Course Structure

Our MA programmes begin in late September, and our formal teaching is structured over two semesters. Semester 1 normally finishes at the end of January, and for Semester 2 at the end of May. There are exam periods at the end of each semester. From June to early September you will be studying for your dissertation, the submission of this work being normally around mid-September. Depending on the programme, some students will be on a work placement during this period.

Students have to complete 180 credits for the MA award, and you will be able to choose a ‘pathway’ of study around a combination of compulsory and option modules. More details on this can be found on the main Taught Postgraduate page. Most of our modules have 15-credit weightings, and you have the option of taking some modules from outside our Dept, depending on availability and suitability.

All modules are taught during the daytime. Full-time students complete their MA programme within one year, and part-time students within two years.

Teaching

Most of our programmes cover the following four aspects of study:

• Language (a choice of Chinese, Japanese or Thai)
• Social science and humanities based ‘area studies’ subjects
• Research skills training
• Dissertation thesis

Language teaching normally takes 4 to 9 hours of classes per week, ‘area studies’ subjects between 4 to 8 hours of classes per week, research training a 2 hours class per week, and you will be working on your dissertation thesis over June to early September. Classes will consist of lectures, small-group seminars, and various forms of tutorial classes.

Assessment

You will be assessed in a variety of different ways on your MA programme, potentially including:

• End of semester examinations
• Essays
• Short ‘in-module’ assignments
• Role-play exercise assignment
• Seminar presentations
• Language tests and examinations

This variety of assessment methods is designed to develop and test a wide range of your analytical skills. Students are given individual module feedback by the relevant module tutor once the provisional marks are known. The Programme Director can provide an overall evaluation of your semester by semester performance. Final marks and awards will not be confirmed until the exam board meets in late October. Confirmed results are available to students online in late November. The degree ceremonies are held in mid-December.