The Department of Southeast Asian Studies offers courses in five languages and cultures, which include Filipino, Myanmar language, Thai, Indonesian, and Vietnamese. Peking University is the first to establish these five majors in China, enrolling undergraduate students every three or four years. The department trains graduate students in languages and cultures of their target countries as well as Southeast Asian culture studies. Doctoral students, currently, study Southeast Asian culture and Southeast Asian regional language research. Most graduates of this department are active in the fields of foreign affairs, cultural exchanges, international trade, press and publication, research in universities and academic institutes, making positive contributions to the country and society.

The undergraduate program of the department emphasizes the teaching of Southeast Asian languages, by comprehensively cultivating students' abilities to listen, speak, read, write and translate. At the same time, it pays attention to students' overall understanding of Southeast Asia and conducts preliminary academic guidance for students. Graduate students must attain a mastery of the languages and national conditions of the target countries as well as disciplinary theories, and thus develop the ability to engage in academic research with a solid theory foundation and systematic and in-depth specialized knowledge. Students in the department have various opportunities to participate in overseas study projects, including regional research and foreign language training program for high-level personnel, inter-school exchanges, summer schools and various short-term exchange programs. The department provides instruction designed to develop language competence in Southeast Asian countries, an awareness of their cultural traditions, and an understanding of various aspects of their societies. The language training and culture study of both China and Southeast Asian countries have fully prepared the students for career advancement in government service, cultural exchange, business, teaching, and scholarly research.

Currently, the department has a faculty of fifteen, including two full professors, three tenured associate professors, five associate professors, three lecturers, and two assistant professors. There are three affiliated research institutes specialized in regional studies in Southeast Asia, Thailand and Indonesia-Malaysia. The department enjoys a good academic reputation owing in part to the numerous high-quality scholarly works, translations, textbooks and dictionaries published by its faculty over the past decades.