School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics & Department of Linguistics

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

Home: £9,535
International: £22,870

Entry requirements

AAA-ABB

For joint degrees, the offer is based on the subject with the higher entry requirements.

Contextual: AAB-BBB

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

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Students on the combined degree will be introduced to the cultures and societies of Africa, the Middle East, South Asia and South East Asia, through the study of languages, film, literature and cultural studies. 

This joint degree can be combined with a number of disciplines at SOAS, including Linguistics, History, Anthropology, Development Studies, Music and Politics or International Relations. In the first year, students are equipped with a broader understanding of these regions in order to gain a vital comparative perspective.

Language is crucial to the understanding of culture and therefore all students will be required to choose from a range of languages in their first year of study. We encourage you to further develop your language skills as the degree progresses. You will have the option to spend a year abroad to gain cultural and linguistic fluency in languages including Swahili, Turkish, Hebrew, Persian, Arabic, Hindi, Urdu, Sanskrit, Indonesian and Vietnamese.

You will have the opportunity to explore particular regional interests through language study, selected optional modules and in your course work throughout the degree, culminating in the final year Study Project where you will draw on skills gained over the course of the degree to produce your own original research.

Key critical thinking, project management and study skills are built into the programme to ensure that students graduate with a range of transferable skills ensuring they are prepared for a range of careers.

Why study Languages and Cultures (Middle East, Africa, South and Southeast Asia) Combined Honours at SOAS?

  • SOAS is ranked 1st in London in the Complete University Guide 2021 for Middle Eastern and African Studies, and 6th in the UK.
  • Ranked 8th in the UK in the Complete University Guide 2021 for South Asian Studies.
  • We are ranked 12th in the UK for Modern Languages (QS World University Rankings 2023)
  • Modern Languages and Linguistics at SOAS has been ranked 10th in the UK in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021.

Use our combined courses tool to see a breakdown of course structure

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Teaching is normally provided by lecture or seminar and students are required to attend such classes. Most modules involve a 50-minute lecture as a key component with linked tutorial classes.

Contact hours

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.

In the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics, undergraduate modules take various forms. Modules may be taught through 1 or 2 hours of lectures a week, and some may have an additional 1-2 hours of weekly seminars. Languages classes may be 4-5 hours per week in the first and second year, typically less at higher levels.

Year abroad

For students who choose to take a year abroad, the resulting improvement in all-round language skills will allow students to work at a more advanced range of linguistics competence in their final year work back at SOAS.

The culturally immersive experience of the year abroad equips students with key skills which are invaluable for those wishing to go on to work in the region.

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.

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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 of the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics leave SOAS not only with linguistic and cultural expertise, but also with skills in written and oral communication, analysis and problem solving.

Recent graduates have been hired by:

  • Africa Matters
  • Amnesty International
  • Arab British Chamber of Commerce
  • BBC World Service
  • British High Commission
  • Council for British Research in the Levant
  • Department for International Development
  • Edelman
  • Embassy of Jordan
  • Ernst & Young
  • Foreign & Commonwealth Office
  • Google
  • Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies
  • Middle East Eye
  • Saïd Foundation
  • TalkAbout Speech Therapy
  • The Black Curriculum
  • The Telegraph
  • United Nations Development Programme
  • UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency
  • Wall Street Journal

Find out about our Careers Service.

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