The MA South East and Pacific Asian Studies programme provides exceptional opportunities for advanced study of one of the world's most diverse and important regions, and students gain competency in language skills, intercultural awareness and understanding. Students on this programme come from a wide range of backgrounds. Some join after having acquired an interest in South East Asia during their undergraduate career, or as a result of travelling in the region. This South East and Pacific Asian Studies MA programme also attracts mature students: some take the MA degree as a partial preparation for employment in the region; others, having lived in South East and Pacific Asia for a number of years, seek to place their experience and impressions into a more structured, analytical framework. Knowledge of a South East or Pacific Asian language is not a pre-requisite for admission to this programme. However, all students on this programme are required to take a South East or Pacific Asian language as one their modules. We are ranked 7th in the UK for Asian Studies (Complete University Guide 2026). SOAS is ranked 12th in the UK for Modern Languages (QS World University Rankings 2026). Modern Languages and Linguistics at SOAS has been ranked 10th in the UK in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021. 4th for research environment – with 100% of our research ranked as 'internationally excellent' and 85% as 'world-leading' – and 8th for research outputs in the REF 2021. SOAS is a specialist in the studies of Africa, the Middle East, South Asia and South East Asia.