StudyQA — Master: Buddhist Studies — School of Oriental and African Studies

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The MA Buddhist Studies suits students with different academic backgrounds and prospective personal objectives, from those interested in broadening their knowledge of Buddhism as a whole or of specific Buddhist traditions to those intending to embark on language-based research or fieldwork among Buddhist communities.

It typically suits:

students planning to pursue further research in Buddhist Studies, which may involve at a subsequent stage the acquisition of a doctoral degree and a career in higher education.
students willing to pursue a career or professional activity, for which advanced knowledge of Buddhism as a global cultural force is essential.
students who wish to pursue the academic study of religions as a complement to their personal experience and commitments.
students from traditionally Buddhist countries, willing to broaden their knowledge of Buddhism as a global religion, and to be introduced to an academic approach that is characterised both by its critical distance and by its empathy.

The structure of MA Buddhist Studies provides a unique study pathway, characterised both by its coherence and by its flexibility. The core course, Critical Concepts in Buddhist Studies (0.5 Unit), co-taught by four staff whose expertise cover most of Buddhist Asia, provides students with a broad and stimulating journey into key notions and methods in the study of Buddhism. Students will moreover have to submit a Dissertation in Buddhist Studies of 10,000 words, on a topic chosen from the course chosen as major. The remaining 2.5 Units may be chosen in the large pool of courses on Buddhist topics and languages, thus allowing each student to build up a specialized knowledge of one or more areas of Buddhist Asia. Students are allowed to take courses taught outside the department of the Study of Religions up to one unit, which may or may not include a language.

For more informations, please contact Antonello Palumbo (ap47@soas.ac.uk) or Vincent Tournier (vt6@soas.ac.uk)

Core Courses

Critical Concepts in Buddhist Studies - 0.5 ( Unit)
Dissertation in Buddhist Studies - 15PSRC990 (1 Unit) - Full Year

Units available as Major

Buddhism in Tibet - 15PSRH008 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
Buddhist Meditation in India and Tibet - 15PSRC172 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Chinese Religious Texts: A Reading Seminar - 15PSRH038 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1 - Not Running 2014/2015
Chinese Buddhism in the Pre-Modern Period - 15PSRC160 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2014/2015
East Asian Buddhist Thought - 15PSRH018 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
East Asian traditions of Meditation: From Taoism to Zen - 15PSRH045 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
Features of Buddhist Monasticism - 15PSRH014 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2 - Not Running 2014/2015
History and Doctrines of Indian Buddhism - 15PSRC059 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Oriental religions in European academia and imagination, 1815-1945 - 15PSRC168 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Religious Practice in Japan: Texts, Rituals and Believers - 15PSRC071 (1 Unit) - Full Year
The Buddhist Conquest of Central Asia - 15PSRH009 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2 - Not Running 2014/2015

Other courses available within the Study of Religions Department

Jainism: History, Doctrine and the Contemporary World - 15PSRC024 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Pali: Intermediate Level - 15PSRC053 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2014/2015
The Great Tradition of Taoism - 15PSRH036 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1 - Not Running 2014/2015
The Origins and Development of Yoga in Ancient India - 15PSRC173 (1 Unit) - Full Year

Relevant language courses available in other Departments

Advanced Japanese: Contemporary Topics (Postgraduate) - 15PJKC012 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Basic Japanese 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PJKC008 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Basic Japanese 2 (Postgraduate) - 15PJKC009 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Burmese Language 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PSEC039 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Burmese Language 2 (Postgraduate) - 15PSEC045 (1 Unit Unit) - Not Running 2014/15
Elementary Korean (Postgraduate) - 15PJKC015 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Intermediate Korean (Postgraduate) - 15PJKC013 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Intensive Elementary Tibetan (Postgraduate) - 15PCHC018 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Intermediate Japanese 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PJKC010 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Intermediate Japanese 2 (Postgraduate) - 15PJKC011 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Korean Advanced (Masters) - 15PEAC018 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Nepali Language 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PSAC298 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Nepali Language 2 (Postgraduate) - 15PSAC299 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Prakrit Language 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PSAC309 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2014/2015
Readings in Pre-Modern Japanese Literature (Masters) - 15PJKC005 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Sanskrit Language 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PSAC294 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Sanskrit Language 2 (Postgraduate) - 15PSAC306 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Special Course in Chinese 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PCHC008 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Special Course in Chinese II (Postgraduate) - 15PCHC011 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Special Course in Chinese 3 (Postgraduate) - 15PCHC009 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Special Course in Chinese IV (Postgraduate) - 15PCHC012 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Special Course in Chinese: Reading Classical and Literary Chinese (Postgraduate) - 15PCHC010 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Thai Language 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PSEC040 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Thai Language 2 (Postgraduate) - 15PSEC041 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Thai Language 3 (Postgraduate) - 15PSEC042 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Vietnamese Language 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PSEC036 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Vietnamese Language 2 (Postgraduate) - 15PSEC037 (1 Unit) - Full Year

Relevant courses available in the Department of History of Art and Archaeology

Art and Archaeology of the Silk Road - 15PARC032 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2014/2015
Art of monumental Southeast Asia - 15PARH049 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1 - Not Running 2014/2015
Esoteric Buddhist Art of South and Southeast Asia - 15PARH057 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1 - Not Running 2014/2015
Sacred Art and Architecture of Ancient Korea - 15PARH056 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1 - Not Running 2014/2015
The Indian Temple - 15PARC034 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2014/2015

Relevant courses available in the Department of Music

Aspects of Music and Religion in South East Asia - 15PMUH017 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2

Applicants should have a first or good second class honours bachelors degree from a UK university, or equivalent, in a subject appropriate to that of the programme to be followed. As an approximate comparison, an equivalent BA from a US university would have a Grade Point Average of either 3.3 or 3.5 depending on the awarding university. If an applicant does not have a bachelors degree in an appropriate field s/he may be required to complete a qualifying year or a one year diploma before entering the masters programme. Relevant work experience may also be taken into consideration. Individual courses may have specific entry requirements, so you are advised to consult the postgraduate prospectus for further information. English Language Requirements IELTS band: 7 CAE score: (read more) Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) is part of the Cambridge English suite and is targeted at a high level (IETLS 6.5-8.0). It is an international English language exam set at the right level for academic and professional success. Developed by Cambridge English Language Assessment - part of the University of Cambridge - it helps you stand out from the crowd as a high achiever. 80 (Grade A) IMPORTANT NOTE: Since April 2014 the ETS tests (including TOEFL and TOEIC) are no longer accepted for Tier 4 visa applications to the United Kingdom. The university might still accept these tests to admit you to the university, but if you require a Tier 4 visa to enter the UK and begin your degree programme, these tests will not be sufficient to obtain your Visa. The IELTS test is most widely accepted by universities and is also accepted for Tier 4 visas to the UK- learn more.