MA Traditions of Yoga and Meditation
London, United Kingdom
DURATION
1 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
TUITION FEES
GBP 25,320 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* for overseas student fees | home student fees: GBP 12,220 per year
Introduction
The MA Traditions of Yoga and Meditation degree programme explores the origins and historical development of yoga and meditation in India and Tibet from ancient times to the modern world.
The core module, ‘Yoga and Meditation: Perspectives, Context and Methodologies’, is designed to provide students with a broad intellectual grasp of the fascinating thematic components and cross-regional perspectives.
The MA Traditions of Yoga and Meditation degree programme is attractive to students who:
- Are Experienced Practitioners of Yoga and Meditation Who Wish to Gain Deeper Knowledge of the Historical and Cultural Contexts That Shaped Their Traditions
- Have a Background in Psychology Seeking to Gain Knowledge of Meditation and Mindfulness for Their Clinical Work
- Are Planning to Pursue Further Research Which May Involve, at a Subsequent Stage, the Acquisition of a Doctoral Degree and a Career in Higher Education
- Wish to Pursue a Career or Professional Activity for Which Advanced Knowledge of the Yoga and Meditation Traditions of Asia is Required
- Seek the Academic Study of These Traditions as a Complement to Their Personal Experience
Why study MA Traditions of Yoga and Meditation at SOAS?
- SOAS is ranked 15th in the UK for Arts and Humanities (QS World University Rankings 2023)
- Theology and Religious Studies scored above the sector in the following categories: research culture, community, progression, research skills, and professional development (2023 Postgraduate Research Experience Survey)
- All of our Theology & Religious Studies impact case studies were world-leading/internationally excellent (REF 2021)
- 85.4% of our Theology & Religious Studies research outputs were world-leading/internationally excellent – 56.3% of our submitted outputs were deemed world-leading (REF 2021)
- Our Theology & Religious Studies research environment score was 85% world-leading/internationally excellent
Gallery
Admissions
Curriculum
Students must complete 120 credits of MA-taught modules in addition to the compulsory dissertation (60 credits).
Core
- Dissertation in the Traditions of Yoga and Meditation
Compulsory
- Buddhist Meditation in India and Tibet
- The Origins and Development of Yoga in Ancient India
- Yoga and Meditation: Perspectives, Context and Methodologies
- Yoga and Meditation in the Jaina Tradition
Program Outcome
Knowledge
- Students will learn how to assess data and evidence critically, locate and synthesise source materials, critically evaluate conflicting interpretations and sources, and use research resources (library catalogues, journal databases, citation indices) and other traditional sources.
- Subject-specific skills, for instance, text analysis, comparative investigations, interpretation of art-historical evidence, and familiarity with the study of the traditions of yoga and meditation as a field of critical enquiry in its various regional and historical contexts.
- Aspects of literature in the study of yoga and meditation with its manifestations in philosophy, religion, iconography and history, as well as the impact of these traditions on religious societies.
Intellectual (thinking) skills
- Students should become precise and cautious in their assessment of evidence, and understand through practice what documents can and cannot tell us.
- Students will develop the capacity to discuss theoretical and epistemological issues in an articulate, informed, and intellectual manner.
- Students will learn to become precise and critical in their assessment of scholarly arguments and to question interpretations, however authoritative, to reassess evidence for themselves.
- Students will learn to present complex theoretical arguments clearly and creatively.
- Students will acquire both theoretical and regional expertise in order to develop and apply self-reflexive approaches to the issues raised by the cross-cultural study of yoga and meditation traditions.
Subject-based practical skills
The programme aims to help students with the following practical skills:
- Academic writing
- IT-based information retrieval and processing
- Presentational skills
- Independent study skills and research techniques
- Reflexive learning
Transferable skills
The programme will encourage students to:
- Write concisely and with clarity
- Effectively structure and communicate ideas (oral and written)
- Explore and assess a variety of sources for research purposes
- Work to deadlines and high academic standards
- Assess the validity and cogency of arguments
- Make judgements involving complex factors
- Develop self-reflexivity
- Develop an awareness of the ethical complexity of representational practices
- Question the nature of social and cultural constructs.
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
In addition to an understanding of global faiths, histories and cultures, graduates from the Department of Religions and Philosophies develop the skills to analyse and communicate ideas in a clear, rational and comprehensive manner. These key proficiencies are valuable in many careers and are transferable to a wide range of sectors and roles.
Recent graduates have been hired by:
- Asia Society
- British Council
- Cabinet Office
- Chatham House
- Edelman
- Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
- HELP USA
- King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Princeton University
- Royal Government of Cambodia
- The Happiness Factory
- The Inter Faith Network for the UK
- The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
- UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency
- United Nations Development Programme