MPhil in South Asian Studies

SOAS has an international reputation for excellence in the field of South Asian studies earned by the world leading research undertaken.

The South Asia Section of the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics welcomes applications for the degrees of PhD on any topic related to the research interests and disciplines of the Department’s research-active staff. Prospective candidates should consult the details of the various staff members’ research areas and adapt their proposal accordingly. These presently include, but are not limited to:

• Indian film and screen studies
• diaspora studies
• postcolonial literature
• literary studies associated with Hindi, Urdu, Nepali, and Sanskrit
• classical Hinduism
• feminism
• translation
• current representations of Muslims
• the politics of Nepal, Bhutan and Pakistan.

Broader topics can be accommodated through joint supervision with colleagues in other Departments and Centres REF 2014 Submissions by members of the Department included significant and paradigm-shifting monographs, edited collections, journal articles and book chapters on literature, cinema cultural history and postcolonial studies.

The Department has two ERC grants: Francesca Orsini for the comparative study of the multilingual literary histories of North India, the Maghreb, and the Horn of Africa; while James Mallinson has one entitled “The Hatha Yoga Project: Mapping traditions of transnational physical yoga practice through philology and ethnography”. Amina Yaqin’s current research projects include a collaboration with the Centre for the Study of Pakistan and the University of East London for the ‘Muslims, Trust and Cultural Dialogue’ research project funded by the RCUK. This follows on from an earlier AHRC funded international research network, ‘Framing Muslims’. Rachel Dwyer is CI on an AHRC funded International Network with the University of Leeds: Soft Power, Cinema and the BRICS.

A full research training programme is provided at Faculty level, in addition to the close attention each doctoral researcher receives from his or her supervisor. MPhil/PhD researchers admitted to the Department receive research training in the Faculty-wide first year research training seminar and are also encouraged to participate in discipline-specific training offered by the Faculty Centre for Cultural, Literary and Postcolonial Studies (CCLPS) and research skills training coordinated via the Doctoral School.

All students register in year 1 of the programme as MPhil students. The upgrade from MPhil to PhD takes place at the end of the first academic session for full time students (or at the end of the second academic session for part time students).

All new MPhil/PhD students are provided with a supervisory committee of three members, comprising a main or primary supervisor, and a second and third supervisor. The split in time commitment across the supervisory committee is 60:25:15. In the first year students are expected to meet their main supervisor on a fortnightly basis for a period of at least one hour.

Under the regulations of SOAS, University of London, all doctoral researchers register initially for an MPhil: they may transfer to PhD after completing one year, if they wish and subject to approval by the School, which requires evidence that the candidate’s work is achieving the standard required.

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.

We normally require a 2.1 bachelor's degree (or its equivalent) plus a Masters degree in appropriate subject area plus one reference. In exceptional cases we may accept applicants who do not meet these criteria if they show evidence of a strong Masters degree and/or appropriate level of relevant work experience.