Master of Art (Southeast Asian Studies)

Master of Art (Southeast Asian Studies) 2) Offering institution: National University of Singapore 3) Awarding university: National University of Singapore 4) Length of course: 1 year (min) ~ 3 years (max) for full-time / 2 years (min) ~ 4 years (max) for part-time 5) Delivery method: On-campus, fully-taught coursework program

6) Costs: Approx. S$5K per year for full-time / Approx. S$2.5K per year for part-time. Costs include various fees payable to the university, but exclude textbooks and readings.

DESCRIPTION

As quoted from the NUS Southeast Asian Studies programme website:

"THE MA (SOUTHEAST ASIAN STUDIES) COURSEWORK programme was launched in 1995 with an initial intake of 9 part-time candidates. Since then over 278 have graduated, proving a demand for continuing education among individuals with a recently acquired or long-held interest in Southeast Asia.

Adopting a multidisciplinary approach, the programme caters primarily to suitably qualified working adults who, for professional or personal development, would benefit from a deeper and more focussed academic understanding of various real-world issues and life experiences in Southeast Asia. The exposure to different theoretical perspectives and methodologies aims to encourage MA students to explore their own areas of interest with greater competence and confidence.

The programme largely attracts professionals in the fields of marketing and management, public relations, education and research and the military, as well as a significant number of full-time candidates, particularly from Southeast Asia. Given the broad scope of study, students’ academic backgrounds span a range of disciplines in the humanities, business studies, engineering and the sciences.

If you want to learn formally about the peoples and region of Southeast Asia in the context of a multi- and inter-disciplinary approach, then go ahead and apply for admission to Master of Arts (Southeast Asian Studies) by coursework.

The multi-disciplinary approach taken covers geography, history, anthropology, sociology, economics, politics, and the international relations of Southeast Asia. You will have the choice of completing the degree in two semesters (full-time) or up to four semesters (part-time). You will be given six semesters as the maximum period of candidature for full-time and eight semesters for part-time. Classes are run in the evenings between 6-9 pm."

ASSESSMENT

Students are required to take 10 modules, out of which 2 modules can be taken at the 4000 level (Undergraduate Honours modules), with the rest at the 5000 (Masters modules) or 6000 (Doctorate modules) levels.

A typical module consist of an examination, which carries 40% ~ 50%, consisting of answering 3 essay questions within 2 hrs, open-book style, while the remaining 50% ~ 60% is made up of a 3,000 to 5,000 words research-based term paper, and other minor assignments like book and article reviews, presentations, class attendance, participation in class discussions etc.

In order to graduate, the student must achieve a Cumulative Point Average (CAP) of at least 3.0/5.0 i.e. B- average. The following is the grading/CAP system of NUS:

Grade / CAP

A+ / 5.0

A / 5.0

A- / 4.5

B+ / 4.0

B / 3.5

B- / 3.0

C+ / 2.5

C / 2.0

D+ / 1.5

D / 1.0

F / 0.0

Website: http://www.fas.nus.edu.sg/sea

COMMENTS

1) The marking can be rather strict, there is no room for half-hearted attempts, it'll show in your grades. Hints for upcoming exams can be at worse virtually non-existent, or at best simply cryptic.

2) The study load tends to be rather heavy, with some modules more so than the others. A typical module would last a semester, usually abt 12 lessons, once per week. Each lesson shall be accompanied with substantial amount of pre-readings, and you're required to do at least a presentation (group or single), an assignment or two, a research-based term paper and an exam during the course of the module.

3) The timing of the class, which typically starts at 6.30 p.m during weekdays, may be a problem for students, especially when there're more and more people knocking off from work at 6.00 p.m.