Program Overview

Program Details

MA History of Art and Archaeology of East Asia

The MA History of Art and Archaeology of East Asia programme is an unrivalled opportunity to study the arts of China, Korea, and Japan. You will consider a wide range of East Asian arts and material culture, from Chinese archaeology to Japanese prints, Korean installation works to Buddhist monuments, exploring their specificity and the links between them, in historical and contemporary periods.

Key Information

• Start date: September
• Duration: 1 year
• Attendance mode: Full-time or part-time
• Location: On Campus
• Fees:
  • Home: £12,220
  • International: £25,320
• Course code: PGTF0035

Entry Requirements

We will consider all applications with 2:2 (or international equivalent) or higher. In addition to degree classification, we take into account other elements of the application, such as the supporting statement. References are optional, but can help build a stronger application if you fall below the 2:2 requirement or have non-traditional qualifications.

International Entry Requirements

• Rwanda: Qualifications (Bachelor equivalency): Bachelor (4-year)
  • Equivalent to 2:ii: Lower Second Class Honours or 65-69% or 14/20
• Saudi Arabia: Qualifications (Bachelor equivalency): Bachelor degree
  • Equivalent to 2:ii: GPA of 3.0/4.0 or 3.5/5.0 or overall 70%
• Singapore: Qualifications (Bachelor equivalency): Bachelor degree
  • Equivalent to 2:ii: CAP 3.5/5.0 or 3.0/4.0
• South Africa: Qualifications (Bachelor equivalency): Bachelor (4-year)
  • Equivalent to 2:ii: 60%
• South Korea: Qualifications (Bachelor equivalency): Bachelor degree
  • Equivalent to 2:ii: GPA 2.7/4.0 or 3.0/4.3 or 3.3/4.5
• Spain: Qualifications (Bachelor equivalency): Título de Grado / Título de Licenciado / Título de Ingeniero / Titulo de Arquitecto
  • Equivalent to 2:ii: 6.5/10 or GPA 1.75/4.0

Course Overview

The MA History of Art and Archaeology of East Asia programme is an unrivalled opportunity to study the arts of China, Korea, and Japan. You will consider a wide range of East Asian arts and material culture, from Chinese archaeology to Japanese prints, Korean installation works to Buddhist monuments, exploring their specificity and the links between them, in historical and contemporary periods.

Structure

• Dissertation in History of Art and Archaeology of East Asia (60 credits)
• Art Theory and Practice in East Asia (15 credits)
• Guided options List B
  • Art and Authority in Japan (15 credits)
  • Japanese Art and Visual Culture (15 credits)
  • Asia and Africa On Display (15 credits)
  • Arts of the Korean Dynasties (15 credits)
  • Tibetan Buddhist Monuments in Context (15 credits)
  • Southeast Asia's Art Histories (15 credits)
  • Buddhist Art in a Cosmopolitan Environment: Gandharan Art and its Heritage (15 credits)
  • Heritage in Asia: Intangible Cultural Heritage in Theory and Practice (15 credits)
• Guided options List A
  • Ceramics in Chinese Culture: 10th - 18th Centuries (15 credits)
  • Themes in the Visual Arts of Dynastic China (before 1800) (15 credits)
  • Art and Visual Culture of Modern and Contemporary China (15 credits)
  • Chinese Porcelain: Trade, Transfer and Reception (15 credits)
  • China and the Silk Road: Art and Archaeology (15 credits)

Teaching and Learning

Teaching consists of a combination of lectures and seminars. Classes are normally between two and three hours per week for each course. Teaching methods include lectures with discussion, seminars (at which students present papers) and museum visits. Students at all levels are expected to take an active part in class presentations. A particularly important element is the training of the student's visual skills.

Employment

Students in the School of Arts develop a critical and theoretically informed approach to global arts and culture. In addition to an intercultural awareness and practical expertise, graduates gain a wide portfolio of transferable skills which are especially sought after in the creative and cultural industries.

Recent graduates have been hired by:

• Christie's
• Christine Park Gallery
• Crisis
• Design Museum
• Hong Kong Museum Of Art
• India Foundation For The Arts
• Japanese Gallery
• Museum of East Asian Art
• Music in Detention
• National Gallery
• Pan Arts
• People Projects Culture & Change
• Roundhouse Trust
• Somerset House Trust
• Songlines Magazine
• Sotheby's
• South Asian Art UK
• Stratford Circus Arts Centre
• Taiwan Embassy
• The Alliance for Global Education
• The British Embassy
• The National Museum Of Korea
• The Royal Collection
• Victoria and Albert Museum

Research

• Tibetan Buddhist Monastery Collections Today
  • Documenting the collections of Chemrey Monastery Museum in Ladakh.
• The "Summer Palace" Diaspora
  • Tracing the trajectories of Yuanmingyuan objects from China to Britain and France.

Related Content

• SOAS-Alphawood Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art
  • Object-based study of the arts of Asia, run in association with the British Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum. Available in-person and online.
• Specialist art short courses
  • In-person and online short courses specialising in the arts of Asia.
• Online Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art
  • Offered by the SOAS-Alphawood Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art, in association with the British Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum. Join us from anywhere in the world for a fully-online pathway of study.