Why Southeast Asian Studies?
Life isn't divided up into neat disciplinary boxes. Learning about the world shouldn't be boxed in either.
The Department of Southeast Asian Studies offers an ideal alternative to students who find disciplinary approaches to learning narrow or restrictive, and those who prefer a more subject-oriented curriculum. Our department aims to offer a truly inter-disciplinary approach to learning, which draws on different perspectives and methodologies from the humanities and social sciences, all thoroughly informed by local experience and knowledge.
Curriculum
Single Major [B.A. (Hons)]
Pass at least 60 Units of SE and SE-recognised courses, which include:
- SE1101E The Lands Below the Winds: Southeast Asia in the World
- SE4101 Southeast Asia Studies: Theory and Practice
- a minimum of 12 Units of Southeast Asian language courses (i.e. Bahasa Indonesia, Malay, Thai or Vietnamese)
- a minimum of 36 Units at level-3000 or higher (excluding language courses (See Note 1)) with,
- a minimum of 20 Units at level-4000 or higher (including SE4101)
- a maximum of 2 level-5000 SE courses
- a maximum of 8 Units SE-recognised courses, of which 4 Units may be at level-4000 (excluding language courses)
Note 1: A maximum of one more level-3000 or level-4000 language course that has not been included in the 12 Units of the language course in point (4) above may be read subject to departmental approval.
Note 2: All the language requirements will normally be in only ONE language track, i.e., Bahasa Indonesia or Malay or Thai or Vietnamese. The language courses will be offered by the Centre for Language Studies. Under certain circumstances, students may be allowed to transfer to another SE language track. Please refer to the Policy on Reading SE Language Modules for more information.
Second Major
Pass at least 40 Units of SE and SE-recognised courses, which include:
- SE1101E The Lands Below the Winds: Southeast Asia in the World
- a minimum of 12 Units of Southeast Asian language courses (i.e. Bahasa Indonesia, Malay, Thai or Vietnamese)
- a minimum of 16 Units at level-3000 or higher (excluding language courses)
- a maximum of 8 Units SE-recognised courses (excluding language courses)
Note 1: Students are allowed to read level-4000 courses subject to departmental approval.
Note 2: All the language requirements will normally be in only ONE language track, i.e., Bahasa Indonesia or Malay or Thai or Vietnamese. The language courses will be offered by the Centre for Language Studies. Under certain circumstances, students may be allowed to transfer to another SE language track. Please refer to the Policy on Reading SE Language Modules for more information.
Minor
Pass at least 20 Units of SE, SE-recognised courses or SE-language courses, which include the following:
- SE1101E The Lands Below the Winds: Southeast Asia in the World
- A minimum of 8 Units of SE courses
- A maximum of 8 Units of SE language courses (i.e. Bahasa Indonesia, Malay, Thai or Vietnamese)
Job Ready
Graduates are employed in a wide variety of jobs in the private and public sectors. Our advantage is the familiarity with Southeast Asia, and in particular, an ability to communicate in a Southeast Asian language. Local and multinational corporations based in Singapore with interests in Southeast Asia find that our graduates function effectively in the region.
Our graduates build successful and exciting careers in statutory boards and government ministries, business and tourism, journalism and other media, teaching, research, academia, public relations, finance and market research, museums, cultural centres, arts festivals, arts councils, diplomatic work and international organisations (e.g. aid agencies, NGOs and philanthropic foundations).
Why CHS?
The College of Humanities and Sciences (CHS) is the enhanced undergraduate experience for students of the Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences (FASS) and the Faculty of Science (FOS) at the National University of Singapore.
Scale of Impact
Taps and builds on the research expertise of two of the largest and most established faculties in Singapore.
Deliberate Curriculum Curation
A distinct interdisciplinary approach that emphasises the ability to draw connections, discover links and connect insights across disciplines.
Unparalleled Flexibility
Offers greater choice and unparalleled flexibility to pursue breadth and depth from more than 1,000 modules per academic year.
Testimonials
Sim Yang Siong Nagata
Content & Experience Executive, Kingsmen Creatives Ltd
Southeast Asian Studies '23
In my time in the NUS SEA Studies Department, I have learnt many things. I have learnt about the region’s cultural arts and its heritage, as well as the vices that run beneath its surface. I have learnt about its national, natural, and political landscapes, and the ways they interact with each other to produce the unique region we know today.
As diverse as these themes are, my time in SEA studies has made me realise the common character that links them all together: people. I have learnt to find the people in all things complicated, grand or static. I have learnt of the ways that people forge alliances to stand taller against their odds, and the ways that we construct systems and institutions to contain and control each other. Southeast Asian studies has made me listen closer to the stories that people tell, and the language learning programme has made sure that I can still listen regardless of how they choose to tell these stories.
Ooi Yong Ann
Business Continuity Management, A*STAR - Agency for Science, Technology and Research
Southeast Asian Studies '17
Given the technical nature of his work, it may come as a surprise to some that Yong Ann is a graduate from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) at the National University of Singapore (NUS). Yet, he sees his university education as being invaluable for setting him up to thrive at his fast-paced workplace.
"There's no course that would have given me a degree in network planning. But my time at NUS pushed me in terms of critical thinking skills, language skills, understanding other cultures and working with people," he says.
In his mind, that was the beauty of FASS - the freedom to learn from different disciplines, glean a variety of perspectives and ultimately find his way back to the passions that really make him tick.
The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, National University of Singapore (NUS) is committed to environmental sustainability.
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