

ProgrammeFull-time
Home studentsOverseas students
BA, BSc, LLB£9,535£22,870
BA/BSc Language year abroad£1,385£11,430

See undergraduate fees for further details.

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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
  • Google
  • 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

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