Music and Korean

Music sits at the intersection of human creativity and cultural expression, encompassing composition, performance, historical analysis, and the theoretical systems that have organised sound across centuries and continents. Korean, one of the world's most linguistically distinctive languages, opens a window onto a culture with deep artistic traditions and a rapidly growing global presence in popular music, film, and literature. Studying the two together at the School of Oriental and African Studies gives you access to one of the world's leading centres for the study of Asia and Africa, where area expertise and disciplinary rigour go hand in hand.

In the music strand, you will explore a range of repertoires and analytical approaches, from Western classical traditions to the diverse musical cultures of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East that SOAS is uniquely equipped to teach. You will develop skills in aural analysis, musicology, and the critical frameworks that help explain how music functions within social and political contexts. In Korean, you will build proficiency in spoken and written language alongside an understanding of Korean history, society, and cultural production.

The combination is particularly valuable at a moment when Korean popular culture, cinema, and the broader creative industries have achieved genuine international visibility.

This four-year programme includes a foundation year, giving you a thorough grounding in both subjects before you move into the more advanced stages of your degree. The full-time structure means you will be immersed in both disciplines throughout your studies, with the opportunity to develop the linguistic and musical skills that take time to mature properly.

Graduates are well positioned for careers in arts administration, music journalism, cultural diplomacy, translation and interpreting, broadcasting, and international organisations with interests in East Asia. Some pursue postgraduate research in ethnomusicology, Korean studies, or related fields. The language skills you acquire make you valuable to any employer working across the UK-Korea relationship, which covers sectors from education and government to the creative and digital industries.